Preparing for Winter V

TheBanker

We have a chill in the air in the mornings and evenings, but daytimes are still quite warm in the sun. Makes it difficult to know what to wear when going out for the day. 

Pumpkins - We probably need to re-think whether we should be using our agricultural resources to grow these items, which mostly end up in the bin, rather than growing food. Fun though they are... 

TheBanker

Wednesday2000 said:

I was reading about the £400 government money, but I don't know if we are eligible. I hope so.

If you have a domestic electricity supply, you are eligible. It will be automatically credited to your account by the supplier in £66/£67 monthly instalments. If you have a pre-payment meter you might receive an automatic monthly top-up, or receive a voucher to top-up at a shop/Post Office. It's not means tested.  

Uniscots97

TheBanker said:

Wednesday2000 said:

I was reading about the £400 government money, but I don't know if we are eligible. I hope so.

If you have a domestic electricity supply, you are eligible. It will be automatically credited to your account by the supplier in £66/£67 monthly instalments. If you have a pre-payment meter you might receive an automatic monthly top-up, or receive a voucher to top-up at a shop/Post Office. It's not means tested.  

I've seen a few people say they've received an email about it from Scottish Power, but I'm with them and haven't. Spent 7 hours on chat with them yesterday trying to get answers as to why they've more than doubled my suggested payment yet my usage has gone down. 

TheBanker

Uniscots97 said:

I've seen a few people say they've received an email about it from Scottish Power, but I'm with them and haven't. Spent 7 hours on chat with them yesterday trying to get answers as to why they've more than doubled my suggested payment yet my usage has gone down. 

Have a look here - no need to contact them. You will get the money but how you get it depends on how you pay.

Your suggested payment will have doubled because of the price rises. Unless your usage is less than half what it used to be, this isn't really a surprise. Remember you have to compare usage over a 12 month period.  

TheBanker

Sorry, when I said 'look here', I meant here: https://www.scottishpower.co.uk/blog/cost-of-living

London_1

anyone else had an email from UK Power Networks saying about possibly power outages this winter .
I am on their essntail user list as I have an electric stair lift, I'm hoping that as long as its not off for too long the battery will hold the charge.Its on all the time, so I've no idea how long a charge lasts.
I know if the power at the plug is off (I have knocked it by accident with the vacuum) it stops completely so I imagine the same would happen in a power cut. But I would have to wait for it to recharge before I could use it I may have tosleep on the sofa if I get a powercut as my bathroom/loo is on the ground floor.

JackieO xx

Si_Clist

London_1 said:

anyone else had an email from UK Power Networks saying about possibly power outages this winter .
I am on their essntail user list as I have an electric stair lift ...

If I were in your shoes and I hadn't already done so, for sure I'd be on to the stairlift manufacturer PDQ to find out what if any reserve I can rely on in the event of the electric going off.

Primrose

 Think this is probably something we all have to be prepare for, so keeping a spare blanket ,duvet, or thick coat downstairs to keep you warm over night just in case might be a good idea.  Plus a bucket and spare loo roll tucked away discretely  somewhere upstairs in case of unexpected emergencies if you get marooned. 
i think a lot of power cuts are triggered by accident by contractors cutting through cables when digging up roads as well as heavy demands on networks caused by extreme demand so really cuts can happen at any time. 

Laura_Elsewhere

Primrose said:

 Think this is probably something we all have to be prepare for, so keeping a spare blanket ,duvet, or thick coat downstairs to keep you warm over night just in case might be a good idea.  Plus a bucket and spare loo roll tucked away discretely  somewhere upstairs in case of unexpected emergencies if you get marooned. 
i think a lot of power cuts are triggered by accident by contractors cutting through cables when digging up roads as well as heavy demands on networks caused by extreme demand so really cuts can happen at any time. 

And at least one dose of any essential meds - you don't want those to be stuck upstairs by your bedside if you have to sleep downstairs unexpectedly!

TheBanker

I had an elderly relative who used a stair lift and was always worried about getting stuck. She lived on her own, was very independent but just couldn't manage the stairs. She was worried that if the lift broke it could be a long wait before someone discovered her.

Our simple solution was suggesting keeping her mobile phone charged, and carrying it up and down stairs with her. Then if she got stuck, she could call one of us for help. We had spare keys, as did one of her neighbours. As far as I know she never suffered a breakdown but she had the reassurance of being to send for help if she did.

If you Google 'Stairlift power cut' you will see several manufacturers say their products can last for several hours without charge, e.g. https://www.stannah-stairlifts.com/always-active/

We have a few elderly people on out street. During the lockdowns we had a very informal support network, just making sure people were ok and picking up bits of shopping for each other etc. Mostly via a WhatsApp group. I think it might be worth reviving it and making sure numbers are up to date, just in case...

Last time it was used was actually during a power cut. Someone with a new baby asked whether anyone with a gas cooker could supply some hot water because their house was all electric. We are a kind bunch because they got enough hot water not just to warm the bottle, but to give the baby a bath too!