Power outages on campus

In case of a power outage 

• If the power outage has not been announced in advance on the Aalto website or by email, see the fault reports on Caruna's website (https://hairiokartta.caruna.fi) for information on the extent and duration of the power outage.
• The aim is to provide information about the situation on the aalto.fi website and Aalto University's social media channels as soon as possible. Building managers at the Otaniemi campus share building-specific instructions for building users if necessary.
• The doors of the buildings will close. The electric locks in the campus buildings have power for a few hours. You can exit the buildings, but you cannot get back inside. The Cliq key behaves like a normal mechanical key if it has been updated.  
• Lifts are disabled in the event of a power cut. Lifts are taken out of service before the blackout, if the blackout is known in advance.
  • If you are stuck in a lift, press the lift's alarm button and wait calmly; the lift service personnel will come soon and help you out of the lift. Don’t panic, help will arrive.  
• The campus's water supply should work normally, but warm water will run out quickly or on the other hand, water can be extremely hot. However, depending on the extent and duration of the blackout, water supply may be interrupted. The use of water should be avoided during blackouts. Toilet facilities are closed at the start of the blackout. 
  • Read more about water services from HSY's website
• In the event of a blackout, disconnect the plugs of electrical equipment from the sockets to prevent possible electrical spikes from breaking the equipment or causing a fire hazard.
• Controlled shutdown or protection of research equipment in the event of an imminent blackout in accordance with pre-prepared plans. It is important to update the plans before a power outage.
• If you have a car charging on campus, disconnect the car from the electric pole and the electric car from charging. 
• Heating does not work. Short power cuts of a few hours do not cause a major temperature drop. Keep the windows closed so that the heat does not escape. 
• For teaching and evaluations, separate guidelines update by Aalto’s Learning Services (LES) are followed. 

During a power outage

• We recommend that you exit the building, as occupational safety in the building cannot be guaranteed during a long power outage.
• The campus's wireless and fixed network connections are not available during a power outage. Mobile network connections may also be disrupted, depending on the extent of the blackout and the mobile operator's service. 
• The campus servers run on backup power, so network connections allowing, data connections will be available.
• No candles may be lit in the university's premises. Indicator lights and safety lights that are on for a few hours will help you find the exits.
• Do not open the refrigerator and freezer doors. 

When power comes back on 

• Switch on electrical equipment gradually and one at a time to prevent the sudden load spike from cutting the power again.
• Once the power is back on, it will take time to reheat the buildings. 
• The supply of hot water may not start as soon as the electricity returns. On the other hand, water can be extremely hot.
• After a rolling blackout, electricity will be on for at least two hours before the next possible blackout.