In the case of a power outage

Did the power go out?

See if the neighbour has lights. Nearby apartments, houses and even a short stretch of the street are usually part of the same electrical network. Also, check if the streetlights or interior lights are on in the houses a little further away. If the lights are out there as well, the outage is bigger than your local electrical network.

If the power outage has not been announced in advance, check the fault reports on Vaasan Sähkö’s website to see if there is information on the extent and duration of the power outage.

Heating does not work during a power outage. Short power outages of a few hours do not cause a significant temperature drop in the apartments. However, keep the windows and balcony door closed so the heat does not escape.

If the power goes out, the elevators do not work. In case the power outage is planned, the elevators will be turned off beforehand by the maintenance. In some properties, the emergency buttons and their lights may work for a while since they are backed up by batteries, but in the older buildings, this is not the case. If the emergency button is not working and you are stuck in an elevator, you can knock and shout for help. You can also call for help via mobile phone, the reception usually works normally. No need to panic, help is coming.

Elevators: Kone 24/7 on-call service 0800 150 63, backup number 0500 144 774

Building technology, such as door phones, door codes and door opening that requires electricity, is out of use. However, the apartment’s electronic iLOQ key works like a normal mechanical key.

If the outage has not been announced in advance, notify the service company and VOAS.

Service company Luotsi 24/7 on-call service 050 389 1839

Get a headlamp and spare batteries for it. A headlamp is a more fireproof light source than a candle.
Lighting is important in the dark – prefer to LED luminaires with batteries.
Make sure you have food in the cupboard that you like and that you can eat without heating. Dry food, crispbread and nuts are good examples. Don’t forget to stock up on enough food and water for pets as well.
Get a battery-powered radio and spare batteries for it. Information about a power outage can be provided via radio.
Get a travel charger/powerbank and make sure it is fully charged. Use the charger when your phone runs out of power.
Check the functionality of the smoke detector alarm regularly.

A wired internet connection is not in use during a power outage, and there may also be interference with mobile internet connections, depending on the extent of the outage.
Avoid using the restroom, Do not pull the toilet during a power outage due to the risk of flooding the sewer network.
Do not run water into the sewer, even if there is water coming from tap. For example, place a kettle under the tap, and pour the water into the sewer after the power outage has passed.
Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors open as little as possible. In winter, if it is frosty outside, you can take the frozen food to your own yard or balcony.
Turn off the power of household appliances, especially the stove and sauna heater, so that there is no risk of fire or a spike in electricity when the electricity is restored.
Keep the electrical load to a minimum. Take chargers, modems and other electrical appliances off the power sockets when there is no use for them, so that when the electricity is restored, any electrical spikes do not break your electrical equipment. You can leave one lamp plugged in so that you can see when the electricity is restored.
Remove your car from the heating pole and an electric car from the charging cable.

Turn on your home’s electrical appliances little by little so that a sudden spike in electricity does not cut off the electricity again. Do not heat the sauna before the next day. Prepare food using the microwave, if possible.

Examine the contents of the freezer. Fridge-cold frozen foods are still usable. Melted, but still cold food, for example, meat, fish, seafood and berries, should be cooked and not be refrozen. Do not eat melted food if the packaging is broken.

Once the electricity has returned, it will take time to reheat the properties/apartments.

The water flow may not start as soon as the electricity returns. When water starts to flow normally, there may be a precipitate in it. Run the water until it is clear again.

See the instructions as a PDF file here.