Power cuts in UK village kept shutting off a woman's CPAP, until the utility brought a battery

Repeated blackouts in a U.K. village are cutting off a woman's CPAP machine while she sleeps, turning outages into a legitimate health threat.

Here's what to know

The BBC reported that more than 100 homes in Lydiard Millicent had been affected by intermittent power cuts, and the village's local school shut for one day. Sharon Dudley, 56, said the longest outage lasted about 11 hours.

Because she has sleep apnea, Dudley uses a device at night to keep her airway open. 

"I use a CPAP machine...I have to wear a mask and it provides air," she explained. "But obviously with the power cuts, it doesn't work."

Marked by repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep, sleep apnea can be serious. Dudley said that for every minute her machine is off while she is asleep, her life is at risk.

Dudley said, "We need decision making, we need it quickly, we need better communication from the company."

More background

Joyce Pheby, 83, said the outages are unlike anything she has experienced in the 42 years she has lived in the village.

"They are just getting silly now...we're used to not having lights around here," Pheby said. "We have no street lights in the road, but I don't think it's good enough to continually keep going off time after time." 

With no street lights on the road, power cuts can make it harder and less safe for residents to get around, particularly older adults and children.

Pheby also said the temporary generator installed by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks needed "re-fuelling constantly" and kept breaking down because of a "faulty switch."

What's being done?

According to Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, Dudley has been given a back-up battery power supply. The company said it had also put in a new generator "to further reduce the potential for 'unplanned outages.'"

The company added that a customer near the fault zone was already signed up for its Priority Services, and it said repairs to the faulty generator were expected to be completed.

Councilor Martin Smith, cabinet member for highways at Wiltshire Council, said emergency power-restoration work can begin without waiting for a permit because the paperwork can be filed retrospectively.

The company stated, "We hope this will give them greater reassurance at what we know is a worrying time for them given their particular circumstances. We'd like to apologize to them — and all affected customers — for any further stress they may have experienced at this time."

Where can I learn more?

Backup batteries and other resilience tools can make a big difference when a power cut becomes a health risk. 

• BioLite's new system offers battery backup during outages to keep critical devices running at home.

• Pila Energy's seamless home batteries can help households make smarter decisions during outages.

• Palmetto and SunPower are letting homeowners install home backup batteries without upfront costs.

• Anker's Solix F3800 powered an entire room during an outage test with appliances.

• In New York City, homeowners deployed battery-powered AC systems to beat energy restrictions.

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