What happens to a home lift in a power cut?

What each drive type does

What moves the car decides what happens when the power fails. Our guide to how a home lift works covers the drives themselves.

Through-floor cabin lifts

Through-floor lifts from Stiltz, Lifton, Stannah, Terry and Companion run on their own rails through a hole in the ceiling. The brake holds the car and a backup battery lowers it.

Stiltz is the plainest about the limit: “With the standard backup battery, your lift will only descend to the lower floor during a power outage.” It sells a UPS upgrade that allows “multiple trips between floors rather than just descending.” Lifton says its standard battery lets the passenger “gently descend to the lower level.” Stannah’s UK blog says “all homelifts use a battery backup that will allow a user to descend to the ground floor but they will not be able to travel up.”

Terry’s FAQ says the battery will “lower you to the ground floor”, and also that “some of our lifts come with a full battery backup, so they will continue to work even if there is a power cut”, for “up to 30 cycles.”

Battery-operated lifts

A few lifts run from their batteries all the time. Companion says the Savaria Luma “is battery operated” and “on battery operation alone, it can travel up and down for as many as five trips.” Its general features page, covering its own models, promises less: the lift “will finish its journey.” SWIFT says its battery pack “enables continous operation even if your home has a mains power outage” (their spelling) but gives no trip count.

Vacuum tube lifts

A vacuum lift moves the car with air pressure. Pneumatic Vacuum Elevators (PVE) says that “in case of a power failure the moving car automatically descends to the lowest level and the electro-mechanical door will open to let the passenger out”, at “a safety speed.”

Screw-drive shaft lifts

Aritco says “the lift will run on batteries in the event of a power failure, so you can always lower the lift to the nearest floor and get out.” If the lift stops between floors during an outage, “a spare battery is activated.” From the service panel outside, “the emergency operation speed is 0.8 m/min”, so lowering 3 m takes nearly four minutes.

Cibes says pressing any button in a power cut makes the lift “descend to the next floor.” Its UK user guide adds that “the emergency lighting and telephone system will remain operational for up to one hour after the power outage.” Its A 5000 manual describes a hand crank at the bottom landing that can move the platform either way, though raising “requires much greater effort.”

Hydraulic lifts

Wessex’s VM and VE are hydraulic, and the Wessex website says nothing about power cuts. Its 2013 VM user manual (VM00 7105 rev C, hosted by a dealer) describes a battery-powered emergency lowering button in the car, with “all safety devices still operational.” Failing that, a trained person opens the lowering valve at the power pack by pulling a red knob, and “safety features will not work” while they do. With no pump running, a hydraulic lift cannot go up.

What the standard covers

The standard for these platforms is BS EN 81-41. The current edition, BS EN 81-41:2024, was published on 31 December 2024 and supersedes the 2010 edition. Its contents list includes clauses on “Emergency/manual operation” and “Emergency alarm devices.” We have read the contents list, not the clause text, so we will not paraphrase the requirements. Ask which standard your lift is certified to.

Power cut behaviour at a glance

Our check: which of nine brands publish it

We read each maker’s own website on 26 September 2026. Eight of the nine say what their home lifts do in a power cut. Wessex does not.

The same check found that only Cibes publishes how long the emergency light and phone last (one hour), only Aritco publishes an emergency lowering speed (0.8 m/min), and none of the nine publishes how often the backup battery should be replaced. Stannah’s main UK site would not load that day, so its entry rests on its UK blog.

How long do backup batteries last?

No maker we checked gives a figure. Aritco’s manual says its 24 V battery “shall, when needed, be replaced with same type of batteries by your service provider.” Indicative only: our servicing guide uses three to five years, and Gravesham Borough Council gives 3 to 5 years for stairlift batteries. Ask for your model’s figure and have the battery tested at every service.

Do not leave the lift unplugged for long. Aritco says that if power is off for more than seven hours, “the backup battery will be disconnected.” Cibes says a battery left without power for a long time “must be charged for a day before it is operational.”

Phones, alarms and who gets called

Stiltz says every lift is “fitted with an integrated phone.” Aritco’s alarm button is “connected to an autodialer” that rings pre-programmed numbers. On Cibes lifts with an integrated system, you hold the yellow alarm button for ten seconds. Terry fits a phone on “selected through floor lift models” and says it needs “a connection to your incoming telephone landline.”

That last point matters. UK landlines are moving to digital services that run from your home electricity, and Age Cymru’s guidance says a power cut then means “you can’t make phone calls.” It adds that “Ofcom requires telephone suppliers to provide at least one hour’s worth of back-up” for people who depend on the landline. Keep a charged mobile in the lift or on the user, and check whose numbers the autodialler calls every time a carer or neighbour changes.

Put the service company’s number in the car, test the alarm monthly, and label the lift’s socket so nobody unplugs it. Our guide to children, pets and visitors covers everyone else in the house.

For the outage itself, 105 is the free number for power cuts in England, Scotland and Wales. People over state pension age or who are disabled can join their network operator’s Priority Services Register, which the Energy Networks Association says brings “advance notice of planned power cuts” for people who rely on their supply for medical reasons.

Questions to ask the installer

1. In a power cut, does this model lower, finish its trip, or keep running?
2. Can it go up on battery? If not, what does a UPS or full-battery option cost?
3. How many trips does a full battery give, and how long does it take to recharge?
4. How often is the battery replaced, and is that in the warranty or service contract? Our warranties comparison shows how cover differs.
5. If the battery fails, who lowers the lift, how, and how quickly can they arrive?
6. Where are the manual lowering tools kept, and will you show us how to use them?
7. Does the lift phone need our landline?

UK Homelifts does not sell, supply or install lifts, so we have no stake in the answers.

Frequently asked questions

Will a home lift trap me between floors in a power cut?

It should not. Every maker we checked fits a battery, or for vacuum lifts a controlled descent, that brings the car to a landing. Most through-floor and shaft lifts lower you to the floor below, and a vacuum lift goes to the ground floor. If the battery has failed, someone outside the lift can lower it manually, usually a service engineer or a trained member of the household.

Can a home lift take me upstairs during a power cut?

Only some can. Standard battery backup on most through-floor, shaft and hydraulic lifts works downwards only. Lifts that run on their own batteries keep going until the battery is flat: Companion says the Savaria Luma manages up to five trips, and Terry says some of its models manage up to 30 cycles. Stiltz sells an optional UPS.

What happens to a vacuum lift when the power goes off?

Pneumatic Vacuum Elevators says the car automatically descends to the lowest level at a safety speed and the door opens to let the passenger out. It will not go up until power returns. Anyone travelling up to bed ends up back downstairs.

How often do home lift backup batteries need replacing?

None of the nine makers we checked publishes an interval. Aritco’s manual says the service provider should replace the battery when needed. As an indicative guide, three to five years is commonly used, and Gravesham Borough Council gives that range for stairlift batteries. Ask your installer for the figure for your model and have the battery tested at every service visit.

Does the lift phone work in a power cut?

It depends how it is connected. Cibes says its emergency lighting and phone work for up to one hour after an outage. Terry says its in-lift phone needs a landline, and digital landlines rely on home electricity unless the provider supplies a battery unit. A charged mobile in the lift covers the gap.

UK Homelifts is an independent information site. We do not sell, supply, install or service lifts and are not affiliated with any manufacturer. This page is general information, not electrical, engineering or safety advice for your installation. Check your lift’s manual and ask your installer or service engineer about your circumstances.