Winter blackout contingency planning

EssexHebridean

A couple of nights of the week we get home after a full working day shortly after 7pm. When we get in, particularly in the winter, we're both looking forward to a hot meal and a cuppa - the latter is part of the "wind down" routine of our evenings. It's not essential, it it is nice. Not everything in life has to be vital, or even "necessary" - and no, suggesting that folk might "want" to be able to (relatively easily) make themselves a hot drink or heat up some food doesn't indicate that they are full of "worry and anxiety" about anything - it just means that they are looking calmly and rationally at ways of making life a little more comfortable at a time when, quite honestly, a lot of folk already HAVE a lot to genuinely be worrying about. 

Astria

wittynamegoeshere said:

If anyone really does have a tea or coffee addiction then coke or irn bru should get you your fix, as it's probably just caffeine that you're dependent upon.

But what happens if the local shop is shut and I've run out of coke/irn bru?

Or, heaven forbid, tea bags!

The_Green_Hornet

The thing that worries me is that I can't remember a single thing about the blackouts in the seventies, and I would have been at secondary school at the time.

Either it was such a traumatic experience and I have blocked it from my memory or it was a total non-event.

As for planning, I already have battery backup on my broadband (I hope BT Openreach do too) & home automation system, and the laptop and mobile will be fully charged in preparation. I also have a couple of power banks to run lights and other low wattage appliances as needed.

The house temperature in unlikely to drop more than a degree or two in three hours (weather dependent) so there is no need for any additional heating.

mmmmikey

Gosh this thread has taken a strange turn. Time for everyone to put the kettle on and have a biscuit and a nice cup of tea

Coming back to the issue of preparing for winter blackouts, there are plenty of vulnerable, elderly folks living on their own who can barely cope at the best of times for whom this whole subject is a big deal. The likelihood of this happening may be small and the physical effects of living without a cup of tea may not exist, but the anxiety about it happening and not being able to make a cup of tea is very real for some people I know, including my 81 year old mother. I'd urge anyone who knows anyone in this situation to lend a sympathetic ear and at the very least make sure they have a torch, blanket and Thermos to hand. They probably won't be needed but having them to hand will hopefully help the anxiety.

It's just started snowing here, so definitely time for a cuppa for me....

molerat

National Grid are obviously not overly concerned

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/national-grid-leaves-lights-near-135216609.html

Eldi_Dos

@molerat ; That's very reminiscent of the type of reporting that went on the first time round.When papers had reporters camped outside government ministers home's to report how many and what room's had light's on. You can bet your bottom dollar the same stories will appear again if power cuts do happen.

ariarnia

mmmmikey said:

Gosh this thread has taken a strange turn. Time for everyone to put the kettle on and have a biscuit and a nice cup of tea

Coming back to the issue of preparing for winter blackouts, there are plenty of vulnerable, elderly folks living on their own who can barely cope at the best of times for whom this whole subject is a big deal. The likelihood of this happening may be small and the physical effects of living without a cup of tea may not exist, but the anxiety about it happening and not being able to make a cup of tea is very real for some people I know, including my 81 year old mother. I'd urge anyone who knows anyone in this situation to lend a sympathetic ear and at the very least make sure they have a torch, blanket and Thermos to hand. They probably won't be needed but having them to hand will hopefully help the anxiety.

It's just started snowing here, so definitely time for a cuppa for me....

exactly this. my MIL is very worried. telling her there's nothing to worry about and that she's being silly would be patronising and no help at all. so we listened. we explained that we weren't worried and didn't think it was a big issue. but we also got her a little gas camping stove and made sure there was a safe spot in her kitchen and she knows how to use it if needed. (no 'great lengths!' we were round there anyway and took maybe 10 mins) so she has it and now she's also not worried. she almost cirtinaly wont need or use it but it's not a waste as we can borrow it back if we go camping with the kids next summer. no harm no foul and everyone feels happy and listened to. 

ariarnia

wittynamegoeshere said:

Do people of a certain age never drink anything cold that isn't alcoholic?  I don't get it, if you're thirsty just drink some water.  If people are so set in their ways that it's booze, a cuppa or nothing then they themselves are their biggest problem, not the electricity supply.

It seems peculiar to actually put money, time and worry into creating a solution to a problem that doesn't actually exist unless you're some kind of slave to routine.

The same goes for broadband, if it's disconnected then I'll read a book, we'll talk to each other or go for a walk.  That's my attitude despite two of us working from home, it's just not important enough to get worked up about, and it might even be fun.

We had our water disconnected for well over 24 hours recently.  It was annoying, but nobody died.

as EssexHebridean has already said. if someone can afford it and they want to then why shouldn't they get a little camping stove so they can make a cup of tea if they want to? life is about more than the bare minimum for survival. your acting like this is something so serious that spending a few quid on something not strictly necessary is a crime.  

basketcase

QrizB said:

basketcase said:

Astria said:

Get yourself some decent battery storage, I've got 3.5 kWh which can be charged during when we have power and switched to when we don't. You are not going to be running electric heating from it, or boiling the kettle, but I'll be able to have the lights and heating on, along with the TV and watch movies, etc for the duration of the outage. Even if the power grid fails completely for several days, you can at least partly charge it from solar energy.

Can you give a link to the sort of thing you mean please?

Much obliged

Just as an example but not a recommendation, something like this:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284976433044

Edit to addd: this one is closer to what Astria has:
https://www.bimblesolar.com/ongrid/self-consumption?product_id=2416

Thanks for the links.

Out of my price range though...

mmmmikey

wittynamegoeshere said:

Do people of a certain age never drink anything cold that isn't alcoholic?  I don't get it, if you're thirsty just drink some water.  If people are so set in their ways that it's booze, a cuppa or nothing then they themselves are their biggest problem, not the electricity supply.

It seems peculiar to actually put money, time and worry into creating a solution to a problem that doesn't actually exist unless you're some kind of slave to routine.

The same goes for broadband, if it's disconnected then I'll read a book, we'll talk to each other or go for a walk.  That's my attitude despite two of us working from home, it's just not important enough to get worked up about, and it might even be fun.

We had our water disconnected for well over 24 hours recently.  It was annoying, but nobody died.

This misses the point completely. The problem isn't blackouts per se, it's the anxiety it causes in some sections of the population, particularly the elderly who often only survive by following a very strict routine and go to pieces when that routine is broken. I understand the point you're making but I'm guessing you don't have elderly relatives or friends in that situation. Just like you, to me no electricty would be nothing more than a minor inconvenience even if it happened without warning. But we are living in a country where a lot of elderly people live alone and no longer have the capacity to easily adapt to changes in their life like a powercut.