The time to prepare is now.

[Black Rose]

Much love to all you good people. I have been concerned about this winter, electric bills being expensive (especially in Europe) and the possibility of another Texas event. I would like to encourage everyone to begin gathering a few supplies such as candles, extra blankets, food, water (because wells need electric to run) and an alternate safe way to cook food. If you are on a budget like myself, you can acquire these things at boot sales and charity shops. If you are afraid of being stuck in an ice cold home for days, you can get a small tent and put it up in your home if the lights remain out. The tent will hold body heat. You can also purchase things like hand warmers, solar lights, and a small solar power bank to charge your phone.

So how are you all fairing with the idea that some of you are going to have $4,000 power bills this year? Are any of you preparing "just in case?" How prepared are you? How are you preparing? Let me know your thoughts. Let me know if you can add anything to the list.
Thanks!!!

 

[TheRealCallie]

Whatever will be, will be. I'll handle it when it gets here. Though, I do have the extra blankets. I'm a big fan of blankets. Blankets are awesome. Pillows too. Love me some blankets and pillows. I'm also a big fan of candles, so I have those already too.

 

[Black Rose]

Whatever will be, will be. I'll handle it when it gets here. Though, I do have the extra blankets. I'm a big fan of blankets. Blankets are awesome. Pillows too. Love me some blankets and pillows. I'm also a big fan of candles, so I have those already too.

LOL @ "Love me some blankets and pillows." Hi Callie. Thanks for the reply. Sounds like you will be nice and warm.

 

[Finished]

Much love to all you good people. I have been concerned about this winter, electric bills being expensive (especially in Europe) and the possibility of another Texas event. I would like to encourage everyone to begin gathering a few supplies such as candles, extra blankets, food, water (because wells need electric to run) and an alternate safe way to cook food. If you are on a budget like myself, you can acquire these things at boot sales and charity shops. If you are afraid of being stuck in an ice cold home for days, you can get a small tent and put it up in your home if the lights remain out. The tent will hold body heat. You can also purchase things like hand warmers, solar lights, and a small solar power bank to charge your phone.

So how are you all fairing with the idea that some of you are going to have $4,000 power bills this year? Are any of you preparing "just in case?" How prepared are you? How are you preparing? Let me know your thoughts. Let me know if you can add anything to the list.
Thanks!!!

I live in the hot climate. So, it only gets to around freezing outside in the winter. I rarely use heat in the winter. But, I kept my grandmothers hand made quilts just in case. I also have lots of thin blankets. But, I used to camp in cold weather climates even getting snowed in and my favorite thing is Morino Wool. I have long sleeve tops and bottoms that can be used like long underwear. I have a Morino Wool ski mask, gloves, thick and thin Morino Wool socks, and many Morino Wool sweaters of varying thicknesses. That stuff is great. I highly recommend it. It doesn't itch. It doesn't get all stinky. It's light weight. And, it really holds in the warmth.

Oh, yeah, do NOT use propane heaters inside especially the open flame ones. If you must use them then use the catalytic heaters with safety shutoffs.

 

[user 188685]

It rarely gets cold where I live at in Florida,it's a hot and muggy climate.

 

[Black Rose]

I live in the hot climate. So, it only gets to around freezing outside in the winter. I rarely use heat in the winter. But, I kept my grandmothers hand made quilts just in case. I also have lots of thin blankets. But, I used to camp in cold weather climates even getting snowed in and my favorite thing is Morino Wool. I have long sleeve tops and bottoms that can be used like long underwear. I have a Morino Wool ski mask, gloves, thick and thin Morino Wool socks, and many Morino Wool sweaters of varying thicknesses. That stuff is great. I highly recommend it. It doesn't itch. It doesn't get all stinky. It's light weight. And, it really holds in the warmth.

Oh, yeah, do NOT use propane heaters inside especially the open flame ones. If you must use them then use the catalytic heaters with safety shutoffs.

How do you stay cool in the heat if the air goes out?

 

[Black Rose]

It rarely gets cold where I live at in Florida,it's a hot and muggy climate.

I had a sister who lived in Florida. It was always nice weather.

 

[constant stranger]

I live in a region that has freezing weather with snow and ice. I have multiple wool blankets, wool sweaters, flannel lined jeans and heavy sweatshirts. I also have a wood burning stove, oil lamps, a 2 burner propane camp stove and my single burner backpacking cookstove, several flashlights and extra batteries. And enough food to last about 6 months or maybe longer. The stored water might last 3 months. I have a few other items stored away that might come in handy.

 

[Black Rose]

I live in a region that has freezing weather with snow and ice. I have multiple wool blankets, wool sweaters, flannel lined jeans and heavy sweatshirts. I also have a wood burning stove, oil lamps, a 2 burner propane camp stove and my single burner backpacking cookstove, several flashlights and extra batteries. And enough food to last about 6 months or maybe longer. The stored water might last 3 months. I have a few other items stored away that might come in handy.

Wow! That's impressive! You are going to be just fine..lol Do you have any cast iron for the wood stove? I love cast iron. I did get a couple of oil lamps, but I'm not sure what the previous owner put in them and don't know what to get now for fuel.

 

[user 139760]

I'm not going to heat that much. Frozen land? I call it home

 

[constant stranger]

Wow! That's impressive! You are going to be just fine..lol Do you have any cast iron for the wood stove? I love cast iron. I did get a couple of oil lamps, but I'm not sure what the previous owner put in them and don't know what to get now for fuel.

Yes I do have cast iron cooking vessels. The time to try out your oil lamps, or any other preps, is before you need them. I use "Ultra Pure" brand lamp oil; WalMart and Ace Hardware both stock it. It's a petroleum distillate and burns almost odorless and smokeless.......much, much more agreeable than kerosene.

 

[Black Rose]

I agree with you about trying things out before you need them. I did start the lamps. The light is ok, but I don't think it's good for reading.
I'll check out the Ultra Pure.

 

[Finished]

How do you stay cool in the heat if the air goes out?

I have both on-grid and off-grid solar. Normally I use on-grid. So, my bills are very low. But, I've also learned to be comfortable when it's 84F inside. I don't even run the air at night. If the power goes out completely then I switch to off-grid. I just have to use heavier loads one at a time. I did have some battery backup capability. But, IMO, batteries suck, are too constly, dangerous, and don't last very long. So, I ditched the battery backup setup. It made everything much simpler.

BTW, I've tried all kinds of different pans and cookware. I've descovered that all the non-stick is just a coating on top of whatever metal they use. The metal makes no difference. It's funny watching the commercials about the super deluxe crappoly metal they use. It makes no difference. ha! ha! After some use the non-stick starts coming off into the food. Not good. So, I ditched all of those. Now I only cook with cast iron and a little bit of olive oil using low heat.

 

[Black Rose]

Opps, didn't hit reply and I can't delete this. My bad.

 

[Black Rose]

I have both on-grid and off-grid solar. Normally I use on-grid. So, my bills are very low. But, I've also learned to be comfortable when it's 84F inside. I don't even run the air at night. If the power goes out completely then I switch to off-grid. I just have to use heavier loads one at a time. I did have some battery backup capability. But, IMO, batteries suck, are too constly, dangerous, and don't last very long. So, I ditched the battery backup setup. It made everything much simpler.

BTW, I've tried all kinds of different pans and cookware. I've descovered that all the non-stick is just a coating on top of whatever metal they use. The metal makes no difference. It's funny watching the commercials about the super deluxe crappoly metal they use. It makes no difference. ha! ha! After some use the non-stick starts coming off into the food. Not good. So, I ditched all of those. Now I only cook with cast iron and a little bit of olive oil using low heat.

Hi Finished,
Did you install your solar? I have heard batteries produce gas and require venting. I've not studied it enough to know a lot. Did you hear about Spain's new law not allowing business doors to be open and no one can put their air conditioning under 80 degrees?

 

[Finished]

Hi Finished,
Did you install your solar? I have heard batteries produce gas and require venting. I've not studied it enough to know a lot. Did you hear about Spain's new law not allowing business doors to be open and no one can put their air conditioning under 80 degrees?

Yes. I got my all my panels from a solar discounter. They get bulk odd new and used panels. I got a couple of high dollar brand new panels and a mix of new and used other panels and different types. I wanted to see how much difference it really made. I found that it only makes a little difference unless the panels are 8 or more years older. I guess that's why lots of the large companies that use solar panels replace them about every 5 - 8 years. Then people can buy those used panels for about 20% the cost of new ones. So, they usually don't end up in the trash until they are actually no longer useful.

Normal lead acid batteries definitely vent gas when they are hot, charging, or discharging. They need to be kept away from heat sources and sparks. I've always kept my batteries outside in the shade on an angle iron rack that I made. You need to keep checking the water levels and adding water as needed. I never tried any of the Lithium batteries because they are just too expensive. I was thinking about building a power wall out of 18650 cells. But, even doing that is too expensive. Also any Lithium Ion batteries really need to be in a metal enclosure in case they explode / catch fire, which is definitely possible. I rather not have any possible battery explosions or fires. So, I stay clear of them.

Wow! No. I didn't hear about Spains new laws. That really sucks. From what I just read, it's more a political issue and will have little effect on actually saving power.