A power cut! Light hearted!

I always keep my phone charged and near me, so I can use that as a torch. We have torches in most room. I have a gas hob, so I can boil water for tea on that. We've got loads of candles - mainly unused Christmas presents - though I'm wary about fires starting.

We were also lucky enough to receive texts from the electricity board informing us about the power cut and estimated time they'd get us reconnected, which was very quick.

Loads of tins in the cupboard, so if it was a siege we could probably survive!

twiglet77

I have an open fire with plenty of dry wood and kindling, torches, bike lights and spare batteries, candles, tea lights, three paraffin lamps and matches, a solar table lamp, a portable camping gas stove with lots of spare canisters, a battery radio, a large cool box with lots of bubble wrap, polystyrene slabs and wool insulation for the fridge and freezer. I’d charge my phone in the car, I rarely let it go much below half a tank of fuel so a short drive with the heater on could warm me up too!. If the village was cut off by floods or falling trees it would be harder, though neither scenario is likely, and I could drive to the swimming pool in town, or to DD’s house for a shower, as she’s unlikely to be without power at the same time. I have enough big water bottles to store 30 litres, I wash and refill them with tap water on rotation, and could flush the loo with a bucket from the water butts. Think I’m sorted!

wow that's pretty impressive...

I have an open fire with plenty of dry wood and kindling, torches, bike lights and spare batteries, candles, tea lights, three paraffin lamps and matches, a solar table lamp, a portable camping gas stove with lots of spare canisters, a battery radio, a large cool box with lots of bubble wrap, polystyrene slabs and wool insulation for the fridge and freezer. I’d charge my phone in the car, I rarely let it go much below half a tank of fuel so a short drive with the heater on could warm me up too!. If the village was cut off by floods or falling trees it would be harder, though neither scenario is likely, and I could drive to the swimming pool in town, or to DD’s house for a shower, as she’s unlikely to be without power at the same time. I have enough big water bottles to store 30 litres, I wash and refill them with tap water on rotation, and could flush the loo with a bucket from the water butts. Think I’m sorted!

I'm registered as vulnerable with my energy provider so I think they are supposed to check on me but I don't realy know. I have a gas hob and this thread has prompted me to charge my power bank. I only normally use it when I go camping. I have plenty candles around too.

When I had no gas after they replaced the gas main they were supposed to provide electric hotplates and heaters. It was summer so didn't need a heater but when I requested a hotplate, they'd run out! I finally got compensation a couple of weeks ago. The disconnection was in August 2023!!

We often get short power cuts. I keep a wind-up torch in my dressing gown pocket and another with the fuse box. Also have a solar powered lantern which stands inside the south-facing back window so always charged.
I don't drink hot drinks so not bothered about short cuts, but obviously longer periods would be a nuisance.

We have an AGA which is gas powered so ok for drinks and food should we need to have something hot to eat. We recently had a power cut when a tree fell on a power line nearby but it came back on after about an hour so not too bad.

Have motion detector rechargeable lights in the hallway, landing, kitchen, and a torch hanging off the key rack - small, but powerful. Power packs to recharge them if necessary. Also have battery-operated candles that we use about once a week for a few hours and spare batteries. So we can read, play scrabble, do the crossword.

I recently bought a butane powered cooking ring so at the very least we can heat something up to eat and have a cup of tea. It also gives off heat so the kitchen gets quite warm for a while.

Last time we had a real power cut it was in the afternoon and went on into the night so we got in the car and drove to a pub/restaurant about 10 miles away and spent the evening there. The power came on a few hours after we got back.

We had a power cut last week. Zilch for 8 hours. We had NOTHING that helped other than our touring caravan parked on the drive, so managed a pot of tea (+ 2 spare flasks for coffee later) and beans on toast.

MOnica, I believe that a laptop permanently plugged in will lose its charge very rapidly on battery. That's my experience. Discharge and recharge is best (I am told).

During the power cut, no internet (no power to the router) so no mobile phone, no landline either (why not?). We eventually went to Morrisons for fish and chips!

Not just BT but all internet providers. We have a large camping battery which will maintain power to the router.

We get power cuts quite often. We kept a gas hob so can cook and have hot drinks. You get used to it.

I almost replaced my gas fire when a friend suggested alternative heating source was always a good idea in time of emergency. My lovely new fire is still in box long since and I have had reason not to regret that decision. Just as well someone was thinking logically! I have a landline but never tested it in emergency circumstances.

I know exactly where my torches, batteries and candles are, and can dig out a camping stove at need. I also have a wood burner but ought to buy a transistor radio.

We've a gas hob, 2 wood burning fireplaces. We cope well.

We haven't had a power cut for a long long time. Unless it was at night when it went unnoticed.

I get quite a few power cuts but touch wood none of them have lasted for too long but I have lamps/torches upstairs and down and recently bought a small, one ring gas camping stove for around £25 from Amazon. It came with 3 gas cylinders and is very easy to use so at least I could have a hot drink or heat up some soup etc if needed. I have a wood burner so at least 1 room would be warm.

albertina

My son in law informed me that anyone without a mobile phone who relies on their BT landline will not be able to use it to call anyone in a power cut unless they have carried out instructions they will have received to swap the service to Digital Voice.
Lord help any older person without a mobile who didn't understand the instructions re the landlineand has a burglary or fire.

Can you check that? as I understand it, if you swap to digital voice it is via your broadband and that will not work in a power cut.
not sure what they are going to do for those with no mobile signal but over the next few years everyone will be switched to VOIP i.e. digital

lucky we do not seem to get them here but the outlying villages do.
I must admit the power cuts in the 1970s have lovely memories for me.
I was about 7 years old and the junior school I was at shut earlier as the power went off at a certain time.
going to the supermarket we saw the staff busy covering the freezers with paper
At home it was candles and we had a Rayburn so least had a nice hot meal
best of all evenings were spent playing cards by candlelight or we got together with my 'auntie' and kids then went for a long moonlight walk up the woods with the dogs! I so loved those walks staying up late just laughing and running free.
one night my lot older sister was looking after me while parents popped to a neighbour to help her. Being naughty she decided to read from her ghost story book! needless to say I was freaked out especially when she blew the candle out and we were plunged into the dark! Dad could hear me scream next door! my sister got well told off!
another time my dad who was a lorry driver was taking trees to Norwich and took my sister with him. we had a big open fire in the lounge and a big sofa bed a massive iron framed thing in moquette which if you caught your leg on it or put your head down hard on the arm certainly knew about it!
mum folded the bed open then we slept in the lounge so lovely and warm watched the flames flickering on the ceiling as I went to sleep it was so magical

RosieandherMaw

What energy source do your motion sensors and alarms run on OP?
Would they not have been equally affected by a power cut?

They were my neighbours alarms, my motion sensor turns into a torch and comes on when the power goes off and is fully charged not sure how long it would last. Quite as I found out.

We have just had our emergency lights replaced, they come on automatically in the event of a power cut, we had a lot when we moved in. Have power packs for charging phones and more powerful ones for laptops. Gas hob and plenty of candles. Our air con can act as heaters if the central heating is playing up.

I'm lucky that I don't usually get power cuts unless they only last for a few minutes as the last one did about a month ago but I always make sure I have candles, lighters and torches.

I can easily survive on cold food and cold drinks so it it's off for several hours I'm OK.

I live alone and so does one of my neighbours so as a joke ... we're besties and can joke about anything... I rang her one late night when everything went completely dark and put on a dark low tone ''horror'' voice and asked ''are you all alone....and in the dark?!'' She screamed the place down, called me some names I can't repeat here then we both died laughing!

When I lived in Scotland I had a wood burner. We often had power cuts. Actually having a fire saved us many a time. We used candles for light and even cooked food on the fire. There's something to be said for old fashioned heating, as it had a back burner that heated radiators.

What energy source do your motion sensors and alarms run on OP?
Would they not have been equally affected by a power cut?

I've just read about a national power cut in Sri Lanka. Apparently it was caused by monkeys fighting at the power station. Well that's one thing we don't have to worry about here. Phew.

Forgot to say, he used to be a BT engineer.

My son in law informed me that anyone without a mobile phone who relies on their BT landline will not be able to use it to call anyone in a power cut unless they have carried out instructions they will have received to swap the service to Digital Voice.
Lord help any older person without a mobile who didn't understand the instructions re the landlineand has a burglary or fire.