How to prepare for blackouts

[Erica56]

I’ve read on the news today that we should be preparing for blackouts between 4-7pm in January / February. How is everyone preparing?

Buy a book and candles.

I work for an energy company, there won’t be.

Equally I also used to live in a country with regular scheduled blackouts. It’s scheduled in advance and highly manageable for 2 hours.

Making sure our solar batteries start charging from the grid at 3pm if blackouts scheduled. Charging power packs over night to drain anything left in the solar batteries. Will order some more nice candles so we can conserve the batteries if needs be. Ordering more wood for the log burner as the heating won't work without electric, considering an ethanol fire for the snug

We’ve ordered a rechargeable torch so we have light and a power pack for devices

MN has a prepping board if you want to go mad.

You need to be organised, cook meals and do laundry at the right time.

Then you just need a source of light, some power banks, blankets and games /books/cards.

I've gone a bit further, have a heat source and ability to boil water, but the above would be sufficient.

Possibly businesses will be excluded, so go to cinema, pub meal, do shopping, hang out at the hospital cafe, etc.

We’re reasonably prepared I hope; have a paraffin heater I bought on Facebook , solar / rechargeable lamp, slow burning candles and tea lights and a wood burner. We are used to power cuts so also have a solar /wind up radio . I used to have lovely LED lights from Lakeland I wish I could find as much safer .

You can’t possibly know that given the factors from weather to interconnector and LNG availability for instance. The likelihood may be low, but it’s not zero.

I mean, in 2019 a single point failure caused a massive cascade failure in England that, like the Texas ERCOT winter crisis, could have been much worse had things gone slightly different. And that was in summer.

only candles in child free houses & if you don't leave them unattended, but better still
Torches, battery lamps etc possibly some solar fairy light, but no idea if they're any good or not.

food you're happy to eat cold, or camping stove etc, but you'd need to be extremely careful, especially in low light. I'd rather just eat cold food or things cooked earlier.

(non electric) blankets, throws , duvets

battery pack for phone (doesn't hold charge)

You could heat the house beforehand & you could cook dinner beforehand and just leave it in the closed oven/slow cooker. Prep hot water bottles etc.

the idea is for everyone to be using less at the peak time, which you wouldn't be.

Depressing to think that I could come in from work at 5 to a dark cold house with no hot dinner and not even my heated throw for comfort. Very crap time for a blackout. Guess it will be bed as soon as get home as by the time the house warms up a bit it would be bedtime anyway. Maybe I should do a lot of extra time at work and have dinner there too.

We dont get home till 5:45 so its going to be sandwiches by lamp light then little one to bed followed by 30 mins scrolling under the duvet.

But I agree its unlikely to happen, 4-7 will just shift the cooking to 7-9 if anthing more people will be cooking then.

But as you've just shown, people will be likely to eat unheated food to get kids to bed rather than cook after the blackout.

Just taken a job which can offer me extra hours in the evening and somewhere to eat a hot meal. At least I’ll be warm and getting paid. Dh already works nights and has a heated cab.

Candles, torches, camp stove, power banks, large flask, cards, books and board games. Then we've got a gas fire for heat. And make sure you've got a small supply of tinned/dry foods to heat up.
Having lived somewhere with frequent, unpredictable power cuts its really not that difficult, just a pain in the arse.
We are also planning to invest in surge protectors for our expensive appliances!

I was thinking about this the other day, especially in relation to everybody cooking on Christmas Day.

I confess to being a bit clueless about this but, if the aim is to discourage people from using electricity at peak times, what happens on a day when, traditionally, a large proportion of the population will have an oven going?

I own a diesel geni and I’ve got access to farm diesel. They’re not tank dipping that!

My prep so far is that we have torches, warm blankets, fleece pyjamas and dressing gowns (and dog PJs for skinny greyhound!), thermal door and window curtains, power packs, and work from home so have the ability to cook during the day.

Also have a slow cooker, so appreciate the tip about throwing a blanket over it to insulate hot food!

I’ll put the washer and the dishwasher on before work, and empty them when I get home. They both have timers. DD might have her dinner right after school and a snack at 7 instead of the other way around. I batch cook most our food, so I will do the same if I’m home in time, or just nuke a batch cooked meal at 7. We don’t usually eat until then anyway.

I will schedule the heating and boiling water tap to come on in the afternoon so the house is warm, and use candles in the sitting room to keep it a bit warmer for longer. The boiling water tap stays hot for hours, so we can have hot water bottles if we want. We have a camping stove, small battery lights for the hall, stairs and loo, head torches and a couple of camping lanterns. I’ve already got them together and made sure they all charge. We have battery packs for our phones and tablets. If I’m still broke we have jigsaws, board games, books and crafts to do, but I hope to buy a battery pack for the router, as we have zero mobile service here, and they don’t use much power anyway. I have audiobooks for company, and hardly ever watch tv anyway. I’m really hoping to get a woodburner fitted before there are any power cuts, but it depends on a house sale, and I imagine they are in high demand, so gawd knows if that will even happen. We have a diesel heater in the camper if we badly need heat. I may treat myself to a big battery pack that will run the coffee-machine, microwave and router and charge from the camper’s solar, but only because I want one for the camper anyway!

DD might struggle to get a bath in before bed, as she likes to lounge in them, but it won’t kill her to miss the odd one. I’m the same, but can always shower next morning.

It’ll be mildly inconvenient, but totally manageable, so long as I don’t forget. I’m trying to get into the habit of running the big appliances during the day anyway, as supposedly they are going to start paying people to do that and I could sure use the money just now!

I don't fucking know but if the power's off 4-7 I'm out of a job teaching online or in person on my electric piano, if I can't work then I'm totally fucked.

That sucks. If it helps, the blackouts will likely be forewarned and will rotate to different areas of the country on different days, so it won't be every day.

going out on the rob

Wish id read that a couple of weeks ago before i bought all thosr batteries! 😆

Ive stocked up on some batteries, dug out a torch and bought a cheap battery powered lantern. Already have a few old candles about the house and will keep power banks charged for phones. Will divy it all up with any family members who need some.

If i need heat i'll boil water on the stove for hot water bottles but im sure can survive for 2-3 hours!

We have Fitted a generator change over switch and bought a portable generator

this is probably a daft question but will my gas hob work with no electricity?

I know that the gas central heating won’t because the pump won’t have any power but how does the gas come down the pipes.

I'll deal with it when it happens. If it happens.

Yes the hob will work without electric, but you will have to manually light it and the ignition won’t work- you can get the extra long lighter things for about £1