Are you all prepping for power cuts?

[User112]

BBC reported the other day about possible power cuts this winter due to gas shortage. Other than having a few torch light and candles, are you all prepping with anything else?

Agree on that (we already covered this upthread).

For those on mains water will be OK. For your own personal pump, yes it will be off.

I have both. Not been affected on mains as yet.

Thanks for that @zåäö, really useful

And there it is, the perfect reply when people mock or misunderstand what being a prepper is about:

"In the event of a societal emergency, help will be provided first to those who need it most. The majority must be prepared to cope on their own for some time. The better prepared you are, the greater the opportunity you will also have to help others who do not have the same ability to cope."

@WonderingWanda - Thanks, I reckon those would be perfect; line the driveway neatly and they'd probably also help me to better centre my parking!

@RosettaTheGardenFairy I agree it is a very good reply. I think it’s also great that all households were sent this, you can’t say that you don’t know what is expected of you.

That you’re actually expected to help others, not just yourself.

Typical Sweden; preparing their citizens in a sensible, honest and calm manner.

Good of them to put it in other languages too, while other governments are saying fuck all of any use.

Good idea to fill your bath straight away if you have one.
Let's assume there won't be water supply problems, but there might be.

Even if you aren't happy to drink it, use it for washing up and then save it again to flush the loo.

I only saw half the post and thought you were saying fill your bath with coal

I was brought up in a rural area where power cuts were frequent. I always have alternatives for heating, cooking and lighting in stock. I currently have a log burner in the living room and enough wood for the winter, wind up lanterns and candles, and camp stoves with plenty of gas canisters. I also have solar panels with two batteries so I will have some electricity available.

During the hurricane of 1987 our village was without power for over 2 weeks, this was in October. so it was fairly cold. I survived this period quite well with just this basic equipment and a well stocked pantry. Of course, I did not have the solar panels and batteries as these were not available.

The community really pulled together, the local pub that had calor gas ovens cooked food and the local WI and church made sure that everyone that needed the help received a hot meal every day, and the people who had no heating were put up by those who had. I would hope that this would happen again, but I don't know if these local organisations exist any more.

I think there is potentially an issue during power cuts with water in high rise flats that use pumps to raise the water pressure.

Added a LED light which connects via USB to my collection today.
Can run off a powerbank. Also found that it works when connected to my laptop even with the laptop off - so the USB ports still have power even when the laptop is off, hmm. Would drain the laptop battery but it's another power source.

Charged up a powerbank today. Will dig out my others and charge them. Good to get prepared.

If I lose power I have no heat or ability to cook in my flat. So getting in some non-cook food will be essential.

Ah the Great Storm of 87... 15th October I think it was. I was outdoors on the side of a mountain in North Wales at the time (school outward bound course, we slept in Bivvy bags. Got back home to South East London to find quite a lot of change!

NE Coast of England here. Mum and Dad had left me to look after the house for the weekend while they went to a Wedding in Cambridge. Mum rang me the morning after the storm asking if I'd survived. I replied "what storm?"

To be fair, a lot of the south was devastated, so I don't tell this anecdote lightly. Trees were down, people were killed in cars.

Up here on the NE coast we've had our challenges since. This is why I prep. Absolutely nobody knows what's round the corner.

I was 16, btw.

I'm in the NE too and lost my roof in Storm Arwen last November, water pouring in so all electric off and my phone was at 2%. Landline is an electric phone so didn't work. Luckily a friend let me in at 7.30 am the next morning to charge up.
Only had smelly candles with smells that didn't mix, argh!

I've got two power banks now, torches, candles, matches and two thermos flasks.

Not really no, I have a power bank always charged up just incase, a pack of cards and some candles.

Does that count 🤣

@CaptainBarbosa candles aren't safe unless you are VERY careful and they won't keep you warm

If course candles are safe. Millions of people have candles burning in their house every day.

they will also raise the temperature of the room gradually if that is all you have

Your view is that candles don't cause fires?

It is obvious that if you increase the number of people burning candles and the amount of time candles are burning, there will be more fires.

Luckily the government is probably going to impose cuts to the fire service budgets when they cut everything else, so that's all good.

Candles are lit and fire is potentially dangerous if they aren’t used safely. Of course. But nobody needs to be told “candles aren’t safe unless you are VERY careful” like its news to them that there is fire involved.

Last night I had a tea light burning a wax melt in the kitchen, teenage DS2 had a scented candle burning in his room and we had both wood burners blazing away. AND it was DS1s birthday so we had 18 candles on his cake! Most people are capable of taking reasonable precautions when lighting a candle.

@User84 - I think the concern is less about people using candles, more about people using candles who don't usually use them. Those with dementia who are worried about their bills using candles and forgetting to blow them out; busy people popping out to the shops for a few minutes forgetting to blow candles out; people falling asleep on the couch with lit candles. Forgetting to properly blow out candles isn't the same as forgetting to flick a light switch.

Of course nobody is suggesting people shouldn't use birthday candles, but I suspect you already knew that.

In normal circumstances, people don't move around their home with candles. If that's the only illumination you have, how do you propose to move around your home holding a candle? Candles spill hot wax on your hand so you drop it; flame catches a curtain you pass; candle topples out of your candle stick.
And it absolutely will not keep you warm.
Think of alternatives. Here's one

Yes well done. Seen that on all the other MN prepper threads and the boards it originally came from. I’ve been on the MN preppers boards under various names literally since we petitioned MN to set them up on day 1.

Im perhaps being slightly unfair, I’ve had very little sleep and a bad few days. I just think it’s silly to preach stuff to people that they clearly already know. Fire needs to be used carefully - that is obvious to everyone. Not everyone can afford to spend money on head torches etc.

anyway - let’s move on

5 quid head torch. I'm the one who's been telling people to do this with an empty old 2litre milk carton filled with water.

Candles if you have young kids and/or pets is not a sensible option. This is Mumsnet. Most people on here have kids and/or pets. The last thing I want is for casual lurkers on here to think candles are the only option. Same as I don't want to encourage people to use camping stoves indoors.
Flames don't give a shit how sensible you think you are.