Simple Ways to Cope with Power Outages

 

What is ‘Nearly Off Grid’ living?

I’m sure that many of us would like the freedom of living off the grid, and of being energy self-sufficient. Sadly, most of us don’t have the money, (or even the inclination), to go and live on an uninhabited island, or a cabin deep in the woods. And let’s face it; most of us do quite enjoy many of the benefits of the modern, connected world.

Of course, there are downsides to modern living too: the hectic pace of life,  and the many stresses and frustrations that everyday existence brings with it can often leave us feeling exhausted, lost, worried, and even depressed.

Adopting a ‘Nearly Off Grid’ approach to life can, at least, give you some respite from these stresses and allow you to relax and take time out to appreciate the benefits of a simpler lifestyle, without having to totally give up the benefits and ease that modern technology can bring.

Coping with little disasters.

Another benefit to a Nearly Off Grid lifestyle is that you will be more prepared for disasters, large or small, that can adversely affect daily life: Power supplies (electricity and gas), water, and communications networks can be put out of action by various events; anything from relatively short power cuts due to faults, industrial action, or shortages; through natural disasters; to cyber-attacks, and even all-out war.

Whilst a totally self-sufficient person/household may be able to ride out most of these events without even noticing any disruption, most people today would be lost and totally at the mercy of whatever contingency plans are eventually put in place by the state/government.

The ‘Nearly Off Gridder,’ (or, ‘NOGGER’, as we like to call ourselves here), on the other hand, will be in a much better position than most to adapt to the hardships and inconveniences that may result from such occurrences.

But how do we prepare for such disruption? What can we do when the power goes off? Do we have to be full-on prepper/survivalists to get through? Of course not. There are many simple things that we can do in order to be more prepared, no matter what kind of dwelling we live in, or what previous experience we have.

Firstly, let’s assume that you don’t have the financial security necessary to disaster-proof your home in a single shopping trip. We’ll go through items bit by bit and gradually build a set-up that will help you to be more prepared.

We’ll also start by being ready for short-term power outages, which are by far the most likely events, and then gradually start to build up to preparedness for massive, long-term disasters, which are much less likely to occur at the moment, but are still becoming increasingly possible.

The Essentials.

Let’s start then with the fundamentals. Whether you’re a hard-core survivalist or the average person, the essentials remain the same:

SHELTER

LIGHT

HEAT

FOOD AND DRINK (AND THE MEANS TO PREPARE IT)

MORALE

With the simplest of planning, we can ensure that we have the essentials in place, at least for long enough to provide for short-term disruption to services.

Practising the use, management and production of these essentials will not only serve to prepare you for disruptive events, it can also become the basis for a rewarding and interesting hobby and lifestyle.

A Short-term power outage.

Short-term power cuts were fairly common and regular in the areas where I lived during the 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s, though, thankfully, they have become considerably less common in the twenty-first century. The most common causes of such outages, historically, have been: Industrial action, faults, or essential improvement work being carried out on the power supply network.

All of these causes could still occur today, even though they seem to be less common now. There is also the added possibility of deliberate sabotage (either through physical damage, or cyber-attacks intended to disrupt the nation’s infrastructure). Although such disruption may seem quite unlikely at the moment, the rise in political extremism (from all extremes), and International rivalries, make the possibility of such attacks much more of a possibility than they were only a few years ago.

However, Utilities Companies do take precautions against all of these possibilities and, generally, have robust contingency plans in place. Where power outages can be foreseen, they also have protocols in place to keep the public informed in order to minimise any disruption and allow households to make their own preparations.

THERE ARE WEBSITES THAT YOU CAN VISIT TO KEEP YOURSELF UPDATED AND INFORMED:

https://www.sseenergysolutions.co.uk/preparing-for-power-cuts

https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/power-cut/list

https://www.nationalgrid.co.uk/power-cut-information

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-supply-emergency-code

As I stated earlier, this is the most likely kind of problem with the grid that we are likely to experience at the moment, and fortunately, there are many simple preparations that you can make for very little cash outlay.

Such a power cut is usually little more than a minor inconvenience, especially for those who live in a dwelling heated by an open fire or log-burning/multi-fuel stove, and who have a couple of candles stored away. Of course, for most of us, the level of inconvenience grows exponentially with each additional hour that the grid is down.

Let’s have a quick look at the bare essentials that you could have in place at very little cost, that will fully prepare you for a power outage of up to twenty-four hours. Remember: These are the very basic preparations that you can make:

Shelter:

I am going to assume here that you live in a dwelling of some sort. If you live in a house with open fires or woodburning stoves, you are already much more prepared than most. However, let’s look at a situation where you are much more vulnerable to disruption. You may well live in a modern flat or bedsit/studio apartment with mains electricity as your only source of power, heating and cooking.

Light:

The bare minimum preparation that you can make for a short-term power outage is to have a torch, a few candles, and a lighter or matches. Fortunately, these items are very cheap, and you can easily have a stock that will last you a few nights, all from your local pound(or dollar) store.

There may be a temptation here for some of you to skip buying a torch. “After all,” you may say, “my phone has a built in torch, so why spend money on a battery, or wind up torch?” Yes, it probably does, but the torch in your phone is a relatively large drain on the battery – much more so than most of the other apps on there. Unless you have a sure-fire way of charging your phone that doesn’t rely on the grid, you’re much better off saving your battery power in case of emergencies.

After all, your phone is your life line in the case of a serious emergency. This is why it’s also a good idea to always keep your phone fully charged whenever you can, and don’t leave apps running in the background when you’re not using them. You’ll be surprised at how much battery life you can save with good device management habits.

So, a simple, cheap torch and a couple of spare batteries, stored somewhere that’s easy to reach, even in pitch darkness, is a must. A few candles or tealights is also essential. Tealights are probably better as they are the safer option in the home than traditional candles. Their short, squat shape makes them much less prone to being knocked over.

If you have small children in your household, of course, you need to be especially careful with candles of any sort. It goes without saying that they should not be left unattended in these situations.

Also; if you do have children, it might be a good idea to include them in practice drills so that they know what to do in the event of a power outage. The more fun you make it, the quicker they will learn. Your own attitude toward preparing for a power cut will make all the difference to their reactions. I remember that, as a child, my own attitude towards power cuts was they were an exciting little adventure.

Heat/Warmth:

In the event of a power outage in cold weather, this can either be the easiest or the hardest essential to provide, depending on your home. For those who currently heat their homes with open fires, nothing at all will change with regards to heating in the event of a power outage.

If your home has a gas fire (and only the electrical grid is down), you’re fine. If you live in a home where the heating is electric (or even with a gas central heating system that relies on electric pumps to move the hot water around the system), you could find yourself getting cold very quickly.

There are alternative ways to keep warm and some are better than others. We will look at various methods of heating a home, and their pros and cons, at a later date. For now, however, we are concentrating on the basics, and on getting started on the road to preparedness.

Therefore, as part of your initial preparations for power outages, you should have a set of warm, comfortable clothes and a few blankets that you can resort to in the event of a winter power cut. You may also wish to consider a good quality, old-fashioned hot water bottle. They’re relatively cheap, even for a good quality one, and could even be a life-saver, (especially for the elderly or vulnerable).It’s also a very good idea to consider investing in, (or making), a fabric cover for the hot water bottle to minimise the risk of scalding or burning the skin through direct contact with the hot rubber of the bottle.

Food and drink (and preparing it).

Even if the grid is only down for a short period of time, you’re still going to have to eat. Remember; if the power is down at home, it may well be down at your local takeaway. Of course, in the very short term, you may feel that you can make do with snacks or a sandwich, but on a cold winter’s night, you will undoubtedly benefit from having a hot meal in your belly, and at some point, you’re going to want something a little more substantial.

We’ll start again with the absolute basics. It is always worth having in stock some basic foodstuffs in tins (along with a tin-opener, of course). Most tinned foods will last for years whilst unopened, and can provide all the nutrients that you need in the short term. Ideally, you should have a few tinned items stored away that can be eaten hot or cold; cooked meats, tinned potatoes and vegetables, and even tinned fruit can still be picked up very cheaply. You can also rely on dehydrated camping meals and such like to provide a ready made feast. 

If you live in a home that uses electricity for cooking, you’re going to need an alternative that is inexpensive and easy to store away. Anyone that has a set of camping equipment is, of course, already prepared. Anyone that doesn’t should think about buying a camping stove at their earliest opportunity. Even if you’re adamant that you can get by on cold food in the depths of winter, you will still want a method of boiling water, either for making hot drinks, filling hot water bottles, or even  for washing.

There are countless different cooking stoves using a variety of fuels and, in future, we’ll be reviewing a large selection. For a person in a house or flat, who is going to be cooking indoors, however, the choice is simple: a small camping stove that runs off compact gas cannisters is by far, the best piece of kit to start with.

Fortunately, there is a wide variety of very serviceable stoves of this type available without having to spend too much money. For a flat or a small house, I would recommend a simple, one-burner stove that uses the small gas cannisters which are about the same size as an average aerosol can.

This kind of stove can be placed on a kitchen worktop and, due to its shape, is very sturdy and is unlikely to topple over, thereby making it much safer to use in the home than many of the other designs of camping stoves.

Also, the actual cooking ring on this type of stove is about the same size as the rings on an ordinary domestic gas cooker, meaning that you should have no problems using your ordinary pots and pans to cook on it. You may want to indulge in the luxury of a kettle for boiling water for drinks, but obviously, a pan with a lid will do the job.

Of all the items listed so far to cover your basic needs in a power cut, this is the most expensive, but as you will find from a quick online check, it is still not prohibitive in cost, especially for such a useful item.

Morale.

The last of our essentials to get you through a power cut is one that most people overlook, or simply don’t consider as essential. Of course, the level of necessity here will depend on individual circumstances. If you live in a household with other people and you all get on well and enjoy talking, this may be all the morale boost that you need. If, on the other hand, you live alone and don’t have much contact with your neighbours, you could quickly find yourself becoming bored, isolated, anxious and subject to negative thoughts.

There are many things that you can have stored away to boost your morale and keep your mind occupied during a power outage on a cold winter’s night:

A transistor radio. Small battery powered radios can be picked up very cheaply these days, if you don’t have one already (as with the torch, don’t rely on your phone’s built in radio. Save your battery life). The batteries in a cheap, hand held radio will last much longer than your phone battery, and you can always keep a couple of spares, just in case.

There are also many variations when it comes to radios, such as wind-up radios, solar power powered, etc. You could even build yourself a crystal set, if you’re so inclined, as another way of dispensing with the need for batteries altogether, but if you’re just starting out, a cheap battery operated radio will be just fine for keeping you entertained and, (if necessary), informed.

You might also want to consider keeping aside some books or magazines, notebooks and pens, or chess sets, playing cards and board games to keep your mind occupied and stop you going stir-crazy whilst the power is down.

So, that’s the very basic essentials that will get you through a short-term power outage, the most likely type of disruption to the grid that is likely to occur at this time. The chances are that the lights will be back on in a few short hours anyway, but if you’ve taken these simple precautions, you have already taken the first step to being a ‘nearly off gridder’, and you’ll be much better prepared than most to handle longer and more serious disruptions.

Remember: When hardship comes knocking, you’re either a N😊GGER, or you’re N☹T!