If you experience temporary disruption to your power supply, it could be down to a short power cut or voltage dip.
Short Power Cuts
A short power cut is a break in supply lasting just a few seconds. Most common in rural areas supplied by overhead lines, these cuts could be caused by lightning, birds or windborne debris.
After detecting the problem, automatic switches called reclosers disconnect the supply to prevent permanent damage before trying to re-connect a few seconds later.
If the fault has gone by then, your electricity supply resumes almost immediately following a short power cut.
But if the cause remains, the recloser stops trying to re-connect the power, leaving it off until our field teams find the cause and solve the problem. Inevitably, this means a longer power cut.
Voltage dips
You area is supplied by a network of cables and overhead lines fed by a main substation. We designed these feeders to interconnect, so that if a fault occurs on your feeder, it’s easier to restore your electricity using another feeder. Your volts may go down if one of these feeders faults or while we are restoring power to other customers.
This is a voltage dip.
You may have experienced a voltage dip if:
• your lights dim briefly
• your TV picture changes size or shape momentarily
• you have to reset a clock or video
Normally, voltage dips are nothing to worry about. In fact, they are a feature of any normal electricity distribution system. Indeed, the voltage you receive varies all the time. Manufacturers of electrical equipment sold in the UK design their products to cope with these variations.
Find out more
We have produced a fact sheet giving you more information on short power cuts and voltage dips.