What Would You Do If..........?

Poosmate

lemontart wrote: »

Information aside I lived through the power cuts in the 70's doing homework by candle light with the gas oven open for heat, I have options for everything be it cooking with gas hob electric oven and gas boiler for water though if electric out may not work anyway. Only worry is freezer but that should survive an hr or two with out too much damage.

Already have windup torch and radio and lots of candles and gas fire for heat.

If cold but extra clothes on, if hungry have a sandwich if no gas cooking options, if dark use a torch or even the mobile phone as torch with screen to be safe going for an early night. Not the end of the world.

Thanks Lemon, that's the spirit!! This is almost exactly what I am looking for in responses. I say almost because I really hope that if such an interruption in power supply was imminent could/would we be informed beforehand and could we as a nation take evasive action? And would we if it wasn't going to be our area affected?

I mean, living in the midlands what do I care if the lights are going out somewhere in the north? I do care because someone's grandparents live there and other vulnerable people so if I could reduce my consumption to allow others to retain theirs I would.

Poo

chris1973

but as Graham said is it enough to meet the peak demands?

The same 'peak demand' as the grid has being seeing consistantly for several years???.

I've already linked to the national grids own archived sources for National UK demand data dating back to 2002! to prove that demand trends and actual peak demand placed on the grid is exactly the same in 2011 as it was in 2002

I keep hearing rumours that the grid is going to fall over because of increased demand? what increased demand?, UK Peak Electricity demand has been peaking consistantly at 50,000 - 56,000mw since 2002 the actual figures on the link I provided proves that its not increased one little bit in nearly 10 years, what makes you (and others) think that its going to increase sustantially to take it to the brink of collapse in near future and where is this growth from?, a growth which would be unique and set it apart from the previous decade?

The biggest users of Electricity are obviously industrial and commercial, and there isn't a lot of that left!. So unless we are going to see 100 new car plants built and the return of electrically controlled metal smelting for shipbuilding, i'm not sure where this huge predicted demand is going to appear from?.

A huge growth in Xboxes perhaps?

I realise that you have changed your OP, but the theme from the original unedited one and some other replies, indicate that perhaps the grid is destined to fail as it could not cope with the growing demand, hence the spirit of my point, what growing demand

energysavingexp

im ok if it went off ive got a backup generator so no worries for me

Poosmate

Chris, thanks but you're over analysing again. Can you just pretend that it might happen?

Thanks

Poo

Melody_Lee

Hi Poosmate,

Well we'd be stuffed here! All electric except for calor gas on standby! I'd be able to make toast, but it'd take a while to heat water for a coffee!

We have candles about the place, so they'd do for lighting.

I remember power cuts in the 70s, was easier then as we had coal fires and could hover kettles over them to heat water..and chuck baked potatoes in! And our entertainment was holding lit candles below our faces to see who looked the scariest! We didn't get out much!

lemontart

There has been and continues to be some serious investment in the grid, with projects such as electric mountain near Snowdon in Wales increasing the amount of electricity it can supply to the grid at short notice in recent years as well as other projects and programmes. I really do not believe there is anything to worry about on a national scale.

But no harm being prepared for loss of supply, many folk lost it during last winter when lines came down.

Having spent those hours in the 70's with the regular power cuts with out warning I did learn not to put all my eggs in one basket so to say, also having other options may have other benefits from being green to saving some pennies and for the children look at power cuts as an adventure camping in the lounge with a torch under a sheet etc.

Or get together with neighbours wrap up well and get a bbq or camping stove out after all folks do it for bonfire night and use the burgers and bangers from the freezer before they go off.

tori.k

Lucky we still kept and old calor gas heater&bottle we have oil but no electric and the boiler wont run does seem a bit of a daft setup really

Poosmate

Could you imagine the look on people's faces if you invited them round for a bbq in the middle of winter? They'd think you'd gone mad! But as you say we do it round a bonfire on bonfire night, though a bbq wouldn't throw out as much all round heat as a bonfire - maybe we should build firepits in our gardens, that could be fun.

Still, even if failure of (or parts of) the national grid isn't going to happen, as Lemontart said, there is always the chance that power lines can be brought down so even giving it a passing thought can be beneficial.

Melody I hope you're getting out a bit more now lol.

Thanks for your replies.

Poo

Poosmate

tori.k wrote: »

Lucky we still kept and old calor gas heater&bottle we have oil but no electric and the boiler wont run does seem a bit of a daft setup really

Tori, (or anyone else really) I don't have central heating so does the central heating boiler need a constant supply of electric to keep it going or is it just to kick start it from being off? I'm thinking if it's just to start it why don't they put a battery pack in as a backup? Or if you know or suspect there could be an electric outage could you set it to run at it's lowest setting so the flame doesn't go out? Or am I misunderstanding gas/oil central heating completely?

Poo

grahamc2003

chris1973 wrote: »

The same 'peak demand' as the grid has being seeing consistantly for several years???.

I've already linked to the national grids own archived sources for National UK demand data dating back to 2002! to prove that demand trends and actual peak demand placed on the grid is exactly the same in 2011 as it was in 2002


I realise that you have changed your OP, but the theme from the original unedited one and some other replies, indicate that perhaps the grid is destined to fail as it could not cope with the growing demand, hence the spirit of my point, what growing demand

As well as writing posts, has it occured to you to read some aswell?

Did you miss the bit where I said the problem is generating capacity, and not (mainly) demand?

20% of our reliable capacity is being decommissioned.

The billions being invested is almost all in unreliable capacity.

I'm please that doesn't worry you (and to be fair, the government and most other people).

But it worries those with the relevent expertise.