Although 211,000 homes in Northern Ireland have had their electricity supply restored since Storm Éowyn landed, there are still a further 74,000 homes without power four days later.

With NIE suggesting on bbc.co.uk/news 26th January 2025 that the restoration of electricity to all properties in Northern Ireland could take a further 10 days we are expecting to see a significant increase in the number of home owners and property managers making changes to not only how they power their homes, but how long they can keep the lights on when there is no power coming from the grid.

Fortunately there are some easy to install options to keep things running as smoothly as possible following a power outage.

1. Install a Home Battery – Not just for homes with solar panels, a home battery can be charged at night using cheap off-peak “economy 7” electricity and used as required during the day. You can check you electricity bill to find out how much electricity you use in the day to determine how big a battery unit is required. If you use more electricity than expected the system will switch back over to your normal supply until economy 7 kicks back in to recharge the battery.
   • Pros:
     • Quick install – you can be set-up in 1-2 hours just needing to wait for your cheap electricity to arrive that night, then you can keep your house running from 1 -5 days depending on battery size and usage.
     • You can confidently calculate how big a home battery you need or want based on your budget as you can forecast what you need based on your current usage.
     • It can pay for itself in under 18 months.
     • Modular – you can add additional batteries or solar later.
   • Cons:
     • Major electricity usage peaks such as ‘one big laundry day’ of washing and tumble drying might see you dip into the normal supply on a peak tariff towards the end of the day.
     • More storage on day one comes at a price in terms of initial investment, but remember the modular benefit of this option.
2. Buy a home generator – a generator powered by petrol or diesel can run outside your home to provide electricity in an emergency. Smaller, cheaper generators + a standard extension lead can provide a small amount of power to run low power appliances. Larger generators can be wired into your home supply with some simple reconfigurations to keep your larger appliances running.
   • Pros:
     • Generators can be started as soon as you require them.
     • Can be started remotely at the click of a button.
     • Range of pricing from budget to more premium options.
     • Can be connected to directly to your house permanently or temporarily.
   • Cons:
     • Can be noisy depending on proximity to your home.
     • You will need to have a reasonable supply of petrol or diesel on hand at home as when the power is out petrol stations cannot dispense fuel.
     • smaller cheaper models will allow you to bring an extension lead into the house to run your TV, charge your devices and keep a couple of lamps on but can’t power heated appliances such as kettles, microwaves or ovens.
3. Home Battery + Home Generator – Whether you call it energy security or energy resilience, being less reliant on the external power supply to your home has a significant benefit in terms of piece of mind, especially in homes where the power going out is likely to have a significant health impact. Rather than comparing home battery vs home generator we recommend a combination if budgets allow.
   • Pros:
     • With a combination set-up you have two options for electricity at home in an emergency.
     • You won’t experience the short-term power outages that occur when you are running on battery power.
     • You can use a budget generator to recharge your home battery during longer power outages.
     • In the unlikely event of technical issues with your battery you can run your home directly from a premium home generator.
     • Cheaper than new mains connection in many rural properties
   • .Cons:
     • Demand for batteries and generators is likely to increase significantly over the next 3-6 months with long waitlists.
     • Your may have to turn your neighbours away during the next major storm as the whole street wants to come in for a brew!

At Electrical NI we have experts who can can provide advice, sourcing and installation of home battery units and home generator units to start you on your journey to energy resilience. Contact us for more information on 02895800875