We had a power cut - how could I have been better prepared?

[Dryandirriatble]

It was for approx 9 hours starting at 6am, so mostly during daylight and I was out for a good part of it, somewhere they did have power. It was also during a fairly mild spell so it wasn't so bad.

However, I could literally do nothing! If it had gone to say, 24 hours and been colder, I think we'd have been really struggling.

I have gas central heating that won't run without electricity and electricity for cooking.

I have in a reasonable supply of food that can be eaten without cooking and I have torches and spare batteries in strategic places around the house. I'm at a loss to think what else I can do.

I felt at the time I should pop in on elderly neighbours and I would have if the power had still been out when I got home, but I don't know what I could have actually done for them?

We get power cuts a few times/year.

I have pics of DC doing homework by candlelight a few years ago.
I am glad to have excellent insulation & a woodburner.

Lots of torches, too.

I tend to crack about the evening meal & go find civilisation a restaurant with electricity.

30 litres of petrol weighs 24Kgs, in a car that weighs 1500kgs that amount is neither here nor there fuel economy wise.

A lot of things people have said assume that the power cut will mean you can't leave the house (some sort of massive freezing blizzard situation) or that you live in a very isolated area, but if you're in the UK that's not likely to be the case.

Here you could spend a lot on prepping stuff which never gets used. Assuming you can leave the house during the day and get to a nearby town with power:

Work out who/where you could go and charge your phone/battery packs during the day (local library? Relatives? Office?)

Bear in mind you can often get a day pass/free session at a gym for a hot shower. If you have an office with power, that also might be an option.

If you have a flask or insulated cup, get it filled with hot water from a cafe during the day and you can have a hot drink in the evening.

See if you qualify to register for a 'priority service' with gas elec and water (usually very old, very young, disabled/those who rely on medical equipment).

Plan on going to bed early, rather than trying to recreate a normal evening. Or go out to a pub/restaurant with power!

Everyone who will be moving around the house will need their own torch - a head torch if they need their hands free. Plus a lantern style torch for each main room, eg kitchen and dining room.

Keep the emergency torches in a box with the batteries they need, but don't store with the batteries inside them in case they leak/rust between uses.

If you have rechargeable torches/powerpacks, set a reminder on your phone to give them a charge every couple of months during the winter so they are ready to go.

Don't forget to check if you can get compensation from your supplier once the service is restored.

@Speedweed A lot of people in Scotland and Wales are remote, have bad weather and are unable to leave the house. There is not a local library or cafe and the nearest garage is 10 miles away.

So you do have to be prepared. A lot of us have back up generators as the power can easily be off for 48hrs +.

Over a long period it is though. You're driving around with the equivalent of a child passenger or a small suitcase all the time.

Additional weight affects fuel economy - just ask any airline.

Last year my friend was affected by a power cut that lasted 4 days. Once the nearest town was reconnected they went to the pictures and after another day booked an overnight in a hotel 5miles down the road so they could get hot food and showers. Although one had to go home to look after the animals. But they at least had a shower and hot food.

I live rural and have power cuts yearly. It's not uncommon to get stuck in my village due to the weather. Lots of great suggestions above from pp. In my power cut box I've added a few bottles of wine also domino's and cards.

We've had a 12 hour power cut this week, I was stranded upstairs all day as the stairlift wasn't working, I stayed in bed stuffing my face with chocolate (worst day ever.. not) We are on priority with the national grid & we're reconnected first, some of the other houses were off 36 hours. Thankfully I have power banks, was able to power my phone & tablet & get a signal by turning my phone in to a hotspot. Because of the threat of power cuts this winter we have got candles & tealights, loads of hot drinks & cupasoups, we have gas hobs so can cook things in a pan, I have crocheted thick blankets & we have warm clothes, a phone that plugs in the phone socket, battery radio, power banks, a pump flask that we can have upstairs to make warm drinks, rechargeable lanterns, fingerless thermal gloves so we can still use phones etc & a Mifi so we all have a broadband signal.

We get them sometimes. Our usually goes off 4pm onwards so often dark or we haven’t eaten.

• those puck wall lights that just stick on and touch. Have various ones dotted around house in semi hidden places but that can be easily touched on for safely getting around house in dark. Ie one in pantry cupboard, one underneath all bedside and bathroom cabinets. Plus other battery lanterns and torches. Pitch black with toddler he is scared and it isn’t fun.
• uht and long life rye bread. Can make a basic cold meal or have cereal. We always have fruit and cheese in house.

My back lit kindle is always charged and we have battery packs for phone. So we usually just eat, entertain toddler with toys and books by lantern, and then go to bed early and read. In summer it’s not really an issue at all for less than 24hrs.

I'm in the remote Highlands. Power cuts most winters - anywhere between 24 hours and 7 days. Certainly wouldn't be in the position to head for a cafe as per a previous posters suggestion - it's 20 miles to the nearest one and if the power is out, weather is usually particularly treacherous.
For power cuts, we have a generator and always have Jerry cans full of fuel so it is ready to use. Also have a 'lights out box' in the house that has the following-
Candles and holders,
Matches,
Tealights,
Batteries,
Torches

Battery operated radio (entertainment and for school closures advertised on local radio)
Long lighter so my gas cooker can be lit (bulk gas so off grid)
Power bank
Camping gaz stove in case there has been any issue obtaining gas for the cooker.

It's a fraction of a % of fuel, over the life of the car, a couple of gallons at best.

Check your fuel use next time you carry a small child an tell me if it drops.

Have people forgotten the recent fuel crisis already?

Urban myth that dad's like to believe.

We have a woodburner so at least a heat source for one room.
Several charged power banks
Head torches
Brick built BBQ which can be used for cooking if it is dry and not stormy.

I realised recently that since having a Soda Stream I don't have lots of bottled water anymore. I may get a large pack for emergencies.

Please don't rely on candles - the fire risk cannot be understated, doubly so if you have children. You can pick up LED torches and lanterns very cheaply nowadays.

This! It can be used using an in-car socket - which I realise isn't ideal but in a pinch, it will heat up food!
The reason I bought it, is the fact that it will also plug in to a regular socket so it can be used in a hotel room as I have an incredibly fussy child with special needs. It I just so happens to have the added benefit of being able to use in a car. Personally I'd rather not use a camping stove but if these South African-style planned blackouts become a thing then I'll be getting one for sure!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08NCZJD7H/ref=ppxyoodtbbsearchasinn_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Oh and these! They run off batteries and you can hang them from whatever you wish

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08NQ3DFB2/ref=ppxyoodtbbsearchasinn_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Is your soda stream electric? If not then there's no need, as your soda stream should work fine!

My partner recently boght some sort of back up phone battery thing for the purpose of a power cut. I try to keep my notebook charged but I am not 100% great at this. It's hard to live constantly in readiness for the least common thing to occur. Otherwise, if it's durng the day time, it's helpful to have some non-tech reliant hobbies, but you can't just conjour these up on the spot!

We've had several long power cuts over the last 12 months.
In our area you can get UKPN to text you updates. That helps with the feeling of being out of control. They also send a support van after a certain number of hours, with a tea urn, microwave and plug sockets charged from their generator, so you can have hot food and charge your phone.

Things I've learnt to have:

Cheap plug into the wall type land-line phone so I can still make calls in an emergency
Led candles and lights
Batteries
Matches so I can light the gas hob
Hot water bottles (boiling water on the gas hob)
Several thermos flasks to store the hot water I've boiled on the gas hob
Lots of blankets
Head torch
Board games, playing cards

After 12 hours, UKPN send you £75 compensation if you fill in the online form or phone them. This rises every subsequent 12 hours i think.

We also have a camping stove to use outside - didn't brave it in the very cold snap though! And a solar panel from Halfords (used for camping) that, on a sunny day, will just about keep a phone charged enough to use sparingly.

No, it's not. But a power cut can also mean water supply is restricted if the cut is more than just very locally as the water supplies rely on electricity.

Camping stove is helpful in these situations. I would also suggest keeping some cash at home as cash points won't be working. Otherwise i don't worry too much because I drive so can go elsewhere if needed

Well my dad died in 1976 so it must be a long-running urban myth then.

And he was a mechanical engineer who knew his stuff.

My dad knows his stuff too and won't use the car aircon because of the effect on fuel economy. And it's true it will make a difference, as will opening a window. I'm still not going to risk not having fuel in an emergency though

I keep some cash for this reason too. Although I do wonder how it would really help if we have a situation where no electronic payment systems are working for very long. £50 or even a couple of hundred is unlikely to help very much

Thought-provoking thread. We have a gas hob and electric oven, so I've always assumed we'd be able to get hot food and drinks if either gas or electricity went off. Must check that the hob really would work.