Blackouts for beginners

YoungBlueEyes

Motto be contrary but I don’t find it alarming. If they can deliberately switch it off you know they’ll switch it back on again. They’ll not leave them off for long. 

But blackouts because of day a big storm, where it takes them a week to get it all up and running again, that would concern me more because you don’t know how long it’ll last. 

babyshoes

Most phones have a torch; if a blackout catches you unawares, you can use that to make your way to wherever you keep your emergency lighting. Check now to be confident you can find the torch app at short notice.

You'll need at least one long lasting light source per person, ideally something you can safely carry to the loo, up to bed etc. There are some useful looking camping options with solar charging.
 If using candles, keep matches/lighters with the candle when moving them around. 

When the lights go out at night, try to remember which lights were on at the time, and go round turning all of them off, especially if you're likely to go to bed before the power comes back on. Being woken by a sudden bright light isn't fun!

Consider alternative cooking and heating options. I think it's unlikely that the gas will go out at the same time as the power so I'm not planning for that, but you might need a long lighter/long matches to get a gas cooker going without power. Your boiler probably won't work either - even if it runs on gas it will likely be controlled electronically. If you can boil water on a gas stove, a hot water bottle for each person might be a good investment. If you already have hot water bottles, maybe check now that they're still in good condition. 

Open your fridge and freezer as little as possible while the power is out and for a while afterwards while the motor is running. Keep the freezer full, either with yellow stickered food, ice packs or water bottles. If the power cut is expected, you can pop an ice pack/frozen water bottle in the fridge a bit before to help keep it cold. 

A basic UPS can be bought online for around £100, and will keep computer equipment running for long enough to hopefully quickly finish a job, bring a meeting to a close, save your document/game etc. How long you get depends on exactly what size of ups  you buy and how much power your computer uses. Very useful if power cuts tend to be unexpected and you're working from home on a pc. Can also be used for other computer equipment, charging a phone etc. They're basically like a short cabled multiplug with a battery, that has plug sockets, usb charging ports etc. Not essential for most people, but very useful for some - it's the only thing we have bought since first reading about potential cuts.

If you have kids, simple board games with big, clear symbols are good - it can be hard to read small print by candle light. If you *are* reading by candlelight, don't skimp on the number of candles - you'll strain your eyes trying to read with a single candle.  A solar or hand crank radio might be useful for some folks who always like to have music playing, or for news if power cuts are expected to be longer than a few hours. 

Place light sources above eye level if it's possible to do so safely. It's easier to see without lights shining right in your eyes. 

I'm tempted by the solar power banks for phone charging. Has anyone used one? If so, are they actually any good? 

elsien

Solar power banks for phones in the depths of a British winter? I wouldn’t be holding my breath. 

Toonie

For those with older kids/teenagers, you may want to get them a small torch to keep in their schoolbag as if there are scheduled blackouts and they occur whilst kids are on their way home from school (peak electricity times start at 4pm)  the streetlights will probably go off. I have this torch https://heinnie.com/nebo-columbo-100/ which is lightweight and easy to pop into any size bag.

Otherwise it will be about having alternative lighting for home, via battery or precharged power banks. Whilst candles can be useful, they are also a risk, especially if you live with children or people who are more frail (or indeed people like myself-a bit clumsy). So if you are going to have open flames, do have them safely.

As for entertainment the idea of a few hours without power doesn't phase me. My partner and I have games and books so we'll be fine.

For cooking we have a camping stove if needs be for drinks/quick meals, or to reheat some leftovers.

Part of being prepared for this is knowing where your things are, if they are in good order, and keeping calm if something unexpected happens. We have a torch in the bedroom, one under the stairs, one in the kitchen, and then others in backpacks.

Si_Clist

Don't forget that if the electric goes off, you can't use an ATM, you can't use a petrol pump, and you can't go shopping (because if nothing else, the tills won't be working!).  On the home front, don 't open your fridge or freezer doors!

Wednesday2000

I can't believe we are having this discussion in 2022!

I have just ordered two more LED torches and another solar storm lantern. I am going to have to remember to keep the torches charged as I want my husband to take one to work with him as it could be very dark on his walk from the train station.

Frith

We've always had lots of powercuts here. The longest was 4 days.

I will double check:

Batteries for the radio

My son has snaffled the phone powerbanks and gone abroad!
Candles and jam jars to put them in

Matches 
Torches 
Games you can play in the gloom (chess is ok)
A non-cordless phone which you can swap with the cordless (landline) so you can still phone people.

No mains gas here but I can heat saucepans and boil a kettle on the woodburning stove. 

The water goes off after a while as the batteries fail in the pump down the road. 

Tigsteroonie

My idea for making this slightly more interesting for young children is to get a pop-up tent to put in the living room, with camping light and sleeping bags. They can 'camp out' lying in their sleeping bags for warmth, and the tent will also help to keep some of their body heat in. On the presumption that these power outages are planned, you can have tablets pre-charged, and consider either pre-downloading films/series or invest in a data dongle/mifi device so that you have internet. It's only for three hours, make it fun for them

Si_Clist

Frith said:

... A non-cordless phone which you can swap with the cordless (landline) so you can still phone people.

But don't forget that's only going to work for the next three years, then ...

Is it true that I won’t be able to make phone calls if there’s a power cut?

Because the new system will work off your home electricity, if there’s a power cut it’ll mean you can’t make phone calls. In these instances, phone companies are advising that you should use a mobile phone as a backup.

If you don’t have a mobile, live somewhere where there’s no or poor signal, or depend on your landline, for example because you’re disabled, your home phone provider should offer you a solution like a battery-operated handset. This will mean that you can make emergency calls during a power cut.

See https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/consumer-issues/changes-to-landline-telephones/#:~:text=Landlines will still exist, and,old technology will stop working.

florianatwobob

Growing up my house was on the same
electric circuit as the local hospital (a friend’s was on the bacon factory circuit) so we rarely lost electricity for long as their their respective generators used to kick in. I still have my mum’s emergency stack of candles kept with a couple 
of lighters and box of matches. When re redid our kitchen a couple of years ago I avoided an electric cooker because I like to hedge my bets to make sure I can still
heat water/cook. Everyone thought I was mad insisting on a gas oven and hob but I have a microwave and kettle so can eat and heat if I loose gas and vice versa if I loose electricity. That and I really struggle
to cook with electric ovens!