Preparing for Winter 2022/23

[jansman]

So,unless you live under a rock,you will be aware of rising fuel prices. This is down to increasing shortages.In short; Fossil fuels are running out. I am sure there will be one of three members here who will dispute that, but it’s happening.

About 16 years ago I read The Long Emergency by James Kunstler, and Powerdown by Richard Heinberg. Both predicted what is happening NOW.I am also a reader of Tim Watkins too ( consciousnesses of sheep) who tracks and reports upon fossil fuels. He speaks sense and backs up with credible links and facts. https://consciousnessofsheep.co.uk/ he is also scathing of all political parties,so no political bias ( to those who like to point that out )

So,read and believe what you will,it is your democratic right and freedom to do so.

Next Winter it is possible that we could experience Power Rationing. I don’t think it will be an issue this Winter ,maybe not next,but it will come,and the government has plans too:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/preparing-f ... mergencies

Chuck in the economic recession ( I hope that’s all it will be) and inflation,then we are in an unfortunate place I reckon.So what to do?

Hopefully we will stay in employment,our girls and partners too. One of the fellas was laid off this week. Fortunately he is an HGV driver as well as an I T technology guy . He has agency work for the time being. Like the Depression of the 1930’s ,a person with a job will be someone.

So Winter 2022: We shall stock as much shelf stable food as possible, as if there are power cuts on a regular basis ,freezers will be a liability. I can remember the power going off at 5 pm each evening during the Three Day Week ,and being sent home from school because of no heating too. We shall be stocking solid fuel well ahead of time too.

We have lots of firewood,and it is being added to all the time.We now have to burn smokeless fuel ,and that is basically pre- formed anthracite,which is imported.Imports will get more expensive,and anthracite is basically the highest form,and rarest of coals. That too,along with gas,is a finite fuel.I am making sure we have enough in for next Winter by the end of January.
We will add to portable cooking fuel ( gas and methylated spirit) ,but we have the back up of the Kelly Kettles and the brick rocket stove I built in our ‘barbecue area’.Firewood is not an issue.

On the ‘buy’ list are: more gas and methylated spirit, another stainless steel flask for storage of boiled water, several more LED work lights and headlights ( all AA OR AAA batteries) ,two x 60w solar panels and USB battery chargers. Also, lots of alkaline batteries,and rechargeable batteries.All the kit is AAor AAA to stay compatible.Several more power banks won’t go amiss either. Not worried about powering the whole house,just eating hot food,getting a brew,seeing through the dark,and staying warm.

We have to consider our extended family ,so there will be multiple items in there. My wife and I have been Preppers now ( officially) for over 20 years. What is coming is not the Zombie Apocalypse etc.etc. It’s the Real Thing. It’s a slow motion car crash. Happy New Year.

[itsybitsy]

Well that's just joyous!

The prepper in me wants to get on the front foot etc etc. The person who, like everyone else, has gone through two years of a global pandemic and is still living in a very uncertain world, wants to just put her head under the covers and wait for it all to go away.

My Stanley Aladdin 1litre flask has arrived though, so I'm hoping that will save me 5p a day from kettle boiling!

In all seriousness, though, I honestly don't know what to do for the best. I rent a property so no option to start pulling stuff to bits and renovating chimney breasts etc etc.

I intend, in the next few weeks, to pull out everything from the under the stairs, put some new shelving in there and have it as a proper pantry type cupboard - it's not cold enough to be a proper pantry, but it is cooler than the temperature in the rest of the house. It also runs the length of the front room so it's quite long and I think the space could be utilised much better with a more effective shelving solution.

Still looking at a calor gas heater just so if we do end up in on a sticky wicket with power rationing, I can still have some heat on. I also have draught excluders and blankets etc. I want to get a Jackery solar power station and solar panels too, but it's a lot of investment for one person. Maybe if I get my bonus in April I'll spend some of it on a Jackery - not really very exciting - but probably necessary, given the circumstances.

[jansman]

Well that's just joyous!

The prepper in me wants to get on the front foot etc etc. The person who, like everyone else, has gone through two years of a global pandemic and is still living in a very uncertain world, wants to just put her head under the covers and wait for it all to go away.

My Stanley Aladdin 1litre flask has arrived though, so I'm hoping that will save me 5p a day from kettle boiling!

In all seriousness, though, I honestly don't know what to do for the best. I rent a property so no option to start pulling stuff to bits and renovating chimney breasts etc etc.

I intend, in the next few weeks, to pull out everything from the under the stairs, put some new shelving in there and have it as a proper pantry type cupboard - it's not cold enough to be a proper pantry, but it is cooler than the temperature in the rest of the house. It also runs the length of the front room so it's quite long and I think the space could be utilised much better with a more effective shelving solution.

Still looking at a calor gas heater just so if we do end up in on a sticky wicket with power rationing, I can still have some heat on. I also have draught excluders and blankets etc. I want to get a Jackery solar power station and solar panels too, but it's a lot of investment for one person. Maybe if I get my bonus in April I'll spend some of it on a Jackery - not really very exciting - but probably necessary, given the circumstances.

It’s all about being ahead of the curve.As for staying warm; my wife bought our son in law a very,very thermal hoody- type- fleecy dressing gown. They live in a poorly insulated rental. He told us,that without heating on Boxing Day ,he had a sweat on! We don’t heat this place in the morning when we are working,it’s a waste of energy.I am man enough to shave without being in a sauna I am up at 4 am ,come down in work gear and put a woolly hat on. Done. Out of the house in 25 minutes.Mrs J . has breakfast, and goes back to bed and snuggles with the dogs.If it is really cold she will heat,but she is one tough bird,and usually has all the windows open!

Lighting is the big one . And don’t forget water that’s bigger! Back in 1990 we were almost a week without power and water. No power meant water couldn’t be pumped uphill.

[itsybitsy]

I do have some LED lanterns and a load of giant tea lights, plus a couple of torches, but could definitely do with adding a bit more to the lighting stash. Any recommendations?

[itsybitsy]

Quick look at the Calor Gas website has revealed that all but two of their gas heater models are out of stock.

[Medusa]

20 years of prepping is very impressive Jansman! I am still a relative newbie here but have made headway in the time I have been on this site. We now have a reasonable store of food and other household items. We have various ways of cooking food and have 2 log burners to heat the house so we dont need to buy as much oil. We obtain as much free wood as possible from wherever we can get it and have various power banks and sources of light. I do rely too much on freezers and need to spend more time dehydrating. I am nowhere near where I want to be prepping wise but I fell better prepared than the average Joe. We are also campers so used to roughing it a bit and have various bits of equipment to make life a little bit comfier such as a manual pump shower, sleeping bags and lots of warm blankets.

[Arzosah]

What is coming is not the Zombie Apocalypse etc.etc. It’s the Real Thing. It’s a slow motion car crash. Happy New Year.

As itsy said, how joyous

I'm really glad you've labelled this for *next* winter. I'll tell you what I'm committing to now:

1. renewing the double glazing in the living room and in my bedroom. It leaks, and it's also blown. I'm starting to clear both rooms so that I can have someone come in to work with the minimum of fuss.

2. More fuel, as you say, jansman: cartridges for the camping gaz stove, for sure, I only have 10 of those. I have lots of other bits of fuel: 5 litres of various BBQ and camping stuff.

3. I have two of these things: https://www.amazon.com/Solar-Kettle-The ... Gljaz10cnV
They absolutely aren't enough on their own, of course not, though they might well be in Australia but they'd take the chill off water prior to cooking or washing. I want to set them up and use them next year.

I have lighting pretty well covered. It's the two things that itsy mentioned buying that I keep thinking of: a calor gas heater, and a jackery solar power station. I do have a solar panel - but I don't know if it's big enough for anything useful. I also have one that I *know* is practically useless.

I know I won't cope well with being cold long term, heating is really crucial. I wonder about creating a log store, and storing wood there - tree prunings from my garden, fallen logs, that sort of thing - but it's highly unlikely I'll manage to do it.

[Arzosah]

We don’t heat this place in the morning when we are working,it’s a waste of energy.I am man enough to shave without being in a sauna I am up at 4 am ,come down in work gear and put a woolly hat on. Done. Out of the house in 25 minutes.

you immediately made me think of my Zimbabwean uncle, when I stayed on his farm. It was their winter, and he still put shorts on in the morning, although it was zero degrees centigrade (Zim is 5,000 feet up on the African Plateau). He couldn't be bothered changing from trousers, so he put his shorts on and just kept going

Lighting is the big one . And don’t forget water that’s bigger! Back in 1990 we were almost a week without power and water. No power meant water couldn’t be pumped uphill.

Yeah, the planned cuts in the early 70s were only 3 hours each, weren't they ... if things go ker-plang next winter, cuts are bound to be longer.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Quick look at the Calor Gas website has revealed that all but two of their gas heater models are out of stock.

Calor are having major issues they were dressing it up as lockdown everyone is buying bbqs ... Then it's no lockdown staycation holidays campers are nobbling all the gas..... Week before Christmas we hired a huge . fireball heater from Fairfax plant hire (you've probably seen them about diggers dumpers tools all over Yorkshire a big firm) .

Next day we ordered a 19 & 45kg propane bottle only the 45 came..... With a "we can't get through to calor UK with over a week to go before Christmas that's the last bottle there is no more we've got a 1000kg worth on order and it's still not arrived" next day we rung the hire firm .. no more..... Come collect the heater then it's no good on hire if we have no gas left....


The electric system has been creaking for years and not been upgraded... Know the likes of Leeds can't cope at peak time now so they added bio fuel generators about 15 years back which were only running at peak times but on more and more now

Water..... Well back in the 70's there were water towers... Guess what most have gone .. replaced with electric pumps....

Gasometers the same ...

And since the 70's most direct sewage discharge has stopped it all gets pumped to sewage works which rely on .... Electric

So no electric . Limited water no gas and upto our ankles is our own poo

[Arzosah]

So no electric . Limited water no gas and upto our ankles is our own poo

More joyousness! I need to live long enough that at least one of my nephews is interested in prepping, and will see all my prepping books and stuff as useful, rather than as mad crap accumulated by the mad auntie

With that in mind, what does anyone think of this particular little Calor BBQ https://www.calorgas-heaters.co.uk/gas- ... cream.html Cartridges are a bit different from the norm too, although long term that might be a disadvantage. And since I wouldn't be having BBQs, it might be a white elephant for me, a very expensive one.

Although, I have a half made haybox: wooden frame, outsides made of vinyl flooring about 4cm thick, roof insulation for the sides, base and top, fabric surrounding the cast iron pan (pan is only medium size, but its a start).