Sleep apnea machine and power outage

Hi ​@antlewis ,

I’m gonna give ​@Ben_OVO a heads up on this as I feel it’d be best to get my answer peer-reviewed by a Forum Moderator for your safety and welfare.

To the best of my knowledge, OVO can indeed explore options for this via the Priority Services Register. If you haven’t already set this up, please check out https://www.ovoenergy.com/help/article/priority-services-register where you can sign up via various options.

If memory serves, should the power go out, the PSR will have your back as long as you’re already registered correctly - the DNO would likely be the ones to drop off the back up power supply but OVO can make sure they know to do so.

I’d also recommend having a word with the equipment manufacturer or your doctor who may be able to upgrade your equipment to have its own back up supply for double protection and redundancy. Having two layers is better than one because it’d extend your runtime and provide a fallback in case one doesn’t work.

I hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions.

thanks i have just registered

If you registered with OVO, they are supposed to ensure that your DNO put you on their register too. This doesn’t always work, though, so it’s a good idea to do it yourself. Find your DNO here: 
 

  
While you’re at it, you could make sure you’re on your water supplier’s PSR as well. You may think you don’t really need to be, but you never know.

A CPAP (Constantly Provided Air Pressure) machine for Sleep Apnoea cutting out during a power cut or any other reason is not an emergency situation.

Even if your CPAP machine goes off due to a power outage you will still be able to breathe, and to sleep, just not as well as you would with the extra air pressure that the machine provides to the mask.
The mask has a valve to allow normal breating if the flow of pressurised air gets interupted for any reason.
You can test/try it yourself, put the mask on without turning the CPAP machine on and you will still be able to breathe.
You may well wake up if your CPAP machine goes off during the night and you start snoring, but not everyone does.

As it is not a ‘life threatining’ situation then it may not attract a charitable donation of a back-up power source, or it might do depending on how generous the company is feeling. (And OVO are pretty generous with such things).

You can buy backup power supplies yourself if you want to and can afford it, prices vary depending on just how much backup power/time you want.
eg. this one can be used to power NHS issued CPAP machines. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Expandable-Capacity-Charging-Generator/dp/B0B9B9MPX6

Obviously if you can get one provided as a charitable measure then that’s even better.

Hey ​@antlewis,

I was wondering if you could share where you heard that SSE is providing backup power packs for CPAP customers? I ask because my understanding is that SSE mainly focuses on business energy services, and I couldn’t find any information about this online. 

It’s great to hear that you’ve received information about the support available from the community! If you check out the articles I’ve linked below, you’ll find even more details on how we can assist you. Plus, don’t hesitate to reach out to our Support Team if you’d like to chat. They’re more than happy to go through everything with you and even help with any applications you might need.

I also want to echo Nukecad’s point that these devices aren’t typically considered emergencies, as they mostly enhance comfort. If you’re worried about not having access to your CPAP during a power cut, there are uninterruptible power supplies available online that activate when the grid goes down. 

If you have any other questions or need more help, just let us know! 

Someone posted it on the swindon hospital sleep apnea facebook page 

Hey ​@antlewis,

Honestly, Facebook posts can be a bit hit or miss! I always recommend relying on reputable sources like OFGEM or your energy supplier for information you can trust. Take a look at the links I shared above; they’ll help you understand your options. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out, we're here to help!