Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

A report I have just read says there is an 80% chance of brownouts or blackouts this coming winter of 2016 in the UK, particularly if we get very cold conditions across Europe and the French suppliers need to restrict the export of supplies because of the domestic demand being up in their own country. There is the definite likelihood of there being a 30% gap in capacity and demand by 2020 and a 55% gap in capacity by 2025. It doesn't look good at all. However we all have the chance to put contingency plans into place, get some solar lighting, thicker curtains or fleeces behind existing ones, some form of stove for warm drinks and hot water bottles, some instant foods that only need hot water to make them into a meal and perhaps some means of warming one room in the house. Not popular I know but I've seen paraffin stoves offered at boot fairs and you can buy Calor gas stoves from good hardware shops along with the Calor gas cannisters to run them. Not a cheap option but effective, we have a DeLonghi fire that can be used on one, two or three bars and it puts out a lovely lot of warmth. The nature of your preps is an individual choice and some may not be able to afford all of these things but anything that could be put in place before the winter might literally be a life saver.

[Deleted User]

I have a 15 TOG duvet.

If the heat goes off, I'm heading under the duvet.

NewShadow

I'm not convinced yet re Return on Investment, but I picked up three fussy hot water bottles free to good home - someone just dumped them in the street.

I'm sure if you had a look around you'd find some free or cheap in your proximity - though styles and features vary.

Mine need some ongoing TLC to keep them in running order, including a regular topping up of biomass/checking the water levels, and cleaning out the waste buildup regularly.

But after all that they kick out a fair bit of heat whenever I'm sitting or lying for any kind of period. Maybe as much as 10kw/hr/unit according to the calculations here

When not in use as hotter bottles, they independently seek out potential areas of draft (such as window sills or just inside doorways) to occupy in an attempt to insulate the house.

They can actually be quite an inconvenience in summer as there doesn't seem to be anyway to turn either feature off.

I've tried just putting them away or stashing them under the bed, but I think there's an automated feature (like a roomba) that prompts them to return to a set routine, no matter what buttons I press to power them down. Could be a glitch or a design flaw?

If anyone has anything similar and happens to have the instruction book, and appreciate any tips - especially when it comes to programming the alarm - or more to the point how to turn them off at the weekend :cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHXBL6bzAR4

nuatha

NewShadow wrote: »

I'm not convinced yet re Return on Investment, but I picked up three fussy hot water bottles free to good home - someone just dumped them in the street.

We have three, they firmly believe they own the property and that we exist only to open doors, tins and packets and to meet any other whims they may have.
Generally they will act as lap warmers, will warm the pillow you planned on using (but forget to relinquish said pillow when you need it).
We obviously have an earlier model as ours will not block drafts but always seek out the warmest points of the house. The alarm feature is poorly implemented, one of ours goes off at random (the loudest) one squeaks and the third will be on mute for days on end - yet still expect you to hear when she needs a door opened.
As a return on investment, I can't recommend the models we have, the running costs are extremely high - in the last 5 years we've had vet bills in excess of 10K (across several different individuals) with those we can insure not requiring any treatment beyond the excess (thankfully). Despite being proficient hunters and reducing the vermin population, they insist on tinned food and a wide variety of biscuits. Having said that we wouldn't wish to be without them - even when I'm lying bruised at the bottom of the stairs, having misunderstood which way one of them was moving. (Happens too often, and I don't bounce the way I used to.

GreyQueen

Hmm, I do believe my family have been sequential owners of these specific kind of hot water bottles.

The most effective model, sadly discontinued, would pre-install itself in your bed, under the covers, and be most indignant if removal was attempted, and make repeated attempts to return to its proper place. The gold standard of the type, I believe.

Other models have all had variable features, with some specialising in rodent delivery services straight to the pillow, whereas others filched bbq food from the neighbours and left it in the living-room. One even left a small parrakeet, which was sadly the subject of Pythonesque humour, and probably came from the aviary in the back garden a few doors down. We didn't like to take it around and ask as this kind of activity can be detrimental to good neighbourly relations.

The present incumbents are adept pre-heaters of the best chairs in the house and respond with acute sensitivity to changes in ambient temperature, abandoning laps for radiators the minute the central heating comes on.

These devices also enable you to track the whereabouts of underfloor radiator pipes by lying in random places above them.

I have also known some of them to provide arachnid and insect hunting services with an inhouse delivery option for choice specimens via something apparently called a cat flap. The produce comes in the following options; completely dead, completely alive and very active, and mortally wounded and requiring a human coup de grace.

Overall, I have concerns that the ROI isn't particularly good, and one has to allow for depreciation of the current models. Fortunately, replacements can often be obtained for free or for neglible costs and sometimes even arrive at random when it's not even Crimble.

[Deleted User]

Have just seen Jeremy Hunt on the television and this whole kerfuffle with the NHS is due to the PARTY MANIFESTO of 4 years ago where they apparently in the first words on the first page declared they would modernise the NHS!!! They put the nations health at RISK, alienate the entire entourage of desperately needed junior doctors, disrupt the system entirely and blame it on WORDS??? Did anyone actually SEE or READ this party manifesto? I very much doubt that the man/woman in the street actually cares what words were written to the actual point of putting the Medical Fraternity under so much pressure and bullying that they have to resort to the measures being taken today and tomorrow. Grow up Mr Hunt, you are a government minister NOT GOD!!!

ivyleaf

GreyQueen wrote: »

Hmm, I do believe my family have been sequential owners of these specific kind of hot water bottles.

The most effective model, sadly discontinued, would pre-install itself in your bed, under the covers, and be most indignant if removal was attempted, and make repeated attempts to return to its proper place. The gold standard of the type, I believe.

Other models have all had variable features, with some specialising in rodent delivery services straight to the pillow, whereas others filched bbq food from the neighbours and left it in the living-room. One even left a small parrakeet, which was sadly the subject of Pythonesque humour, and probably came from the aviary in the back garden a few doors down. We didn't like to take it around and ask as this kind of activity can be detrimental to good neighbourly relations.

The present incumbents are adept pre-heaters of the best chairs in the house and respond with acute sensitivity to changes in ambient temperature, abandoning laps for radiators the minute the central heating comes on.

These devices also enable you to track the whereabouts of underfloor radiator pipes by lying in random places above them.

I have also known some of them to provide arachnid and insect hunting services with an inhouse delivery option for choice specimens via something apparently called a cat flap. The produce comes in the following options; completely dead, completely alive and very active, and mortally wounded and requiring a human coup de grace.

Overall, I have concerns that the ROI isn't particularly good, and one has to allow for depreciation of the current models. Fortunately, replacements can often be obtained for free or for neglible costs and sometimes even arrive at random when it's not even Crimble.

Our recent model was sadly beyond repair 10 days ago - we miss it a lot, but won't miss the ongoing repair costs of this particular one :eek: Of course people would be unwise to acquire these heaters if they feel the running costs will be too high for them, but ours turned up one day and refused to leave

fuddle

Using the word modernise gives carte blanche for change of any proportion then does it?

If we could be a nation of top quality care 24/7 then that is something to be very very proud of in my opinion, but people working long hours, feeling pressured and stressed cannot keep that up for long. There is already a shortage of doctors and this whole kerfuffle has turned my very bright, driven 11 year old off from thinking about persuing a career as a doctor. I find that very sad.

[Deleted User]

My hot water bottles are very well trained and stay safely in a drawer in the kitchen until they are needed. Bless them though they are always so happy to be out and doing what comes naturally to a hot water bottle that they behave impeccably and keep our tootsies toasty warm until morning by which time they are quite content to be cleaned, given a wipe down with a nice soft dry cloth and back into the drawer for a well earned rest.

AnimalTribe

NewShadow wrote: »

I'm not convinced yet re Return on Investment, but I picked up three fussy hot water bottles free to good home - someone just dumped them in the street.

My post seems to have gone missing in the ether (so forgive me if a similar post comes up twice).

I think the cold weather must be slowing my thought processes, it took me ages to realise what a 'fussy hot water bottle' was. I was very confused.

I have 4 (until very recently it was 5) and they do indeed keep me very warm, although they have to fight for space with the dogs, or just provide double insulation by lying on top of the dogs. There have been times when I have had a dog on my lap, followed by another dog on top, followed by a cat. With one lying on my shoulder for good measure. I sometimes suspect that it is me who is the hot water bottle for them.

I am currently looking out of the window at a snow blizzard. It's been like this for several days - snow, hail, followed by glorious, but cold, sunshine. Fortunately, it is not yet lying for very long before it melts. I wish the weather would make up it's mind.