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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To switch off the power at 10pm tomorrow night

359 replies

Narwhalelife · 09/04/2022 19:58

Just seen this on Instagram.

I’m at the stage anything has to be worth it. Il probably do it, it’s just as I go to bed anyway so why not.

I’m not suggesting it will solve the issue, but might piss a few people off?

Anyone else?

To switch off the power at 10pm tomorrow night
OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
VanGoghsDog · 09/04/2022 23:04

I use the timer on my oven clock when I am cooking something.
It refuses to play ball unless it has a time on it, so I just leave it on all the time.

Yeah, I use the timer, but the clock doesn't need to be right for the timer to work (if it goes off, I just reset it at midnight whatever time of day it is and that takes a millisecond, just so there is 'a time' on it, it doesn't know its wrong, if it knew it could sort itself out and be right). On mine, and every other oven I've ever had, anyway.

mmmmmmghturep · 09/04/2022 23:06

We had a power cut which buggered up our pre payment meter so i wont be doing this.

LoisLane66 · 09/04/2022 23:06

Not unreasonable, just mad. It would never happen here, not in a million years. 😲😂

SpaceFarce · 09/04/2022 23:11

@whyohwhy101

And this is what I've seen about Spain.
Where are the references for this? “The protest was successful” - no. truckers have been striking for weeks, with massive impact. Protest marches have been organised in major cities. Many locals are replying to this post on social media to say that the reported switch-off was for Earth Day, not as part of a protest. Current energy prices in Spain are nowhere near what they were in 2019 and potential aid packages are yet to be finalised/published so we can’t comment on those. I am yet to see a reliable source (with references) linking a supposed 10 minute energy switch off to an energy price drop. The bottom line is that it’s completely pointless and literally no one will care. This is just more social media crap that serves no purpose and is shared without questioning.
whyohwhy101 · 09/04/2022 23:13

@SpaceFarce
I did upload a picture of where I'd read this online further along the thread.

BarbaraofSeville · 09/04/2022 23:14

Maybe the people who make the internet work should turn their power off for 10 hours minutes and free us all from people sharing pointless nonsense for the duration.

SpringsSprung · 09/04/2022 23:15

All this will do is make the staff at the National Grid control room roll their eyes harder than they've ever done before and burst out laughing! 🤣

ExplodingElephants · 09/04/2022 23:18

If it was that easy to make the prices go down then I’d be well up for it.

Sadly it’s not that easy so I’ll not be joining in 😔

SpaceFarce · 09/04/2022 23:25

[quote whyohwhy101]@SpaceFarce
I did upload a picture of where I'd read this online further along the thread. [/quote]
I mean within the article itself. “The protest was successful with the prime minister later agreeing to a package of emergency economic measures” - right, so are we meant to believe that the protest itself (which may or may not have been a demonstration for Earth Day) triggered the emergency economic package? Not the three week truckers strike that has caused food and supply shortages? This seems to be the only report linking the two events and is a spectacular example of shoddy reporting by someone who absolutely does not understand causal relationship.

jcyclops · 09/04/2022 23:26

It's an absolutely stupid and dangerous idea. Electricity distributors work hard (and very cleverly) to balance production with demand. If enough people do it, during the 10 minutes of low demand, power stations will be shut down, and they can not all come back on-stream immediately at 10:10. A "successful" protest could lead to use of smart meters for "surge pricing" and even to cut supplies to consumers during periods of high demand - they have this capability already but it is not currently implemented.

If you really want to fuck up the electrical system, do it and then boil a kettle at 10:10.

BTW, you don't need to totally switch off the power. You can leave your oven clock and one bulb on - just unplug your TV and all computers and entertainment, and switch off any heating (eg. drop the thermostat by 5 degrees for the duration) etc. Your fridge/freezer will be OK but leave it on if you must.

BourbonVanilla · 09/04/2022 23:27

Why would that make prices go down?

MigsandTiggs · 09/04/2022 23:28

@bluebaul

If the whole country turned off all of the electricity in their homes, it would make a massive statement to the government.

Yeah. It would be a huge statement of how fucking gullible the people are Hmm

This.
whyohwhy101 · 09/04/2022 23:29

@SpaceFarce
I'm not sure if you've clicked on the image to see the article but it does say at the beginning that switching the power off on the 10th March made a difference. This is only one article. I haven't read others.

XenoBitch · 09/04/2022 23:33

Maybe I am cynical, but I see doing something like this would just make the energy companies put the prices up more to compensate for the shortfall.

EileenGC · 09/04/2022 23:33

I’m Spanish. The package of new measures was NOT influenced by this supposed blackout. People who believe that haven’t read the official announcements or bothered to check a press conference. Nobody I know even took part in this non-event. For goodness’ sake don’t believe everything you read on IG 🙄

The electric bill is not what it was in 2019. If it is then my mum is doing something seriously wrong… I must call her to tell her Mumsnet has found a couple of ‘articles’ that prove the blackout worked and her electric should be half the current amount.

SpaceFarce · 09/04/2022 23:37

[quote whyohwhy101]@SpaceFarce
I'm not sure if you've clicked on the image to see the article but it does say at the beginning that switching the power off on the 10th March made a difference. This is only one article. I haven't read others. [/quote]
Ahh I need to stop arguing this point because I don’t think you’re listening.

The article is bullshit. I looked it up, read it and laughed. It says that the switching off of the power made a difference, yes. Do I believe it? Absolutely fucking not, and neither should you. It’s only one article and there are no more because it isn’t accurate.

MigsandTiggs · 09/04/2022 23:37

@Narwhalelife

Just seen this on Instagram.

I’m at the stage anything has to be worth it. Il probably do it, it’s just as I go to bed anyway so why not.

I’m not suggesting it will solve the issue, but might piss a few people off?

Anyone else?

Who would it piss off and more to the point, if it doesn't solve the issue of high prices, why do it? I seem to remember learning in Economics that prices had something to do with supply and demand ....
SpaceFarce · 09/04/2022 23:37

Cross posted with someone else who knows what the fuck they are talking about.

SpaceFarce · 09/04/2022 23:45

@whyohwhy101 this is a genuine question - did you read my other replies to you and actually understand them? That there have much more effective, protests than a switch off that lead to the economic package? That the article you screenshot implies that it was due to the switch off but there is no way they can substantiate that claim? That prices are still substantially higher than they were in 2019?

This is how shit gets spread on social media. People click “share” without doing any sort basic fact check/sense check and will not listen when people try to explain why they need to look deeper.

PickAChew · 09/04/2022 23:46

How the hell would it have an impact when half the country is asleep?

Much more radical to do it at 6pm.

LivingDeadGirlUK · 09/04/2022 23:46

So its only for 10 mins but the point is to create a 'surge'. If you end up damaging our already stretched distribution network the power is going to be off for a lot more that 10 mins. This plan then becomes even more daft when you realise the electricity suppliers are compleatly different companies that the ones that manage in infrastructure and have already set a price for that half hour slot regardless of what actually happens.

SpaceFarce · 09/04/2022 23:47

Apologies for the poor grammar in that second sentence. I need to leave it here and go to bed Wink

ClareBlue · 10/04/2022 00:03

We should use a minimum of energy as we can anyway. Mass reduction of demand at a targeted time will have absolutely no impact on cost. Electricity is bought by suppliers on usage so all it would mean is it would take a little longer to sell (10 minutes?) than without the targeted reduction. Even those dark hours switch everything off earth days, have no impact in the big picture of energy supply.

Girlmumdogmumboymum · 10/04/2022 00:06

Hmm I'm a bit concerned about the potential of creating surges when every fucker puts their electric back in 10 minutes later.

What happens if it creates an issue with the grid? All of these houses all of a sudden go from 0 electric for 10 minutes to their homes requiring electric again all at once?

What about those who's homes do not have RCD protection? There's potential (worst case scenario) that everything electrical in their home could be fucked if there's a surge.

Looking at worst case scenario here, but youvd kinda got to expect it when the people who will do it are the same who just believe that because it says Spain did it, that they did.

mmmmmmghturep · 10/04/2022 00:08

It will be poorer ppl who suffer if equipment gets damaged. Those who cant afford to replace it. Stupid idea