Do I need a generator for a power cut at home?

Almost certainly not. A charged power bank, a torch and a warm layer cover nearly every UK power cut, and those are the items GOV.UK's Prepare campaign recommends keeping (checked 30 August 2026). If you want backup power, choose a battery power station: fuel-burning generators make carbon monoxide and must never run indoors.

The slightly longer answer

Start with what a power cut actually asks of you. GOV.UK’s Prepare campaign lists a “battery or wind-up torch”, a “portable power bank for charging your mobile phone” and a “battery or wind-up radio to get updates during a power cut” (checked 30 August 2026). None of that needs a generator, and all of it fits in a drawer.

For most cuts, a generator solves a problem someone else is already contracted to solve. Under Ofgem’s guaranteed standards, in normal weather “your local network company has either 12 or 24 hours to restore supplies”, depending on how many homes one fault has hit, and a home left without power for longer “can get £95” (checked 30 August 2026). Prepare’s advice for those hours is low-tech: “Keep warm by using blankets and layered clothing”, keep the doors of unused rooms closed, and “keep fridges and freezer doors closed, as this will ensure they stay cold for several hours” (checked 30 August 2026).

If you still want backup power, the route that does not involve fuel is a battery power station: a large rechargeable battery with sockets on the front, charged from the mains and used according to its manufacturer’s instructions. A petrol or diesel generator is a different machine altogether. The NHS lists “portable generators” among the appliances that produce carbon monoxide, along with barbecues and camping stoves used inside, and vehicle or lawn mower engines turned on “in an enclosed space (such as a garage)” (checked 30 August 2026).

That is why official guidance keeps fuel-burning generators outdoors. HSE’s construction guidance says to locate “petrol generators etc outside in well ventilated spaces so that fumes disperse and cannot gather or drift into building openings” (checked 30 August 2026). The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland puts the household version plainly: “Do not use a generator indoors or in partially enclosed spaces - including homes, garages, and crawl spaces - even those areas with partial ventilation”, “Do not operate near open doors and windows”, and “Using fans will not prevent carbon monoxide build-up in the home” (checked 30 August 2026).

Carbon monoxide has no smell and the symptoms look like a bug: the NHS lists “a headache”, “dizziness”, “feeling sick or being sick”, “feeling weak”, “tiredness and confusion”, “chest and muscle pain” and “shortness of breath”. If you suspect it, the NHS says “stop using appliances you think might be making carbon monoxide”, “go outside” and “get medical advice as soon as possible”, and its urgent-action box says to call 999 or go to A&E for severe symptoms. Its prevention advice is to “get a carbon monoxide alarm that makes a loud sound if there’s carbon monoxide present” (checked 30 August 2026).

If someone in your home depends on powered medical equipment, the answer is not a machine in the garden, it is a phone call. Ofgem’s Priority Services Register covers people who need “to use medical equipment that requires a power supply”, and you join by contacting your supplier or network operator, each of which keeps its own register (checked 30 August 2026). Prepare calls it “a free service to help people who have additional needs”. Talk to them about what happens in a cut, then read the Priority Services Register guide and what actually happens in a long power cut.

Related questions

Is a portable power station safe to use indoors?

It burns no fuel, so it is not one of the carbon monoxide sources the NHS lists, unlike a petrol generator (checked 30 August 2026). That is the difference that matters. Charge it from the mains, keep it topped up, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for charging and storage.

Can I run a generator in the garage with the door open?

No. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland says: “Do not use a generator indoors or in partially enclosed spaces - including homes, garages, and crawl spaces - even those areas with partial ventilation”, and “Do not operate near open doors and windows” (checked 30 August 2026). Its guidance adds that fans will not prevent a build-up indoors.

Would a generator keep my fridge and freezer going?

You probably do not need it to. Prepare’s advice is to “keep fridges and freezer doors closed, as this will ensure they stay cold for several hours” (checked 30 August 2026), and Ofgem gives the network company 12 or 24 hours to put a normal-weather fault right. Keeping the fridge cold covers the timings.

Do I need a carbon monoxide alarm?

The NHS advises getting “a carbon monoxide alarm that makes a loud sound if there’s carbon monoxide present – get 1 for each room of your home containing appliances that burn gas, oil, coal or wood” (checked 30 August 2026). That is worth doing whether or not you ever own a generator.

What about a petrol generator for a really long cut?

Then it is a serious purchase with serious rules. HSENI says to connect appliances “with heavy-duty extension cords”, warns that “connecting the generator to your home could cause a surge in electricity that might result in injury or death”, and says to keep the generator and its fuel outside the house (checked 30 August 2026).

Sources & review

• UK Government, Prepare campaign: Get prepared for emergencies. Checked 30 August 2026. The torch, power bank and radio in the recommended kit, and the advice to build it over time.
• UK Government, Prepare campaign: Power cuts. Checked 30 August 2026. Keeping warm with blankets and layers, closing the doors of unused rooms, keeping fridge and freezer doors shut for several hours, and the Priority Services Register as “a free service”.
• NHS: Carbon monoxide poisoning. Checked 30 August 2026. Portable generators, barbecues and camping stoves used inside and engines in enclosed spaces as sources; the symptom list; what to do if you suspect poisoning; the 999 and A&E box; carbon monoxide alarms.
• Health and Safety Executive: Construction hazardous substances: carbon monoxide. Checked 30 August 2026. Siting petrol generators outside in well ventilated spaces so fumes cannot drift into building openings. This is workplace guidance; the household version is HSENI’s, below.
• Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland: Safety tips – using a portable generator in an emergency. Checked 30 August 2026. Never indoors or in partially enclosed spaces including garages, not near open doors and windows, fans do not help, heavy-duty extension cords rather than connecting to the house, and fuel stored outside.
• Ofgem: Compensation for energy supply issues. Checked 30 August 2026. The 12 or 24 hour restoration standards in normal weather and the £95 payment when they are missed.
• Ofgem: Join your supplier’s Priority Services Register. Checked 30 August 2026. Eligibility including medical equipment that requires a power supply, and how to join through your supplier or network operator.

This page describes NHS, HSE and Ofgem guidance rather than giving medical advice. If carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected, follow the NHS steps and call 999 for urgent symptoms. Awaiting editorial review (reviewedBy: TBC).