Bulb says they will supply heating/cooking eqpt during power cuts to homes with electricity only???

deano2099

Thinking about it, the biggest impact on young people will be the slowdown on the 4G/5G network as all the home wifi goes out and it gets overloaded.

mmmmikey

dee100 said:

This is for vulnerable people. I asked how they could do this as I have no chimney, they did not know how it would be done.
I personally think they will supply hot meals, special hot water type bottles that self-heat and special clothing to keep warm.
What do you think they would be able to supply for heating/cooking?
I'm really worried about it as my health is bad.
Also, I forgot to ask if this would apply to government planned power cuts or just breakdowns in the electric grid, probably both?

Hi - I'm sure what they do will depend entirely on your individual circustances and it won't be a "one size fits all" solution.

The simplest cooking option is probably a portable gas stove, and they will amost certainly have a supply of canister stoves that are designed for indoor use, just like a regular gas cooker. Note that portable stoves designed for indoor use have extra safety features. They probably also have some gas cabinet heaters (different types of gas fires with a gas bottle in the back). The modern ones are much safer and suit a wider range of house types than the older ones. The type that "granny used to use" can be dangerous to use in modern, draft proof houses without adequate ventilation. Whatever the energy companies do, you can bet your pension on it being above board and in line with safety standards.

Some folks won't need anything more than regular updates on when the power will be back and an occasional check that all is OK. Others may need to borrow cooking and/or heating equipment (where that is safe). A small minority may need help finding alternative accommodation and if this is the case I imagine they will refer to local Social Services teams for help. They will be geared up to help with all these different needs.

The key message to take away from Bulb and others is "we're aware that power outages can be a big deal for certain groups of vulnerbale people but please try not to worry as we have contingency plans in place to help depending on need".

Not quite the same thing, but I have a health condition and live on my own so I'm on the vulnerable customers list for Anglian Water. When I reported a sudden drop in water pressure, they instantly identified me as being on their list and offered to send someone straight round to fix it (even though it was late on a Sunday night). I said that wasn't necessary, so they asked if I needed any bottled water, which again I declined as I didn't really need it. They arranged for someone to come out the following morning and called me first thing to check they had arrived, and again later in the day to make sure all was OK. I expect you will find that the energy companies are equally well geared up to help their vulnerable customers according to their needs.

I'm also sure you'll find that they are equally well geared up for what you describe as "government planned" power cuts - i.e. the help will be there if you need it, whatever the reason for the power cut.

I hope this puts your mind at rest.

RelievedSheff

We will just use the motorhome on the drive if needs be

Fully self sufficient and not reliant on the nation grid.

Chrysalis

I see on the priority register they say they inform people of expected power outages and other info related to that, I honestly dont understand why that isnt done as standard.

The other stuff like temporary accommodation for longer power cuts, and people coming to assist of course is priority services only, but text messaging, make that universal.

Spoonie_Turtle

Chrysalis said:

I see on the priority register they say they inform people of expected power outages and other info related to that, I honestly dont understand why that isnt done as standard.

The other stuff like temporary accommodation for longer power cuts, and people coming to assist of course is priority services only, but text messaging, make that universal.

Anyone can sign up for text alerts from their DNO - but obviously they have to know that's an option in the first place (I only found out when we had a powercut a couple of weeks ago).

MWT

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Chrysalis said:

I see on the priority register they say they inform people of expected power outages and other info related to that, I honestly dont understand why that isnt done as standard.

The other stuff like temporary accommodation for longer power cuts, and people coming to assist of course is priority services only, but text messaging, make that universal.

Anyone can sign up for text alerts from their DNO - but obviously they have to know that's an option in the first place (I only found out when we had a powercut a couple of weeks ago).

We signed up a couple of years ago, similarly found it by accident during a power outage.

These days the TXT from UK Power is the only way we now there has been  power cut since we had the Tesla Powerwall installed. 

ariarnia

Chrysalis said:

I see on the priority register they say they inform people of expected power outages and other info related to that, I honestly dont understand why that isnt done as standard.

The other stuff like temporary accommodation for longer power cuts, and people coming to assist of course is priority services only, but text messaging, make that universal.

they do if people sign up for updates. i don't know about all areas but here is an example https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/power-cut/text-updates? we also signed up with the water company for updates on their works in the area. 

i think gdpr means they can't just send messages to customers if the customers ticked the box at sign up to say they didn't want to be contacted. 

littleteapot

I can't see the issue with 3 hour outages other than younger people who are used to permanent entertainment getting bored and anxious about not being able to post the latest pointless updates on facebook or whatever.

Longer outages will certainly be disturbing for a large portion of the population regardless of age.

About 3 years ago I thought the electricity suppy/demand ratio was getting a bit close for comfort. I didn't do an expensive 'professional' install of something like a tesla powerwall, but instead self-built a modest backup system in the detached garage, with a long extension I can run to the house if and when needed.

It consists of six 12v 200Ah lead-acid gel batteries, four solar panels on the garage roof, a solar charge controller, a 4kW inverter, and a 2kW battery charger to recharge the batteries from grid power (when available) if needed in the absence of sufficient solar power.

Works well for what we need - it can power a fridge/freezer, portable induction hob, a combination microwave, the washing machine, tv and some table lamps quite happily. Obviously not all at once! But having stress-tested it, it can provide everything we need for at least a 24 hour period in winter before the batteries reach their discharge limit.

For heating we use storage heaters, so again this won't be a problem unless long overnight outages occur, which again is unlikely.

deano2099

littleteapot said:

I can't see the issue with 3 hour outages other than younger people who are used to permanent entertainment getting bored and anxious about not being able to post the latest pointless updates on facebook or whatever.

Except they'll still be able to do that. As long as the data network stays online and can cope with the increased demand, young people are not going to be bothered. They're the ones that know how to download a couple of films or TV shows from Netflix onto their tablet and can watch them for three hours.

ariarnia

its people with medical equipment that needs power, people with disabilities that mean they have a routine and people with young children who are used to a routine of dinner, bath and bed who might have to think about what they are going to do if the power cut happens at 'peak' times. 

for everyone else it might not be a 'problem' but that doesn't mean they shouldn't or dont want to think about what they can do now to be more comfortable and less disrupted by any power cut. that might include power banks or downloading things to watch off line or thinking about flasks for hot water or meals in a slow cooker that will stay hot for some time. nothing necessary but things people might want to do if they value that.