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?

Looking at the weather in Russia and Ukraine, they must think us right softies

Bob

For those who thought we were talking about a gas crisis: gas is also used to provide electricity. If there was a pinch on gas, the leccy will be turned off first as that can be done without house to house reconnections that would be needed if gas was cut off. Domestic gas usage will therefore fall as our ignition needs power to work and we can be reconnected once gas is available with relatively little difficulty.

Agreed, but it is possible to alter the hard wiring of the ignition / electrical requirement so that a 3 pin plug, plugs into the socket in the wall usually, but if need be can be plugged into an appropriately sized camping power bank/station

@justasking111 I used to live and work in Russia. It's a different kind of cold. Yes, it's still fucking freezing but it's dry cold not wet cold. I'd come home to UK for Christmas and it would feel colder. Because of the wet, windy cold.

I've got my new solar lantern and solar/wind up radio on the windowsill charging. That's one solar lantern each. Plus a wind up lantern somewhere in the tip of dd's room and a battery lantern in the kitchen.

Plenty of batteries.

I need to start off a crochet granny square blanket, once that is started I can do that by feel in the dark.

The main skill will be to get the boy to wear more than a t shirt!

I’m not in the UK but I work in a nursery, and today all parents and staff received information yesterday that all children must have a blanket, thermal underwear and a thin hat and gloves for indoors. Also that in case of a blackout, nursery will always be open (we live in a very cold and dark country) and that charcoal, wet wipes, candles, extra blankets, water cans, power banks, chargeable lights, batteries, flashlights, matches etc has been bought in. Kitchen staff have also had information.

Staff has to print out lists of which children are attending each morning and to always keep phones and laptops charged. And be prepared with activities to keep children warm indoors and outdoors.

I saw on the news that many schools and nurseries in our country have received the same information. All this just in case, but because we do need to be prepared and help each other IF needed.

But, it was a bit heartbreaking to see our 1- and 2-year olds turn up today with their little backpacks with nicely folded stuff in, I have to say..

Sorry, I meant to say that we received information yesterday, but it was on the news today.

That sounds very sensible @Redmushrooms . I remember the 70s blackouts (bit older than nursery age) as an adventure. Hopefully the children would see it like that. It's just the adults that feel the stress and worry- my mum said this.

You are right @bellinisurge , if we’re calm and know what to do, most children will be calm too.

On the other hand if you get shouted at for crying that magic roundabout went off and you have been suddenly plunged into darkness whilst on your own in a room.....

We get plunged into darkness fairly regularly as a bulb blowing trips the fuse.

Never that far from a phone though with torch.... It'll be a shock when the lights don't come back on after wrestling with the understairs cupboard and consumer unit cover.

Homes in some parts of Shetland were without power for 7 days because of the snow.

never had my Kelly kettle had more use!

I read that too think lots of people I the UK don't realise how exposed we are ro European energy market as they confuse it with the EU.
UK boasting we better off than Europe and we won't have blackouts doesn't fill me with confidence.

I have torches around 4
1 solar lantern
1 power cell
1 camping gas stove
4 cannisters
1 camping kettle
Extra blankets
Around 50 tea light candles apparently each one burns 4 hours.
Rechargeable batteries and charger aa.
Hot water bottle each
Thermals.
During most of nov we had no heating as boiler broke and was Condemned then wait for new one .
We were all so cold 🥶.

Seeing this storm in the USA bit scary.
Watch a bit of you tube like the idea solar generator but they expensive and none of them seem to power large appliance like a freezer.
What exactly much help would one of smaller cheaper models be?
Also solar roof panels are so expensive in the states they seek power off grid independent of energy company don't think UK can do that as solar energy goes back to the energy company then back to the home. Can you have off grid energy supply via solar?

Petrol generator makes husband nervous about keeping fuel to hand plus they noisy we had one as kid early 80s rural Wales as well as coal open fire and big calor gas fire so we were more energy sufficient then for sure.

My freezers worry me the most as have a lot of stuff in them going try run them down but I like to batch cook and freeze.
We have plenty food so supermarket and tllls not working no issue for is although think need more long life milk.

Now we replaced ancient back boiler with combi hoping that reduce energy bills.
However we use more electricity than has as cook with electric.
Also we have 1 single glazed window and door back of house that really needs replacing.

Has anyone got a Woodburner?
They seem be around 2800 mark install and possible for us However how much does it cost to run?

Might add portable gas fire for next winters survival kit.
Wheres best place store gas?
We mid terrace so small shed no garage.

I've got a Jackery solar powered battery as DH has a cpap machine and I want to be able to run that as a minimum if the power goes. We had a weekend without power and it managed to keep the cpap, wifi and a couple of other things going. That was with really bright sunshine to recharge it though- wouldnt fancy doing all of that on a dull winters day!

We've also got 3 woodburners, 2 were the cheapest defra approved ones, the other is an esse stove that I got when I inherited some money and is my back up stove for when the electric is off or I've too many things to fit in the proper oven. Its main function is to heat my kitchen though. I've spent £500 on logs this winter and £400 on those sawdust logs. That'll comfortably see us through the winter and is way cheaper than trying to heat our big draughty house using the central heating. We got to mid December before we needed to put the heating on as the heat goes up through the house.

Thanks, I find it really useful to read how other people managed as it really helps with the decision making finding out what worked and what didn't.

We had an email from National Grid this morning about preparing for power cuts.

Do any of you have a recommendation for a good solar lantern. Mine bit the dust before Christmas.

Keep my phone charged during the day, have a wireless charger and I can light the gas hob.

How come you get e-mails from the National Grid? Do you have to sign up to alerts?

You can register if you or someone in your house is disabled. (All of us) or if someone uses electrical power for medical equipment.

I have a collapsible solar lantern. (Amazon, concertina shaped, comes in green or black, will try and find a picture)

It comes from China so takes a while. But is pretty good. Will last overnight on lowest setting and charge during the day on the windowsill . (September)

Ilikepow collapsible led solar lantern

Thank you for the lantern recommendations.

In answer to a poster above we have a log burner that we can and do most nights boil a kettle on which we use to fill hot water bottles. I have also heated soup on the top in the past.

Thanks that's really useful .
Which jackanory solar model?
Really think we benefit wood burner as it's open plan with dining room and living room.
But cost really gone up looking at around £2800 to £3000, these days.
I was thinking could probably heat food on it.
Where do you buy the logs..
Where do you stack them all we have no garage and a tiny shed.
I can't see how energy won't get higher next winter.

I got the Jackery 1000. Expensive, but after over a week without power after storm Arwen I wanted to be sure dh could use his cpap if we ever had a similar situation.

I got my logs from a local tree surgeon who then kiln dries them so they are suitable to use. I have 2 log stores that sit against the garden walls. The sawdust logs I get from calidologs.com and they get stacked in the conservatory which we don't use in the winter. I find them really good when I haven't chopped any kindling as they catch light easily when broken up.

The main cost for the woodburners (other than my fancy esse one) was getting the chimney lined. We've a tall house so there was a lot of lining and scaffolding needed. That was £1600 for liner, chimney pot, flue and register plate. Plus lots of swearing trying to get the liner down many, many meters of chimney.

We only needed 5kw fires as although we have high ceilings, the rooms themselves aren't huge. When we got our second stove our sweep recommended the portway Arundel which I've managed to boil a kettle on before. If you've got a big space requiring a bigger fire or need to create a chimney, that'll add to the cost though.

I've noticed that there are more power cut stories in local media. Not sure whether this is because I clicked on a local one and am now being sent them by algorithms or whether there are more.

Suspect it’s the cold snap making the topic relevant again.

as I understand it the risk has reduced because we are using a lot less energy than we used to (because nobody can afford it!)