Preparing for power cuts or rationing this winter

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I'm not really a prepper, but it has struck me that we need to be ready for power outages or rationing this winter, so I'd really appreciate your advice and experience.

We have a wood burner on which, at a pinch we can cook food and make coffee, so we have a double load of wood coming in a fortnight's time

Other than that we have or are getting:

• extra gas for the camping stove (10 canisters)
• three rechargeable lanterns
• an Oodie for my daughter's birthday.

We have quite a few small power banks but I am wondering about a larger one too. We will keep all of them, and our kindles, charged regularly.

What have I missed?

Just with the candle safety. We used to use a jam jar as a makeshift lantern. Clean empty jam jar, blob of wax in bottom of jar, stick on a candle. Use a taper to light candle in jar. Or if you have asbestos hands light the candle and then pop it in the jar.

I don't think you need to spend loads. If you rely on batteries, you can pick up small torches really cheaply. You might well have a battery powered one in the boot of your car or glove box for breakdowns.

If you have an old radio knocking about then it will probably take batteries.

Keep any power banks charged for mobiles, and if you have a landline connected make sure you've copied down important numbers as this should still work with a traditional telephone if there's a power outage.

Lots of people still have gas boilers and gas cookers so can manage to heat water and food if there's an outage. Likewise if you have a gas fire, you'll always be able to warm at least one room.

I think we're pretty well set up in the UK to cope with power cuts.

What I say is if there's an outage during the winter, please check in on your elderly or vulnerable neighbours and offer spare candles/batteries.

We have a couple of paraffin lamps which are good for power cuts. They put out a good amount of light. Obviously you need to be careful with anything that uses a flame but most people can handle a candle or an oil lamp without disaster ensuing

Buy a thermal cooker, if you have gas hobs you can start a casserole on the hob up to the point it has simmered for 5 minutes them drop the pan in the thermal outer & the food will cook for up to 8 hours. I'm thinking of buying one of the big power banks that campers use, keep it charged up & then can use for charging phones etc & the mains socket for bigger appliances like the microwave or kettle.

On the chances of this happening, the govt has increased the duration of their emergency exercise about utility outages.

Thanks everyone, this is really helpful.

The barbecue is a really good thought, because we also have a wood fired oven outside, and so can cook in that too.

We are on the fence about a big power bank as we are in a town, so less likely to get long outages from storms, and I am guessing that if we have rationing it will not be days long. Although I am prepared to be wrong about that.

And yes, I am sure a cheap Ooodie is fine but it's a 16th birthday present to see her through to cold uni rooms...

And I am so old that this is what my parents did in my room in the 1970s...

For those of you considering generators, PLEASE make sure you run it in a well ventilated and preferably outdoor space. They can give off carbon monoxide and are notorious for killing people this way (look up the stats in the US where lots of people use generators for winter storm power cuts). A garage attached to the house is not good enough as the CO will come in through the adjoining door. BBQs inside a structure are also a fire hazard and so should only be used with plenty of ventilation and clearance above and around them.

I've bought a bunch of fleecy sleep suits for us and the baby from Vinted.

Usually I am not that much of a prepper but the last few years have proven that in time of trouble, we are very much on our own, with the help of our neighbours.

Who knows what that madman Putin is going to do in the depth of winter, even though I believe we only get 10% of our gas from him. Still.

I'm lucky in that I have one of those green eggs. Also a wood fire. If you don't have one, and if you can get one, I'd do so. My DB has one in his living room and it basically heats the whole house.

Ironically I am sitting here with half my house backed out with a circuit problem. They'll be out to see me in a week!

Probably a bit too light weight but a rocket stove which runs off twigs can be incredibly efficient if you need to boil a kettle of water, fry some sausages, heat some soup relatively quickly.

Of course you need twigs for it... Maybe more renewable than a small camping ring (the type that runs off a small gas cannister).

To echo SeatoSki's concern, i mentioned BBQ's in sheds as where they're likely stored - they should be lit and used for cooking outdoors, not in the shed. Hence the need for a coat.

I’ve assembled a box of instant food and drinks I can make up with just water boiled in a ghillie kettle again. Do this every autumn just in case and what’s left gets used through the spring when we camp/hike. We have had power cuts and road to get out blocked by fallen trees previously hence the preps.

some of the things I’ve gathered together if anyone else wishes to try similar.

Carbs - instant mash, noodles, cous cous, regular porridge oats, mug shot pasta type packs

veg - canned peas, carrots, sweetcorn that can be drained and added to dishes and heated with water, dehydrated veg, mushrooms.

sauces- gravy granules, stock powder.

drinks - instant flavoured coffee, hot Chocolate, lidl instant tea, Horlicks

misc - dried fruits and nuts, few dehydrated camp meals, a couple of cans of tuna, canned pork and corned beef.

essentially if the power goes out for more than a couple of hours I can knock up something hot in our food thermoses with just boiling water and the addition of cold items as our only heating is from the boiler that requires electricity as well as gas.

I do have a camp stove, fire pit etc but just boiling water meals; it is an easy solution in what could be a stressful time.

Cous cous is great for just add boiling water. You could add spice and dried fruits to the flask first and tinned chickpeas or beans.

I'm not usually a prepper but did ask my husband how many canisters we have for our camping stove and will probably buy a few spare. They'll get used for camping if nothing else. Think I'll have a box of tins etc that we can heat easily on that if needed. Good idea about the bbq.

A couple of good flasks. They'll keep water very warm for 24hrs.
I always fill them when we're have stormy weather forecast. We live in rhe centre of a large town so I don't think we'd have a major power cut, but even a couple of hours would be a pain.

"as our only heating is from the boiler that requires electricity as well as gas. "

We have the same, a small amount of electricity is required for the predominantly gas powered system to work.

We have interrupted the hard wired electrical connection so that it is now a 3 pin plug into a three pin socket

This means that during an electric power cut, the three pin plug can be attached to a power bank (large camping type) so the gas powered heating and hot water can continue to function

Sadly can’t do that as this place is rented.

if it wasn’t rented I’d have a wood burner put in for emergencies.

Hence ghillie kettle for hot water bottles etc

Evening, might it be worth asking the LL? If make absolutely no difference to the day to say running of the system, but can be a godsend if the electricity is not available.

We have a large log burner, and found it good for heating one room during a four day power outage, but not for the rest of the home nor the hot water

If we were to be without both gas and electricity, it would be worth its weight in gold

So far I have stocked up on wood lucky to get this through DH job so no cost for the log burner.
Bought a new torch/lantern and power bank.
We have a large camping gas bottle still full and a 2 burner hob thing.
Need to get some more candles for my candle jars and some tea lights to go in bottom of jam jars. Some good candle advice on here thank you.
When I get paid I am upgrading a few bits of bedding and buying new hot water bottles.
Might get a bit of bottled water as storms last year did away with our water for a few days as the pump station was damaged.
Just sensible stuff really I'm not buying much else, maybe some nice warm PJ'S for DD's but they have dressing gowns and so on.

Some good ideas.
Has anyone got a callor gas heater that you use the bottles on?

@Sunshineandrainbow yes we bought one for powercuts. It's great for heating up 1 room. Handy to have as backup

Staying together in one room, cuddling up together or in an indoor tent will keep you warm if you have no other heat.

Insulate your house, if you can, now in whatever way you can afford.

I have bought an old Calor heater for £15 and going to get an extra carbon monoxide alarm . And need to find the right type of paraffin.
i Have never tried tinned curries etc and might have a look at what I see . Someone mentioned horlicks which I hadn’t thought of and the DC would love that .

we have a rocket stove and I’ve been collecting lots of sticks on short walks every time the baby needs a sleep!

i bought 50 hour candles but like the idea of a lantern of some sort and head torches.

in terms of elderly neighbours, ours is well ahead of us as prepared for anything! Last time we had longer power cuts (last year) he came round with spare camping kettle etc .! I am setting aside extra spaghetti, rice , coffee etc in case he needs it thought as keeps til 2024 and he’s stopped prepping food .
I have a couple of power banks but use the car charger too. And have a solar/ windup radio that’s brilliant