The head of the National Grid has recently warned the UK of blackouts during ‘deepest, darkest’ winter evenings. Due to extremely low gas supplies, power could go out between 4pm and 7pm on some ‘really, really cold’ evenings in January and February if Europe faces further cuts from Russia.

Why is there a Power Shortage?

The National Grid has said the Russian invasion on Ukraine has caused ‘unforeseen turmoil and volatility’ throughout the energy markets, which has led to a number of countries critically looking for alternative supplies as gas flows from Russia to Europe have been cut off.

The number of people being cut off from electricity will depend on how many gas-power stations are forced to shut down because of a shortage of gas.

Britain does not rely on Russia for gas but normally draws on European supplies to keep its power stations running in the coldest months. However, the energy crisis in Europe would result in Britain not being able to import electricity from France, Belgium, or the Netherlands, but power would still flow from Norway.

If action is not taken, this could lead to shortages impacting millions of Britons. The National Grid boss has said there was a ‘‘huge amount of work” being done by energy suppliers to ensure vulnerable households in particular received support should it become necessary to impose blackouts.

Although Lis Truss, our former Prime Minister at the time the power cuts topic became public, ‘reassured the UK has a good supply of energy’, will Rishi Sunak still think the same? We believe we could still suffer the collateral damage from any shortfalls in supplies in mainland Europe, who rely on Russian gas.

Take a look at the Government’s Electricity Supply Emergency Code which provides a plethora of information on where and when blackouts may occur in the UK.

This coordinated system means power cuts will be staggered throughout the day and vary in length depending on the severity of shortages.

The Impact on Europe

Due to Russia turning off the taps to Europe, France has exported gas to Germany for the first time in ‘European solidarity’ due to the increased energy pressures. Although this new flow is less than 2% of the daily needs in Germany, it is a welcome help towards their energy crisis.

In this energy solidarity deal, Germany declared they would provide additional electricity to France when needed, in agreeance, France pledged to support Germany with gas supplies.

Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 55% of German gas was originally imported from Russia. Since then, it reduced to 35% and looks set to reduce to zero. To tackle this crisis, the German government have announced they are looking to ‘reduce gas by 2% this winter’ by limiting lighting and heating usage in public buildings.

Although Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has said ‘gas taps could still be turned on to Europe’, their largest gas pipeline to Europe, Nord Stream 1, which travelled from Vyborg in Russia to Greifswald in Germany, was closed indefinitely in August this year and the project for Nord Stream 2, which was due to operate this year, was denied an operating licence by Germany in February, due to the invasion.

Gas leaks were found on the pipelines of both Nord Stream 1 and 2, with many suggesting they could have been sabotaged in an explosion. A 50m hole was found to have been blown into the pipeline at 80m below the Baltic Sea level.

What Affect Will This Have on Homes and Businesses?

National statistics state a single hour of downtime is said to cost a small business an average of £800 and a large commercial organisation £8,500. If the power cuts do occur for three hours a day, you can already imagine the catastrophic costs this can have for businesses.

It’s not just huge costs businesses will lose, it’s interrupted production runs, no website access, no contact with your customers, missed deadlines and many more challenges.

There is also another scenario not many have thought about and it can have a huge impact on homes and businesses. When was the last time you had your alarm serviced? This is an important question all homeowners and business owners should ask themselves, as if there is a power cut, and your alarm system is not up to date, the batteries are dead. If this happens, the alarm will automatically sound and go off. But, even if your alarm does go off, who will come to check if there are so many going off at the same time?

Although this sounds like the right scenario, it is in fact a calling card for burglars. If there are dozens, or hundreds of alarms going off simultaneously, police and other authorities cannot attend each residence at the same time. Many will even think it’s a false alarm. Burglars and criminals will know this, increasing the risks of potential crime, especially if it occurs during the dark hours of 4pm and 7pm; this is a prime time for robberies.

You need to have UPS back-up systems to avoid this – we cannot stress this enough. These systems can protect, you, your employees, your business, and your home.

We recently did a quick review of our UPS systems here at QED. The results showed all our servers and phones are covered with UPS, but the roller shutters, doors and lighting were not. This could leave you with more questions than answers, as even if you are covered with backups, what if the telephone exchange or mobile mast don’t have any power?

We are here to answer any questions you have.

We’re Here to Help You

This increased risk has struck fear for many of us facing the dark months, and as distributors of security and uninterrupted power supplies, we know how important it is to create back-up systems for homes and businesses, to enable you to prepare for the worst-case scenario if your main source of power fails.

With the uncertainties that lie ahead, we are here to help you. Whether you’re looking for advice on the next steps to take, or information on how other businesses are tackling the power cuts crisis, our passionate team are here to offer advice and help you tackle the challenges we face should power cuts occur.

Matt Philp, QED Managing Director says;

‘’While some essential businesses, including transport and NHS hospitals, would be exempt from power cuts, other businesses should start thinking about their emergency management protocol now.’’

‘’We work with a lot of retailers who rely on surveillance systems which need an uninterrupted power supply to keep running. Access control is also a main priority for these businesses who use CCTV surveillance for sensitive areas. A constant power supply is essential for the critical protection, safety and security of people and systems.’’

Let us help you tackle the power cuts and face this challenge together. Get in touch with our team today by calling 01772 336111 or emailing sales@qedgroup.co.uk.