Stuck really

[diamond lil]

The Libya thing got me thinking. We use coal for heating and propane for cooking. If this all stops then we're in trouble because the nearest wood is a mile away. Uphill and its the farmers. We have no way of getting free wood. The daughter would have permission to take some on her farm but its all very spread out over hills and bogs and god-knows-what, plus she and we have no 4x4.

[southernPrepper]

peat?

Maybe a trip down to Ayrshire for some coal?

Way back in Henry VIII's time there was an explosion of coal use because there was insufficient firewood available. No idea what 60,000,000 people looking for firewood in a cold January would do to our tree stocks but I doubt it would end well.

Just to add some figures to that, during the course of the 1500s the population doubled from 2million to 4million people with maybe 10% in towns.

[Carrot Cruncher]

Just had a look where we get our natural gas from and apparently the main exporters of Natural Gas to the EU are Russia, Norway, and Algeria. Looking on the bright side... one of the countries is stable

One thing that did suprise me is that the UK is the worlds 3rd largest consumer of Natural Gas after the US and Russia

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3401083.stm

Edited to add that the link takes you to a page that was last updated in 2004 so may not be correct or relevant now.....oops

[diamond lil]

O god. Ayrshire is a hell of a long way from me... and I'd be lucky to get one bag in the Volvo (C30, tiny boot, really stupid). I think folk would start a bit of free enterprise open-cast mining if things got really bad, on all the former coalfields. Peat yes, they burn peat here because I smell it. Not cheap though and not hot.
I have read often about wood running out in the past, and people having to trek long distances to find it .

[hobo]

Rocket stoves use only odds and ends of wood. Like this one: http://wildstoves.co.uk/rocket-stoves/s ... ket-stove/
I'm sure there'll be designs on the web to make your own!

Hobo

[SW_pheonix]

As above rocket stoves are great. Also a kelly kettle for boiling water fast with just a few twigs. A solar oven is perfect if food consists of home grow Veg stew or similar slow cooked subsistence food.

Thermal solar panels are great for heating (underfloor or preheating before a boiler) and still work in winter. The more you insulate the less heating you need.

[diamond lil]

I worked it this way so that we had a plan A, B & C for cooking. A is the calor gas cooker; B is the electric gadgets like Crockpot/Foreman grill/Remoska; and C is the fire. I suppose plan B for heating would involve buying some kind of electric heater. Can't do solar, HA house and OH is useless at doing stuff like that.
Kelly kettles are great , if I get some spare money ever I will have one of them. But don't know anything about a solar oven - presume it's like haybox cooking?

[SW_pheonix]

Here you go http://solarcooking.org/plans/Plans.pdf
You can also improvise and use evacuated glass tubes from solar thermal panels to cook. By putting the hot end inside a solar box oven like the one shown in the pdf.
These tubes can be puchased seprately as spares from companies like Navitron.

[diamond lil]

I wish my OH was a bit better at doing stuff. And a bit better at listening, but then he's a man eh... There must be a point in having men around. It just seems to have escaped me
Killing spiders maybe.

[lisaloolibell]

I wish my OH was a bit better at doing stuff. And a bit better at listening, but then he's a man eh... There must be a point in having men around. It just seems to have escaped me
Killing spiders maybe.

to buy chocolate?