3 Hour Blackouts

[pyjamafashionista]

If they happen, they are saying they'll be planned between 4-7pm. Surely this is the most ridiculous time, when most people will still be at work/ travelling home/making tea etc.
Any genius thoughts to get through a 3 hour blackout besides blankets and 🕯
I feel really sad for vulnerable people on their own if it happens 😪

The blackouts have to be at those kind of times, if they happen, because that's when usage peaks. Doing it at 2am wouldn't help.

Charge up devices, pre-heat food in something which holds heat really well (cast iron casserole dishes for example), you can also wrap the pot once it's off the heat to keep warmer.

Flasks for tea/coffee/soup

We had them when we lived overseas and I was quite fond of them, we had some camping lunges and like just paused and we chatted, then light came back and it was if we carried on from a couple of hours earlier. I doubt we’ll have many of any. No point stressing unless you have vital medical equipment etc. enjoy device free family time.

www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/read-this/uk-blackouts-the-exact-times-your-house-could-face-hours-of-power-cuts-this-winter-amid-energy-crisis-3888951 this is what I saw. Makes more sense maybe?

Planned blackouts can be planned for everyone in terms of having everything charged, flasks, food prepared, elderly relatives round etc.

But i will be getting prepared for potential unplanned blackouts this year. There were a few that lasted days very close to me last year due to poor weather and i currently don't own a torch, power banks, and my phone is always on its last legs.

You need to find your code and match it to the day and time your blackout will be.

Although I was reading the plan for a 7 day blackout today so think we're pretty fucked regardless.

Each blackout, if its a 3hr evening slot, will cost me £120 in wages. I shan't be prepping cute casseroles and faffing with candles, I shall be crying about being able to pay my bills :(

Find your load block letter here

Find your outage times on the table as they are on the current plans. Simples.

Not sure how you can prep for it terms of hot food and having a warm house to come home to if you're out at work from 9am or earlier and not back til nearly 6pm. That's what I will hate. Could cope otherwise.

@HeadacheEarthquake yanbu loads of my friends are tutors . They'll be skint

Are they providing generators to vulnerable people. My MIL won't be able to see without a proper light. She has osteoporosis and is unsteady on her feet surely they can't expect her to walk around by the light of a torch? It'll kill her if she falls.

Find code.

www.powercut105.com/

Find time and day under level 1

My bill didn't have a letter?

How can I find out. I'm in Hertfordshire

Slow cooker maybe?

I work from home too so I'll have work issues to contend with rather than just thinking about "cute casseroles". Realistically I'm getting solar and batteries installed to help with that long term, but I appreciate that's very much not an option for most

Well il be fucked… my boiler is plugged into a mains socket (it was like this when we bought the house). If they turn off the electricity I will have no heating, hot water or electric!!

I got one of these, it's super bright, or some battery lights?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rechargeable-Camping-Lantern-Emergency-Resistant/dp/B015ZFKLNK/ref=mpsa19?crid=24V987KPS187Z&keywords=usb+lantern+rechargeable&qid=1667514984&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI2LjA1IiwicXNhIjoiNS40OSIsInFzcCI6IjQuODUifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=usb+lan%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-9

Did you put your postcode into the link that's been posted? Need to go down the page a bit.

Is this definitely happening then?! They've released a time table !

That's the same for everyone, though, unless they have an open fire or something. All boilers need electricity to function, and water heating generally does too.

No electricity means no heat, no lights, no hot water, no WiFi. Also if you have cordless phones they won't work in a power cut, so make sure you have one that plugs directly into the wall, or be very careful to keep your mobile charged.

Most gas boilers need electricity to work so we will all be without heating and hot water.

We don't know. Government say it's unlikely but the grid people say it's likely. I know who I dont believe tbh.

No it's not definitely happening and the time table is part of the general disaster planning that is done nationwide. It was made available online years ago on the government website.

@FatAgainItsLettuceTime ahhh, thank you.

@ForTheLoveOfSleep thanks for that link, I have spent about 24 hours wondering where DH put the electric bill to figure out our load block.

Sorry but can someone explain what the actual f*ck is this all about? Admittedly I've not had much a of a chance to keep on top of the news in the past few weeks. The few people I spoke to a few weeks ago where this came up in conversation all said it was government scaremongering and that an extended blackout would never happen.

Does this chart you're sharing mean they are actually happening? And why??

Thanks @FatAgainItsLettuceTime Seems to me it is more scaremongering? So far the winter has been milder than other years so hopefully it won’t be a rough winter