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?

We are ready, have a camping stove and some gas if needed, hot water bottles and plenty of candles, most are large decorative pillars but can be used in a powercut.

I just installed LED push lights, they are powered by rechargeable AAA batteries and have been put in kitchen and bathroom. Have also put fresh batteries are in the torch by the front door and the back door.

Thick question. If there is a power outage, will 3/4/5G still work?

I've had DS2 round up and charge all batteries in the house today and find all power banks etc. I've also dug out the led coleman lantern from the loft.

Think we are going to take the plunge on the ecoflow solar generator. I run a business from home and need to be able to keep the wifi and computer going.

Just have candles and matches

For a few hours, I'm not sure on the duration of the batteries but I would guess with increased users the service would be slower.

@Eeksteek and @isthismylifenow thank you very much that’s really helpful info 😊

"Sorry for more questions but just re reading some of the replies on here, it seems there is a problem with using camping stoves indoors, I’ve got one with little gas canisters you slit in, is this unsafe to use even in well ventilated area ?"
I'm afraid so. I'd use mine outside under an umbrella if necessary. I have a small metal wind breaker

@bengalcat
Candles and matches are not safe. Better a head torch turned in on an empty 2 litre milk carton filled with water. Works as a lantern. Like this

I'm hoping mobile data still works - that providers have access to emergency power - but have to consider that it won't.

I just checked out my router, and it’s 12v (and only 2.5 amps) So you wouldn’t need an inverter, just a DC to DC cable, and something like something like a laptop power bank should do it. (Assuming there is nothing special about routers. Electronics are weird. People had problems with electric toothbrushes in campervans, not because there wasn’t enough power, but because the power wave form wasn’t smooth enough, or something. I don’t understand it at all)

I really want to keep my router on, because we have no mobile signal here at all. Literally nothing. we don’t have live tv or even a working landline. In an emergency, we’d have to run to a neighbour!

The ecoflow river mini would run a router for 15 hours, or an electric throw for 1 and a half hours, or charge a MacBook Air three times or run a 400w blender for half an hour (I am crossing my fingers it would also run a 300w Tassimo for a minute or two!) or a CPAP machine for 4 hours. Or some combination (not all of them obviously) As power cuts are expected to be short, I think that would probably cover it for most people. It’s £300. A small gas camping stove is about £30 to heat up pasta or hot water for tea or hot water bottles and a camping gas heater for £60 would mean it was comfortable, especially if you can safely light a few candles for background heat.

The main problem is that the river would have to physically sit by the router. Which is a long way from all the other stuff. So I’m inclined to get a small UPS for the router (which seems to be about £50-100) and truck the river around for power (it’s not very big). I was planning to get one anyway for camping. If I ever get a start date for my job, or my house sale goes though, I’ll be on it like a shot.

I’ve got all the random camping lights, head torches, kindles, power banks and so on together in a basket and plugged them in behind the tv. I’ve fetched the camp stove in the from garage and made sure there’s a spare gas canister. Ive found the candles, and filed the lighter. I’ve already got all the blankets and thick socks out. Without spending money I don’t have on things that will probably have sold in out by the time I can afford them, I’ve done all I can.

I've added a simple battery powered radio to my stash so that I can listen to the outside world.

those might be classed as priority services in case of rationing as opposed total outage.

have got a few power banks & a couple of solar travel chargers (they are really slow in winter though).

camping stuff for light and heat.
plus loads of candles and a couple of tea light lanterns.

I hope that phone masts would be prioritised - with many people not having access to a plug in landline, due to the phone networks going digital, there would be no way to connect emergency services otherwise.

Thank you for the answers and for not laughing!

How do they actually shut down? I’d sort of vaguely assumed the village would be shut off, but it can’t be that simple. There are shops and businesses within it. Traffic lights. A nursery school and a cafe run by young people with learning disabilities.

Also, I bet there isn’t a junction box that neatly connects ‘the village’. I bet there’s some sort of messy, real world set up, where only part is on J54683 cable that can’t be shut off and half on J54685 cable that can, but isn’t compatible with the thingummydoodah shut off tools that were in use between September and June 2002 when the new estate was built. Or some such claptrap. There’s always something like that.

It would affect all businesses etc in the zone. Including shops restaurants cinemas, petrol stations.

hospitals and essential industry (energy generation) would be prioritised. Possibly also traffic signalling if it can be centrally controlled and isolated. But they don’t make the decision on a building by building basis.

Does anyone have a suggestion for how to provide visibility to a driveway if the lampposts are out?

We're well prepared for blackouts to the house, but our driveway is at the end of a road that bends, so it would be easy for someone unfamiliar with the road to drive straight into our (unfortunately!) black car!

After all these years prepping, the ramifications of street lights going out hadn't occurred to me in this way 😳

Does anyone have a suggestion for how to provide visibility to a driveway if the lampposts are out?

reflective strips on the lantern posts?

dh stopped me from throwing away a random tea light i found, so we have candles. we do have a large flask also

solar lights in the garden, reflecting red strips on a post, @RosettaTheGardenFairy

We have a wood burner so we won't be cold, some candles for light and a camping stove so we can make some food. We have books and board games and a cool box. Beyond that no, if there is no power and all the devices run out of charge I shall feel quite relieved. I suspect the power cuts won't be long enough for that though. Might be a good excuse to not do work in the evenings though!

Turn your headlights on? I assume you mean for walking to and from the car, does your car have one of those buttons on the keyboard which lights it up?

My child’s world in a dark rural place involved a lot of reflective strips - on everything and everyone!

Yes I remember everyone being given armbands at school

@WonderingWanda - it's not a walking issue, but a driving issue. We live rurally and without street lighting it's not obvious that drivers need to turn, as if they 'follow the road' they'll be on my driveway or worse, in my kitchen!

Bollards won't work as the pavement bends with the driveway and if someone cuts across our drive (as our neighbours always do) I'm worried they'd trip.

Do solar lights work well in Winter? I think a solar or battery powered light shooting a beam up/down the house is probably our only option.