The British began to prepare for life without electricity: “I’m afraid we’ll freeze”

While the UK is not dependent on Russian gas imports, it will be hit hard by a possible decline in European gas supplies as the British import large amounts of electricity and gas from European countries that receive supplies from Russia.

According to the Daily Mail, the Electricity Emergency Code (ESEC) allows the British Prime Minister to impose periodic power outages throughout the country in order to save electricity. Earlier, the head of the British energy company National Grid, John Pettigrew, said that blackouts can occur on especially cold nights in January and February if there is not enough gas in the electricity generators.

Against this background, ordinary Britons are preparing themselves “blackout boxes” in case of power outages. The Observer interviewed some residents of the UK — what they stock up on the eve of the test. One interviewee, Stephen Dowd, put four headlamps and a hand saw in his blackout box. Ian Welsh stocked up with a set of camping freezers and a pair of slippers, while Ellie Moss stocked up with a fun set of battery-powered string lights.

With warnings that the UK could be subject to a planned blackout for the first time in five decades, talk about the contents of a blackout stockpile could become as popular this winter as discussing British weather.

Should British residents and businesses experience three-hour blackouts this winter, these would be the first planned blackouts since the 1970s, when the Ted Heath government introduced domestic and commercial shutdowns in response to the 1973 oil crisis and the 1972 and 1973 miners’ strikes. 74 years old.

Steven Dowd of Sussex stowed a large blanket, a deck of cards, a box of tissues, headlamps for each family member, a clockwork Radio 4 radio and “survival supplies” including a hand saw and a first aid kit in his power outage drawer.

He hopes any power outages in 2022-23 will quell the chirping and flashing devices that dominate 2020s home life: the ability to play games like in the old days.”

In early 1972, when some houses were dark for nine hours straight due to power outages, Britons cut their hair under streetlights, drank ale by candlelight in pubs, and relied on kerosene lamps, decks of cards, and caches of candles. Due to the fact that the supply of candles has dried up, queues have formed in hardware stores across the country for this product.

Sociologist Ian Welsh, 68, reminisces about his youth in the 1970s in Sunderland. “We had candles and batteries and cards and dominoes and a camp stove to make a cup of tea and toast something for dinner,” he recalls of his parents trying to feed their family of four in the dark. During the three-day week of 1973/74, television stopped at 9:30 pm, “which was a relief. There was only one TV in the house, and my mom and dad watched terrible variety shows.”

In 1970, only 30% of houses in the UK had central heating, and many still had coal fireplaces. Home appliances such as twin-tank washing machines and upright vacuums were, however, much less efficient, with the average home using 20% ​​more energy in 1970 than in 2019, despite today’s abundance of technology. In 1974, freezers, an upward trend at the end of the decade, were in just one in 10 households, up from 98% today.

Welsh’s “blackout box” today stores matches for the stove, wood for the stove, a pair of cozy slippers and bottled water, as tap water is supplied to his hilltop home by electricity. Welsh also fills his freezer with travel cool packs to extend the life of its contents if the power goes out.

Social media is full of survivors. They advise gathering “power outage supplies,” including a flashlight, a battery-powered FM radio, an external battery, and paraffin candles.

There is a lively discussion in the Diggers and Dreamers online community about the appropriate content for “blackout boxes”. Emma Dyson, founder of a crystal glass business in Worcestershire, suggests survivalists prepare a “travel bag” that includes food, water purification tablets, torches and candles, and a tent to hide in case of a possible apocalypse.

And the Daily Telegraph talks about Briton David Anderson, who first began to worry about the deficit around the time of the Brexit referendum. After reading reports that supermarkets could be experiencing disruptions, the man decided it would be wise to set aside some supplies for emergencies. He also realized that he could save money on bulk purchases if he found great deals. When the buying panic set in during the coronavirus pandemic, David knew he could be calm because he already had a few months’ worth of perishable food and essentials.

This year, he and other “survivors”—those who are preparing for the worst-case scenario—have seen their savings skyrocket. This comes as UK food price inflation reached 14.6% in the year to September, with dairy and dog food rising in value the fastest. Many of the products that Anderson stocked earlier have risen in price by as much as 20 percent.

East London-based former nurse Sauda Karangwa has begun ‘preparing’ for adversity after being confronted with empty supermarket shelves during the pandemic. When the conflict in Ukraine broke out in February, she stepped up her efforts, using as much of her savings as possible to gradually buy additional non-perishable food and supplies. The mother of five now has enough money to allow her family to live comfortably for at least six months if necessary. Her husband thought she was “crazy” at first, but came to his senses after seeing prices skyrocket and noticing how much money they saved with her planning. She also has 150 liters of water in stock and an external battery for phones and tablets in case of a power outage this winter. A power outage in her area earlier this year left the woman unable to bathe her young children and flush the toilet, and she said she wants to avoid that situation.

And 26-year-old Adrian Collier, a carpenter from East Anglia, has more than two months’ worth of food. This winter, he worries about the impact power outages and hefty energy bills will have on his family, which includes his pregnant partner and their daughter. “I’m afraid we’ll freeze,” says the young man. He adapted his bike to generate energy that can charge his phone and tablet. The solar panel at his window serves the same purpose. At home, he tries to modify the exercise bike so that it can turn on the headlights.

“I hate the fact that I might have to teach my daughter how to keep warm without electricity,” says Adrian. His survival kit includes heating pads and overalls that can be worn over pajamas. He is ready to set up a tent indoors if necessary, because it will be warmer to sleep there. The guy also grows food with his family and collects rainwater to cook, drink and water the plants.