What should I do during a power cut?

It's always useful to be prepared for a power cut — particularly if energy shortages were to cause winter blackouts

If you have warning, charge up what you can ahead of time. A mobile phone can be used “tethered” to provide internet access when your modem is out of action to stream movies and more. Picture: iStock

Blackout, brownout, power-cut, what we call “phitt-bang”, being without power even with a little warning — well, it’s cold, blind panic in the making. 

When the hamster at ESB Networks falls off his exercise wheel, and you’re relying on a pump and a split-kilowatt to drive your heating system, multiple joys await if you have not invested in a domestic generator.