Tips for insulin cool with power cuts

Now this seems to be my never-ending battle! Insulin and glucagon need to be refrigerated. There is debate around how much this can be pushed, but let's go with this for now. Now consider living somewhere with regular power cuts, how do you make this happen? Here are my tips.

My lockable insulin fridge. 

1. If you can, have a separate fridge for insulin. That way, when the power goes out, you aren't loosing cool air every time you open the fridge to make a sandwich.

2. Keep your freezer stocked with ice. Freeze bottles and icecream containers filled with water. When the power goes out, the ice in the freezer will help keep the fridge cool. You can also transfer some frozen bottles to the fridge to keep your insulin cool.

3. Using tips 1 and 2, my insulin stays nice and cool for power cuts up to 24 hours. Beyond that I need to start getting creative - move insulin to a fridge attached to a generator (friends/workplace).

4. Have two supplies of insulin. Keep some at home and some in another location incase one spoils. My school has a generator so in theory the fridge at school should keep running (in theory).

5. Invest. If you have the money, buy a generator (expensive) or an invertor system with batteries (reasonable) to run the fridge for a few hours per day. You only need a few hours to re-chill and re-freeze those water bottles. We have now invested in a battery system that we can charge through the car, which can then power the fridge. If the power goes out for more than 24 hours it is a reassuring back up.

6. Easier said than done, but don't stress about this too much. I still have the insulin that I brought with me from Australia and New Zealand when I moved, and it is still good, despite all the power cuts. Being prepared and organised means that, even with daily power cuts, you can keep your insulin cool.