Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Power out - unprepared

37 replies

Indoctro · 28/11/2021 07:17

So we have had no power since Friday lunch time due to the storm , been told maybe tonight by 6pm but could be days

Can't believe how cold our house is , myself , 2 kids and a dog have been sharing bed to keep warm

My husband wanted to install a log burner before but I didn't want do due to environmental reasons but after the last 48 hours I really have changed my mind.

No heat, no hot water and no cooking facilities, I feel very under prepared.

Anyone else stuck with no power. How are you guys coping.?

OP posts:
SuperSange · 28/11/2021 07:35

You always need a bit of a back up plan. Had you never considered that you may ever have a power cut? We live rurally and they're quite frequent during the autumn and winter. Paraffin heater, candles, sports centre showers, torches, blankets.

SuperSange · 28/11/2021 07:35

And a camping stove, kettle, disposable bbq.

Original poster
Indoctro · 28/11/2021 08:28

@SuperSange

You always need a bit of a back up plan. Had you never considered that you may ever have a power cut? We live rurally and they're quite frequent during the autumn and winter. Paraffin heater, candles, sports centre showers, torches, blankets.
We have them all the time well a few times a year but normally only a few hours I didn't realise how cold the house can get in winter with no heating. Silly I know but I just didn't think

I've learnt my lesson though I'm buying a portable generator

OP posts:
TheSandgroper · 28/11/2021 13:02

If you have a tent, sleeping in one of them can be very warming. You can even drape sheets or blankets over them for extra insulation for the time being. There are blogs about it.

Should you go for a log burner eventually, make sure it has a large enough flat top for you to put a decently sized pot or two on the top. That was one of my not negotiables when we got ours.

Sorry, not much immediate advice.

Helpstopthepain · 28/11/2021 13:05

Poor you. It’s miserable.

We often have power cuts so we are always prepared. We try to make it fun (it really isn’t) because what else can you do.

Hope you get power soon.

Whitegrenache · 28/11/2021 13:10

We have had no power since Friday night and it's currently minus 2 and snowing. Rural living means we have a log burner to keep one room warm, portable gas stove to make tea and I went to greggs for our breakfast!
It would have been awful if we had no fire 🔥. also DP is a tradesman and has a battery operated radio which has usb and charging all our devices!!
We did however play trivial pursuit by candlelight yesterday evening and it was lovely to have the teenaged DC spend some time with us

Abraxan · 28/11/2021 13:10

My parents had the same - almost 24 hours without power.
They could use gas hob as had matches.

They've gone out now to buy extra torches, portable phone battery chargers and extra matches/candles.

Even wrapped in every blanket they could find they said it was so cold.

Skyll · 28/11/2021 13:13

I have a gas camping ring and a super ser heater that was my granny’s. Hardly ever use them but I need to know they’re there

Hope you’re back on soon op.

Hoolahupsaresquare · 28/11/2021 13:15

I’m prepared in the sense that I have candles and blankets and torches etc. I used to do a very outdoorsy job so I have a lot of thermals and so on too.

I also have a gas hob so if it was the electric that was off I would be ok for hot food and drinks. If I didn’t I’d probably have bought one of those camping by gas cooker things (I am not knowledgeable about camping)

Hoolahupsaresquare · 28/11/2021 13:16

Should also point out I do also have something to light the gas job with if the electric is off. Learned that one as a student when we couldn’t afford to have both.

BluebellsGreenbells · 28/11/2021 13:18

We installed a log burner for this reason - keeps the Josie really warm.

I noticed a lot of garages have run out of wood bags - panic over the snow probably.

Happy to share my warmth!

Appiandterri · 28/11/2021 13:18

Gas fire & camping stove?

I wouldn’t get a log burner, our neighbours one stinks out the whole street, even the cat smells of wood smoke when she comes in.

NovemberNovemberDarkNights · 28/11/2021 13:19

There was an elderly (in her 80's) on TV yesterday, no power since Friday, someone had taken her a hot water bottle, but she was SO cold. I don't understand how the news crew could leave her there cold & alone. She doesn't have good mobility either. It really upset me.

I hope you get your power back on soon!!

DH, kids, dog...at least you won't freeze together x

Ratched · 28/11/2021 13:24

I used my campervan on the driveway😁 It has an lpg tank, so I was toasty warm, with a gas hob, fridge, TV and lights powered by battery and solar.

It is bloody miserable when the lights go out though, I do feel for anyone living alone, it must be soul destroying.

Hope everyone is warm and cosy now.

rslsys · 28/11/2021 13:26

Not meant to sound smug but we have a wood burner, LPG cooker and heating wired back to one socket which can be plugged into a generator if necessary. We are very rural and powercuts are a regular feature of life.
It might be worth everyone giving a bit of thought to the power cut situation. I know there is meant to be continuity of supply if your energy supply company goes bust, but if you a encounter a 'computer says no' situation, there's a real possibility of being literally in the dark for a couple of days.

InTheLabyrinth · 28/11/2021 13:30

The suggestion from the power company here us to go stay with friends or relatives if you can. They are not sure when it will be safe for the workers to climb up and work at height to restore power to those still affected. Honestly, if I know you even slightly, please ask to pop round. A couple of hours, a shower and a hot dinner, or to stay the night. We can figure it out.

I'd be fine with no power for a couple of hours. I'm not set up for no power for several days!

Hospedia · 28/11/2021 13:43
  • layer up. Put on a sand clothes as you need to be warm but not sweaty (sweating will make you colder). As a starting point try vest, t-shirt, jumper, and a hoodie on top and tights, socks, leggings, and jeans on bottom then add/remove as needed.
  • pick a room in the house to be your base and concentrate on warming just that one room. Close all of rhe interior doors, find and block any draughts with rolled up towels or blankets, cover your windows as soon as it starts to get dark (you can even hang a blanket over the top of curtains to insulate the further)
  • eat and drink regularly, your body is going to burn a lot of energy keeping itself warm so keep it refuelled
  • go out if you can, even just a walk around the shopping centre where they have heating, lights, and hot food
  • if you do use a camping stove indoors for cooking, set it up in a room away from your base room so that you can ventilate the room with the stove without making your base room even colder

How old are your DC? If they're under five or anyone in the house in vulnerable then check that you're on the priority service register with your power supplier as you would be eligible for support such as vouchers or delivery of food, extra blankets, flasks of hot water, torches, mini generators and even payments towards alternative accommodation depending on your needs and how log the power cut is going to last. Ours went off in winter once, we're on the register as we have two disabled DC and had/have a DC under five, the power company sent two battery operated generators, a pack of blankets, camping glowsticks, a torch, and some of those hand hotties that you snap and put in your pockets.

Hospedia · 28/11/2021 13:45

Honestly, if I know you even slightly, please ask to pop round. A couple of hours, a shower and a hot dinner, or to stay the night. We can figure it out.

Same here. I've offered this before to friends and family when they've had no power. We can all squash in and it's no hardship for them to have a blow up bed I the living room for a few days, I'd rather they were warm and safe.

Bonbon21 · 28/11/2021 13:50

Candles, matches, 2 ring camping stove with some gas cannisters, a hot water bottle for everyone in the family an old fashioned manual tin opener and hat and gloves for everyone and you are sorted!

JazzTheDog · 28/11/2021 14:10

Ours has been out since then too, the snow has almost added a layer of insulation to the house though.

We have a log burner and thankfully the top was big enough to sit a pan on to boil water and fry bacon. Problem now is that our log stash is depleted and projected power switch on is 'some time this week'.

We've bought in some pot noodles and things that only need water. Almost looking forward to work tomorrow (unshowered!)

SleepingStandingUp · 28/11/2021 14:20

@NovemberNovemberDarkNights

There was an elderly (in her 80's) on TV yesterday, no power since Friday, someone had taken her a hot water bottle, but she was SO cold. I don't understand how the news crew could leave her there cold & alone. She doesn't have good mobility either. It really upset me.

I hope you get your power back on soon!!

DH, kids, dog...at least you won't freeze together x

What do you think they should have done?
WeAllHaveWings · 28/11/2021 14:28

We thankfully didn't lose power, but we would be totally unprepared like you. Can't remember the last time we had a power cut, never in this house (unless it was overnight and we never noticed) and we've been in it 18 years.

RandomMess · 28/11/2021 15:15

We learnt the hard way we had no electricity for 48 hours and then only 8-4 for a further 5 days in winter.

We now have a single ring camping stove. Tempted to put in a gas fire but it would be in one of the bedrooms and would have to move the bed to use it.

Rade · 28/11/2021 15:38

No gas here and we have power cuts about 3 or 4 times a year.
I have a multi fuel stove with a back boiler so we can get hot water. I have a camping gas ring, you are not supposed to use them indoors but I use it in the doorway.

I have lots of rechargeable lights and wind up torches, power packs and a zombie apocalypse lamp which is rechargeable / wind up/ solar powered and lasted a week when I tested it. Also a ups which lasts a couple of hours.
I used to have a portable gas heater which ran on bottled gas, that was great.

We have no mobile signal so it's pretty grim. I used to have a plug in landline but BT forced us to have digital voice.

poshme · 28/11/2021 15:41

If you start cooking inside on a camping gas stove I hope you have a CO alarm- if you don't please cook outside.

When we had a power cut for 48 hours a few years ago we survived just with the wood burner. Closed off half the rooms, and opened the doors to the rooms we stayed in.
Cooked on the top of it and wore lots of clothes.

Hope it's back on again soon OP.