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 😪

@Motorina yes, when you live rurally it's a part of life and we can cope with it, or dare I say enjoy it?!?! When we lost power earlier in the week one of the first things I did was make a pot of coffee, get the brandy out, and send a message to friends and neighbors that I had a fire, candles and brandy coffees on the go! A friend came over with her little one and the kids played by head torches while we chatted by the fire.

I realize how annoying that can sound if you're less prepared, or stressed or vulnerable, or just feeling at the edge of what you can cope with.... But like everything it's what you make of it, and realistically most of us will be fine.

There are flasks there that are insulated that the water last hours (or a day) in their temperature. Look for klean kanteen

This thread truly demonstrates what a load of Snowflakes my generation have raised.
Its 3 fucking hours.
If you have/ know someone who is vulnerable, make arrangements for them to be with someone or be with them yourself.

I appreciate others may really struggle with these hours for all sorts of reasons, but 4-7pm blackouts would be about the best, for me.

I can bring my working day forward/start earlier and have dinner cooked ready. Eat by candlelight, load up the Kindle and read for a bit. 3 hours will pass quick enough for me, I think.

No point worrying about what ifs. Make sure you’re prepared as much as possible and put the worry to one side. Nowt to panic about.

I was alive in the 1970s and living in a very modern house. When the power went out, we went to my grans as she had fires. It was a very different experience being in a house with no heating and no means to boil a kettle. Those talking about candles and fires and suggesting that people are snowflakes compared to previous generations might like to bear that in mind.

Or maybe you should raise your bar on what you are prepared to accept in terms of bad governance.

Don't most people, those who work office hours anyway, go out on Saturdays?

I'm out walking for a few hours most Saturdays so would barely notice if the power was off at home. Many people are the same, judging by the number of people out and about in the hills, country parks, National Trust places etc. Or in shopping centres, cinemas and the like.

Well folks, get your candles and torches are the ready. We’ll be needing them far beyond just this year.

The latest policy gem from the government is that Sizewell C is being cancelled. So instead of building more power facilities, we will now build less. At a time of record energy prices and prospect of blackouts.

You really could not make this up.

Given the absolute chaos that ensued with Covid/Brexit, the ongoing depletion of the NHS, Truss, mini budgets etcetera etcetera, I'm sceptical about the ability of this, or any government for that matter, to be on the ball about any kind of preparation for a national emergency. Its not like Putin is going to give us warning if he decides to do something mad and leave us with little to no power. The government is continually being caught on the hop, no faith in them at all, they're too busy working out ways to fill their own and their mates pockets than actually do anything to support the people they're supposed to be representing.

I ve lived rurally in Berkshire, Devon and Cornwall and rarely ever had a power cut, the last one was at least 10 years ago and that was after a lorry hit a transformer pole, nr Kit Hill when i was in Cornwall.

You are painting a rather idyllic life, which is certainly not the norm for most people.

Aside, if we had more Nuclear and even some gas storage, we'd not have any of this - there are LNG boats off shore with no where to land their gas.

Yet another hit to the economy by our idiot tory Govt, where the market is king, even now they are expected to cancel Sizewell.

My concern is they're anticipating 3 hour cuts but in reality a period of windless very cold days could render the plan null and void.

To spread electricity use some of us need to move our normal peak use to other parts of the day.
4-7 is peak time. Lots of ovens dishwashers and washer dryers being used as the household comes home.
Perhaps those who don't work during the day should be encouraged to get their energy use done before 4pm.

I've got a gas cooker so I'll still be able to cook and heat water for drinks. But there will be no heating or TV. I'll just have to cosy up in bed with the cats and read books which is fine.
It must be miserable for families though or people with tiny babies like Dsis.
What next? Food rationing.

Yes we rarely agree do we? but on this 100% agreement with our moral outrage!

The argument is that it takes too long - well how about speeding up the process?

They know how it goes as the same reactor is at Hinkley.

If its the reactor type, then change it - we are in a national emergency.

Mind you we had a two day power outage recently when a drunk driver toppled the electricity pylon. 2 days of cold showers did not improve my mood any.

I've tacked some battery-operated fairy lights along the dado rail in my living room - I have an open-plan staircase so, although the fairy lights don't give off a lot of light, I will be able to navigate my way around safely. They look quite pretty too!
Have also got torches upstairs & downstairs, tealights and matches and am fortunate to have a gas fire in the living room and a gas hob.
We've had a few (4 or 5) unscheduled power cuts over the past ten years that I've lived in this house . . . none of them have been for 3 hours though. I think the longest was about 90 minutes. At least we'll know and can prepare if these powercuts happen.
I'm in my 60's and can remember the powercuts in the 1970's - my overriding memory is of the smell of paraffin as my parents bought a paraffin heater for our living room . . . the smell wasxawful!!!!

Most gas central heating requires electricity. I've never heard of a system that doesn't although they may possibly exist. Everyone will have the same problem even solid fuel or oil systems will need electricity for the pump I think.

Blackouts 4pm - 7pm?

Watch energy usage 1pm - 4pm rocket as people try to get the house warm and washing done and tea cooked befoe the cut off

Gee the energy companies never thought of that did they

What about people who are on ventilators or similar essential medical equipment at home?

We had no central heating anyway in the early 70s just the one gas fire. We were less dependent on electrical devices though - no computers etc at school and just the one TV. I was in my teens and it was a nuisance but that's all.

When they did this in the 70s different areas had the blackout at different times on different days.

Wouldn't bother us too much every now and then. Bit of a problem for formula fed babies though. Mums of FF babies will need to get some bottles of pre made to keep in the cupboard.

Pretty sure every standard boiler requires electricity to run. But if you have a system boiler with a cylinder v a combi you'll still have hot water as you'll have your normal tank full.

This is exactly why I got a gas hob. If the electric goes off I can still cook. The sales people whinged about how it’s old fashioned and everyone has induction hobs nowadays - but look who’s laughing now!