Your electricity supply will be temporarily cut off soon while we work on the power grid in your neighbourhood. This maintenance work helps prevent unsafe situations and greatly reduces the likelihood of unexpected power outages. We realise temporary power outages are inconvenient for you and always strive to minimise any disruptions as a result of our maintenance work. The following tips can help you make the best of the situation.

Things to
arrange in advance

Please note! Medical equipment

  • Make sure to inform your district nurse or contact person if you use medical equipment such as a breathing apparatus or dialysis machine. This type of equipment may be temporarily disabled during the power outage. Discuss an alternative option with your designated contact person.

Temperature of your home & equipment 

  • Turn up the heating if it gets cold. Make sure to do so the evening before the power cut. This will ensure that your house does not cool down suddenly. After all, your central heating boiler will generally stop working if the electricity supply is interrupted. This also applies if you have district heating.
  • Lower the temperature setting for your refrigerator and freezer. Make sure to do so one day before the power cut. This will ensure that your products are still usable after the power outage.
 

Maintaining proper performance of your devices and household equipment 

  • Charge all devices such as laptops, mobile telephones, tablets and powerbanks to 100% in advance.
  • Protect your devices against voltage fluctuations. Equipment in the Netherlands must be able to withstand these fluctuations. However, you can purchase various products that safeguard against overvoltage in order to provide additional protection for your sensitive equipment.
  • Make sure to inform your alarm centre about the power outage. Your alarm system may unintentionally send out an alarm. Your system may also be deactivated. Make sure to make the necessary preparations for this eventuality.
  • Rent an emergency power generator if you cannot or do not want to have to go without electricity. An emergency power generator will provide electricity if the power supply is interrupted. You can rent an emergency generator from a DIY store, machine rental company or emergency generator specialist.
  • Make sure to fully charge your electric car in advance.
  • Make sure you have enough drinking and domestic water if you live on a high floor. Your water supply may not work during the power cut because the pump system runs on electricity.
 

Important measures on
the day of the power cut

Please note! Lifts & porticos

  • Do not use the lift to avoid the risk of getting stuck when the power is cut. Any portico lighting will also be switched off during the power cut.

Temperature of your home & equipment

  • Keep refrigerators and freezers closed during the power cut. After all, food tends to spoil faster when the temperature of your products rises:
    • Your food will keep for about 4 hours in a fridge that is turned off.
    • Food will keep for about 24 hours in a half-full freezer that is turned off. It will keep for 48 hours if the freezer is full.
    The temperature of your product determines whether it is still edible. The website of Het Voedingscentrum offers useful tips.
  • Make sure the warmth inside doesn't escape if it's cold outside. You can achieve this by closing all windows, doors and curtains. Leave any shutters open or set them to manual operation for your own safety.
  • Preheat water for coffee, tea or bottle feeding. Store this water in a thermos flask. There probably also won't be any hot water coming out of the tap: your electricity will be cut off temporarily, which will generally disable your heating boiler.

Maintaining proper performance of your devices and household equipment

  • Activate your internet hotspot on your mobile phone, tablet or laptop in order to access the internet. Your WiFi router won't work when the power is out.
  • Unplug any sensitive devices from the wall socket in order to make sure they don't malfunction when the power comes back on. Sensitive appliances are those that are sensitive to power fluctuations, such as computers and laptops, televisions, appliances that run on electric motors and those that contain a lot of coils and/or electronics.
  • Turn off the main switch of your power generation system if you produce electricity yourself and feed it back into the grid. (this includes solar panels, generators or wind turbines). If not, you will keep the electricity grid live which is unsafe for our technicians and too much of a burden on your system.

Stedin Netbeheer is authorised to interrupt the supply of electricity on the grounds of the 1998 Electricity Act. We are not liable for any damage caused by interruptions to the power supply.