UK households urged to fill freezers before Thursday

UK households are being urged to fill their freezers before Thursday to prepare for possible power cuts as more snow is forecast.

A yellow weather warning for snow has been issued by the Met Office for parts of Wales and central England from Wednesday afternoon until 6am on Thursday. Up to 5cm of snow is forecast to fall widely in areas above 150 metres, while parts of mid and South-east Wales, Herefordshire and Shropshire could see accumulations up to 15cm in areas above 250 metres. Some snow is also expected to settle on lower ground, particularly from late Wednesday evening into the early hours of Thursday morning, with strong winds making conditions worse in some areas.

A separate yellow weather warning for heavy rain has also been issued for parts of South East England, London and South West England on Wednesday and Thursday, while snow is also likely over higher ground overnight. The wintry weather is expected to lead to travel delays on the roads, as well as delayed or cancelled rail and air travel, possible power cuts could occur, and mobile phone outages, flooding and some rural communities could become cut off.

To prepare for the weather, the Met Office advises gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items in the event that the power goes off. But experts also recommend another important step to prepare for power outages – and that’s keeping your freezer full.

A full freezer is much more energy efficient than an empty one and it is better equipped to stay cold during a power cut. This is because the frozen food essentially creates a solid thermal mass that holds the cold temperature for much longer.

When there is less empty space in your freezer it is harder for warm air to circulate, so the temperature inside rises more slowly and the food items essentially insulate each other, helping to retain a cold temperature for longer.

During a power cut, a freezer that is full can keep food frozen for up to 48 hours, while one that is only half-full will only be able to maintain its temperature for around 24 hours.

Anthony Mellor at Swinton Home Insurance is urging households to focus on their freezers this winter as a way to prepare for possible power cuts, and save money on energy bills in the process.

He said: “Ice build-up makes your freezer’s motor work harder and longer to maintain its temperature, consuming more electricity. In contrast, a defrosted freezer runs more efficiently and consumes less energy. To keep your machine running well, defrost when the frost build-up covers a large area and exceeds ¼-inch (0.6cm) thickness.

“Keeping your freezer full is also more energy-efficient than an empty one. A full freezer minimises the amount of warm air that can enter when you open the freezer door, plus the frozen contents help cool any warm air that does get in. This means less energy is required to bring the temperature back down.

“If that wasn’t a big enough incentive, according to the Food Standards Agency, if you were to ever experience a dreaded power cut, a freezer that is half full would hold food safely for 24 hours, but this doubles to 48 hours if completely full.”

Listed are the 49 UK areas covered by a yellow warning for snow and rain on Wednesday and Thursday, when possible power cuts could occur:

London & South East England

• Bracknell Forest
• Brighton and Hove
• East Sussex
• Hampshire
• Isle of Wight
• Kent
• Oxfordshire
• Portsmouth
• Reading
• Southampton
• Surrey
• West Berkshire
• West Sussex
• Wokingham

South West England

• Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole
• Cornwall
• Devon
• Dorset
• Gloucestershire
• Isles of Scilly
• Plymouth
• Somerset
• Torbay
• Wiltshire

Wales

• Blaenau Gwent
• Bridgend
• Caerphilly
• Carmarthenshire
• Ceredigion
• Conwy
• Denbighshire
• Gwynedd
• Merthyr Tydfil
• Monmouthshire
• Neath Port Talbot
• Newport
• Pembrokeshire
• Powys
• Rhondda Cynon Taf
• Swansea
• Torfaen
• Wrexham

West Midlands

• Herefordshire
• Shropshire
• Staffordshire
• Telford and Wrekin
• Warwickshire
• West Midlands Conurbation
• Worcestershire