Crestchic Loadbanks is urging businesses across the UK to review their power-continuity plans as Storm Goretti brings heavy snowfall, strong winds and electricity disruptions nationwide. The Met Office has warned that 73 areas across the UK are at risk of power cuts before Saturday, with today’s snowfall already placing strain on transport networks and energy infrastructure.
While the immediate impact of Storm Goretti leaves little time for last-minute preparation, it serves as a timely reminder that power-continuity planning is not a one-off exercise.
Paul Brickman, Commercial Director at Crestchic, explains: “To be truly robust, power continuity plans must be created, tested, reviewed, and refined regularly. Severe weather events expose weaknesses quickly. Businesses that have not routinely assessed their emergency procedures, power resilience and backup power performance may already be feeling the consequences. The message is clear: long-term preparation remains the most reliable defence against weather-related power cuts.”
While many businesses have already taken the step of investing in backup power, experts at Crestchic warn that having backup systems in place is not enough unless they have been properly tested. Generators, UPS systems, and switchgear must be tested under real-world conditions to ensure they perform if the power fails.
Crestchic has shared six key recommendations to help businesses prepare for potential winter outages:
- Conduct a risk assessment to identify how a power loss might affect operations.
- Install a backup power system to maintain supply in critical areas.
- Test new and existing backup generators regularly to ensure they function properly when needed.
- Ensure that generators are run on full load regularly, to avoid “wet stacking”, efficiency issues, and potential failure.
- Perform regular inspections to check coolant, fuel, oil, and battery health, while also looking for any signs of leaks or wear.
- Train staff on the importance of maintaining backup systems, responding to power outages, and contacting the right people in case of issues.
- Remember this is not a one-off process – risk assessments and plans should be tested, reviewed and revised regularly.
Power failures can have serious consequences for businesses of all sizes, from lost revenue and downtime to safety risks, data loss and reputational damage. Even brief outages can disrupt operations and customer service, particularly during severe weather. The outages caused by Storm Goretti have underscored the importance of reliable power resilience for every organisation.
For advice on ensuring your generator or backup power is fit for purpose and will protect your business during a power outage, contact the team.
