Every winter, some of the most serious harm in UK power cuts isn’t caused by the cold. It’s caused by carbon monoxide (CO), when people improvise heating or cooking indoors. It has no colour, no smell and no taste, so you won’t know it’s there.
The short version
- Never use a BBQ, generator, camping stove, patio heater or gas oven to heat your home.
- Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in every room with a fuel-burning appliance.
- Use a battery-powered or sealed-battery alarm so it works in a power cut.
- Get gas appliances and chimneys checked every year.
- Symptoms? Get into fresh air and call 999.
What is carbon monoxide?
It’s a poisonous gas produced when fuels such as gas, oil, coal, wood and charcoal don’t burn fully. Breathing it stops your blood carrying oxygen properly. In small amounts it makes you ill. In larger amounts it can kill, sometimes while people are asleep.
Why power cuts and cold snaps make it worse
When the heating’s off and the cooker won’t work, people reach for whatever they have. The dangerous ones are:
- BBQs and charcoal, used indoors, in a garage, a porch or a tent.
- Petrol or diesel generators run indoors, in a garage or shed, or near an open window or door.
- Camping stoves and patio heaters used as room heaters.
- Gas ovens and hobs left on to heat the kitchen.
- Blocked chimneys and flues on fires that haven’t been used for a while.
None of these are safe ways to heat a home. For safe ways to keep warm, see our guide to staying warm in a power cut.
Know the symptoms
CO poisoning is easy to mistake for flu or tiredness. Watch for:
- headache
- dizziness
- nausea or vomiting
- tiredness and confusion
- shortness of breath
- collapse or loss of consciousness
Warning signs it might be CO, not a bug: symptoms that improve when you go outside, that affect several people in the home at once, or that pets get ill too.
What to do if you suspect carbon monoxide
- Get into fresh air straight away. Open doors and windows on your way out if it’s safe.
- Turn off any fuel-burning appliance if you can do it safely.
- Call 999 if anyone has symptoms, and say you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning.
- If you think a gas appliance is to blame, call the gas emergency line on 0800 111 999 (Northern Ireland: 0800 002 001).
- Don’t use the appliance again until a Gas Safe registered engineer has checked it.
The £15 alarm that protects you
A carbon monoxide alarm is one of the cheapest, most effective safety buys you can make.
- Choose a battery-powered or sealed 10-year-battery alarm, so it keeps working in a power cut.
- Look for the standard BS EN 50291 on the box.
- Fit one in every room with a fuel-burning appliance, such as a boiler, gas fire or wood burner, and ideally one in bedrooms too.
- Follow the manufacturer’s placement instructions. Typically that’s about one to three metres from the appliance, either on the ceiling or high on a wall.
- Test it monthly, and replace it when it reaches the end of its life.
Renting in England? Since 1 October 2022, landlords must fit a CO alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance (except gas cookers), and repair or replace it if you report a fault. Rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ, so check with your landlord.
Prevention
- Get gas boilers, fires and cookers serviced every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
- Have chimneys swept before you use an open fire or wood burner.
- Keep vents and air bricks clear.
- Never block a flue or cover a boiler.
3 things to do this week
- Check you have a working CO alarm near your boiler or fire, and press the test button.
- Book your annual boiler service if it’s overdue.
- Tell your household the rule: no BBQs, generators or ovens for heating, ever.
More power cut basics: what actually happens in a UK power cut.