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Preppers

Prepping for climate change

26 replies

BraveBraveMouse · 04/06/2021 14:01

Hey preppers! What, if anything, are you doing to prep for climate change? Even if global emissions targets are met (which looks increasingly unlikely) there will be a significant temperature rise within our lifetimes. Do you have any plans to mitigate the impact of this on your family?

OP posts:
LadyEuphemia · 06/06/2021 17:51

Moving, we live in the Fens and I can’t see a lot of it still being here barring the islands in 20-30 years. Also summers are getting unbearable in East Anglia we’ve had over 30 degrees for prolonged periods for the last 5 years and it went as high as 38c last year. It will be horrible here in 20 years time. Quite tempted to buy a little cottage in Scotland for our retirement, somewhere high and cool is really appealing.

BlackeyedSusan · 14/06/2021 20:17

Blinds as well as curtains for insulation from the heat and reduce heat loss in winter. Need to put proper floor in bathroom to stop the draughts.finish insulating the loft.

We are not allowed here but I would consider shading windows with an awning or shutters in a house. Solar panels if I could afford them. ( If I had a roof, I have a loft but don't own the roof)

BlackeyedSusan · 14/06/2021 20:22

Look at getting an electric socket installed for electric cars.

Installing automatic closing airbricks if low down, non return valves on plumbing, flood barriers on doors and garages.

BlackeyedSusan · 14/06/2021 20:25

Get a compost bin, make your own compost, grow your own herbs and salad veg and other veg. (Reduce food miles)

Install a water butt from the downpipe.

Starface · 14/06/2021 20:28

This is a really interesting thread, thank you. I haven't given it serious thought. But yy solar panels. Also considering installing ceiling fans. And general upgrade retrofitting e.g. insulation etc.

BlackeyedSusan · 15/06/2021 15:09

we had cavity wall insulation a while back. the whole block had to agree to get it done so we were lucky all 16 flats agreed. we are top middle, so only one wall to the outside, but the north east end flats will benefit even more.

RhubarbTea · 16/06/2021 10:23

Interesting article in the Guardian today about this:
www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/16/uk-failing-to-protect-against-climate-dangers-advisers-warn

Fnib · 19/06/2021 20:30

That is interesting, thank you @RhubarbTea

SpindleWhorl · 25/06/2021 08:58

What's the longest life food(s) for storage?

No-one really can predicted when the tipping point is going to be regarding loss of food security. It could be in just a few years; it could be 10 or 20 years. I think it could happen quite soon, and quickly.

Reports coming out of the UN are worrying.

Sideorderofchips · 25/06/2021 15:34

Rice. Pasta. Oats. Wheat.

You want stuff vaccum packed really. And even then you need to rotate

Do you have a link for the un article @spindlewhorl

BlackeyedSusan · 27/06/2021 11:46

dried beans and pasta last well past the bbd, tinned beans have a two or three year bbd on. use and replace

rice is not so good. white is better than brown for long life but not so nutricious.

I have read that grains are better than flour though you would need something to grind with or go prehistoric with a couple of stones... grains...

potatoes: grow wvery year, keep some for seed potatoes. (accidently leaving in ground also works

runner beans. grow every year. keep the seeds and dry until the next year.

ditto tomato seeds. I have been harvesting from the plant I grew from mushy tomatoes from the supermarket.

plant up your garden with apple tree. (get a family one so different varieties on one tree. research which apples store best. buy that variety. you can plant smaller fruit trees like pears.

I would also plant raspberries. and balckberries.

making your own compost and improving the quality of the soil in the garden would be a good move too. If you can move to somewhere with a garden that would help.

FurierTransform · 02/07/2021 14:21

I fitted air conditioning to the house a while back as summers will no doubt become increasingly unbearable especially in a modern well insulated house, and have solar panels on the roof to power it.

BlackeyedSusan · 02/07/2021 14:55

Good idea to use solar panels.

PRabbit · 09/07/2021 10:43

Blinds as well as curtains for insulation from the heat
You do realise that global warming will make the UK colder, not hotter?

Maria1982 · 09/07/2021 23:12

@PRabbit if you are referring to the Gulf Stream weakening or stopping altogether and plunging the U.K. into really cold conditions… Well that is one possibility, but it is not a certainty. It’s bloody complicated to model these things.

However it is fair to say (or at least I believe) that in the next 10,20,30 years we will see increasingly hotter temperatures in the U.K.

The papers I’ve read about Atlantic meridional oscillation weakening/shutting off tal about the 2nd half of the century. Not that that makes it any less alarming if it does happen..

BlackeyedSusan · 10/07/2021 16:34

Blinds and curtains work for cold too!

BlackeyedSusan · 18/07/2021 14:31

Half a duvet cover is behind the kitchen blind.

An old sheet is hanging behind the curtains in the living room to add an extra layer of insulation. We are at about 28.5 degrees. Which is bearable if you don't want to do much. It only got down to 27 overnight inside with the windows open.

properg · 18/07/2021 14:38

I'm learning martial arts, how to shoot a variety of guns & how to handle knives. Don't see the point of stocking up on beans without knowing how to defend my stash.

EvilPea · 18/07/2021 14:41

@LadyEuphemia

Moving, we live in the Fens and I can’t see a lot of it still being here barring the islands in 20-30 years. Also summers are getting unbearable in East Anglia we’ve had over 30 degrees for prolonged periods for the last 5 years and it went as high as 38c last year. It will be horrible here in 20 years time. Quite tempted to buy a little cottage in Scotland for our retirement, somewhere high and cool is really appealing.
That’s my plan. DH loves these days and is not on board.

So cottage for one then?!

EvilPea · 18/07/2021 14:42

I don’t understand why a lot of this isn’t part of building regs automatically now. Especially when you consider the questionable areas they are developing now causing knock on flooding.

ForestDad · 18/07/2021 14:47

Considering aircon for the house. Shading for S facing windows first though.
Live on a slope in SW England so considering risk of flooding (surface runoff rather than rivers overtopping) and how can I stop this going in the house.
When renovating considering expectations of hotter summers, warmer wetter winters with a higher storm risk. So make things sturdy, with shade and shelter.

BlackeyedSusan · 24/07/2021 13:52

Airbrick covers
One way valves on plumbing waste water
Flood barrier against the garage

RedLemon · 05/09/2021 15:56

Planting lots of trees to absorb rain, provide shade, improve soil and cool the land. Hardy fruit seems to be the easiest to grow around here- blackcurrants, blackberries, goosberries and we’ve got a very small nascent orchard coming along. Potatoes and kale are a good shout too- seem to thrive on neglect.

We have hens, rainwater harvesting and if there are power outages my beloved wood burning cook stove that could keep us going for the winter (should be self-sufficient for wood soon enough).

Solar panels- I want to install some more of those potentially and DH got a small wind turbine a while back that we have yet to hook up so I’d like to see how that goes- wouldn’t give us much but maybe enough to charge some batteries or power a light!

Need to get better insulated curtains as mentioned above.

Ok with jam making but need to start looking at the wonderful world of pickling and canning to preserve veg and fruit in case freezer power cuts out at any point.

Also have an old school Singer sewing machine and a good supply of thread, needles, patches, zips to try to made do and mend if and when fast fashion starts to crumble. Try to buy few items but best quality we can afford for now too- especially when it comes to rain gear, wellies, coats etc. Prediction is warm and wet in future where I’m living. I’d expecting lots of mosquitoes in that case so loose long sleeved natural fabrics will probably be a good call too.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst!

BiddyPop · 13/09/2021 12:06

We've been slowly upgrading parts of the house for years, towards being more sustainable, partly in light of climate change.

When we first moved in, we got the best double glazing on the market at the time to replace the rotting pine single glazed windows at the back. When the windows at the front were replaced, we got the thicker double glazing available at that stage. (I do want to re-do the double glazing at the back, to either far better double, or even better - triple glazing, at some stage in the relatively near future).

When we converted the attic and built a rear extension, we put a lot of additional insulation into both (almost double what was required at that stage), which made a huge difference to energy efficiency. We also put insulation into the little roof over the north facing rooflet over the sitting room window a few years ago (original house has almost no cavity wall insulation - per original building regs when it was built, and that extended front window/rooflet had no insulation either).

The extension to the rear is built to have a lot of sunlight coming into the house, which is great for light and winter heat. We are thinking about putting up a "brise soleil" though, to take out some of that heat as summers get brighter and hotter.

We have a small rain butt in the back garden, collecting from the extension roof. I would like though to get a much larger one to collect from the main roof as well. We mostly use the collected water in the garden for plants and things like washing patio/clearing drains etc, but have used it for toilets etc when needed when we've had water outtages. Back when the "beast from the East" caused so many leaks that we had no water for about a week, and then many days of intermittant water/reduced pressure etc - it was a real saviour! I have also used it on occasion to try a small amount of relieving the system when we know very heavy rain is due, as we'll empty it beforehand (when drains are not overloaded) to take as much as possible when the downpour is at its worst. (I know, makes a minute difference, but every little helps).

We have a lot of plants growing both front and back. Including a few mature trees (we planted 2 of those almost 20 years ago, 1 was already there). And a beechwood hedge between ourselves and next door between the concrete drives.

We had already replaced the gas boiler for the central heating to a very high efficiency one. And having previously used a chimney balloon when not using the open fire to reduce draughts, we replaced the open fire with a wood burning stove about 4 years ago. So either it's fully closed and blocking the draughts, or burning a much more efficient fire for heating the room (and house - we open the doors as that room gets too warm now).

We have recently put in PV solar panels on the roof, so are generating our own electricity. It covers our base load during the day (the fridge, running 2 computers, having a light on etc), even on a cloudy day. On a sunny day, we can also run the dishwasher or washing machine (we set them on timers to follow each other), and still have energy going to heat the hot water tank - we usually are sending electricity back to the grid in the afternoon on a sunny day as the tank is at max and we are covering all we need. We have space to fit 1 extra panel up there, so will do that soon - intending to get an electric car in a couple of years, but also charge up bicycle batteries once we start back to work shortly (we'll charge them in daytime on WFH days) etc. And any extra to the grid meaning less need for gas-powered electricity for others is good.

We've always been conscious of choosing high-energy rated appliances, so everything is A+++ and we have changed almost all the lighting to either LED or solar powered (or both) around the house.

We changed the old air vents, which couldn't be closed (some intentionally, some just so badly fitted) so basically were always letting cold air in, to ones that had a far better seal around the hole and also could be opened and closed much easier. So not only will it keep warm air inside in winter, we can open them wide to allow air movement in summer.

BiddyPop · 13/09/2021 12:12

I also have a good stock of fabric, threads, other sundries, and patterns to make my sewing machine useful. And wool and needles for knitting. I just have to find time to make things up.

But I have previously made curtains for the north facing sitting room (before it was insulated and better heated) which were full length and heavy fabric, blackout lined (further heat retention) and I also interlined them (basically a blanket-type material for heat retention hidden between the fabric and lining).

I've also made insulated blackout lined (no interlining, just a heavily insulated blackout fabric) curtains for our south facing bedroom, that we close on very hot days to keep heat from building up.

And made myself a number of tote bags for shopping and other purposes. A fair amount of my stash of fabric is recycled (either charity shop finds or clothes gone beyond use) and I have made very good use of a lot of that in the past already. Like old jeans becoming little fabric bins for DC bedroom shelves etc. rather than buying plastic ones.