Preparing for power cuts or rationing this winter

[expandabandband]

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?

What are the big powerbanks people are talking about?

I use a machine for sleep apnea and have numerous powercuts, we have had 1 long and 1 short in the past fortnight.

Is there a non petrol powered powerbamk that would let me run this overnight if needed?

I have cumbersome alternatives if the electricity/gas goes out. My only real problem is the fridge/freezer. I have taken the view that I could not afford a power bank with, say, solar panels to keep either going.
I flirted with the idea of a mini fridge to run off a solar powered charger but I think I'm better coping without refrigeration than spending a lot of money on one alternative chilling option.
I am canning food to make shelf stable meals. But I accept that is because I made an investment in a pressure canner a few years ago.
If I didn't have that, I would be looking just at shop bought canned food - which I get anyway for a small stash.
Tin Can Cook by Jack Monroe is really good. Love her or hate her at least she's doing something.

@Gingerkittykat , jackery and others do big camping chargers. I would look into that and keep it charged from the mains for now.

Just a thought, don't use disposal BBQs indoors...carbon dioxide omissions can be dangerous.

Definitely outdoor only. I have a wind break but no gazebo so dry weather only solution. I have a stand for it so it doesn't have to go on the ground.

Our Minister for lots of things including energy last night asked us to conserve energy in households and not to use u necessary appliances at the peak hours 5-7pm. Good advice.

Except that his list of "unnecessary appliances" included the cooker and kettle. At peak dinner time for most households especially with children.

Our minister for energy is JRM so gods help us all, its gonna take more than some tealights and a new kettle to get through this winter

Grease-Smug will get off on having 1970s power cuts as part of his nostalgia tribute act (apologies for politics on this thread)
I lived through those days as a kid: it was exciting and fun (not even sure he's old enough to remember them). Looking back, my Mum had a kind of rictus smile when they happened. Now I'm a grown up, I know why. And she'd grown up in the country in Ireland so she was used to candles etc.
Thinking about keeping our own and our household's spirits up is an important prep.

Bellini is right about keeping spirits up.

I got shouted at for crying when we had a power it in the middle of Magic Roundabout and I was in a pitch black room on my own as a preschooler. (Probably only about 3)

@BiddyPop Where are you?

And heaven help us all with Rees-Mogg, he probably has no electricity or carpets just for fun, or to teach his children the value of being posh.

A double load of logs arrived today, so I feel a bit better.

expandaband I'm in Ireland, where our Green Party leader has 2 Department's under his remit - he is the current Minister for Transport and also the current Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications....both the satirists on Gift Grub (Mario Rosenstock on Today FM) and Callan's Kicks (Oliver Callan on RTE Radio 1) have great fun with him...

And, in the spirit of getting some practise in before it's necessary (aka having some fun at lunchtime), I lit my kelly kettle and made lunch of bacon, egg and large cup of tea outdoors between the showers. Which showed me that I need some more practise in lighting fires outdoors. (But like a proper Scout, having tried the flint and steel (which lit, but the fire didn't "catch" properly), I went for the backup of a long-nosed gas lighter ).

We've got a stockpile of tealights for when it gets cold and dark. If it gets really bad, we'll light them. 😬

I'm further behind in my autumn/winter prep than I'd like to be, probably 50% through my annual checklist. Have got a week off work coming up so will do a lot of bits during that period.
Following with interest in case I've forgotten anything

Cotton wool and fake Vaseline to start fire with flint and steel... (We had left over cotton wool from when kids were little)

Just tell me how to sustain the fire. Only had one go. Need another practice and need some tips at keeping the fire lit.

Susan, I had a face wipe cotton wool pad smeared in Vaseline for the sparks to catch. That bit was fine. It just didn't light the little sticks around it enough and they just smoked and didn't really flame (and smoke level was reducing).

So I poked the 2nd Vaseline-y pad I had spare into the air hole under the sticks and shoved a pinecone in after it once the cotton wool was lit, which seemed to do better and get the sticks going on top.

We have a gas BBQ with a full bottle and 2 camping stoves with 10 spare gas canisters for cooking.
Loads of camping lanterns and headlamps (we are a family of campers!) for lighting, plus 2 packs of tea lights and matches.
Lots of blankets and hot water bottles, we have a whistling kettle for the camping stove to heat water.
A log burner which heats the whole downstairs of our house, we’ve just had 2 cubic meters of logs delivered and we will probably need to order at least another bag if not 2. The chimney sweep if booked in for the end of September.
And we have had the house insulation re-done over the last 5 years or so, so hopefully that will help if we have an especially cold winter.

I make a habit of picking up sticks when I'm out. Only stuff on concrete paths, not stuff that's destined to work again by decomposing in woods. Have a pile sat in my garage drying out for kindling when winter comes. Windy weather in autumn often brings more but I don't use it unless I'm sure it's dry.

Nice work. I am hoping that all that forest school that my daughter did in the past is going to pay dividends now!

Ex has been given notice on the house. We need to move the compost bin and the pots. They can finish growing by then anyway. Lots of change. Lots of packing.

I spent today starting to clear up his garden and clipping up the thinnest twigs for my Kelly kettle. We had lunch in the garden with DD who finished school at lunchtime today. It really helped to spend time with compost and trees.

Fire needs a good surface area to burn. Which is why you start with something small - greater surface area ratio. Then you gradually build up pieces in size - don’t add bigger bits until the previous one has a good burn. And build in a pyramid shape.

ignore me if that’s a tongue in cheek question 🤣

If there are power cuts, I’m going to assume they’ll not be all day. (Hope!) So I’ll make hot drinks and food when we’ve got power eg breakfast or lunch. Make flasks of drinks. Get hot water bottles and pop them in bed a couple of hours before bed. Invest in army surplus wool blankets - itchy but they keep the heat in like the absolute bees knees.

We did a pyramid of small things but then had no next size up bits, which is why I couldn't sustain the fire and why I have been collecting bits today. We have lots of thick wood as well.

But no fire place. :(

Sorry forgot my manners. Thank you both for your advice.