Electricity Usage

 Saw this article from Martin Lewis on the proposed risk of power shortages this winter.  

Martin Lewis Power Outages

Indicates that most electricity usage takes place between 4pm and 7pm daily and the content of the article is that we should wherever possible limit our use of electricity during this time.  When I have the tumble dryer on - yes I still do for health reasons - ie damp clothing around the house makes me worse with my arthritis, I tend to have it on between 8pm and 11pm. That is a choice I have made and it is worked into our usage although I am where I can getting stuff out on the line.  However, the washing machine (when it is on) and the Tumbler are full and they are not on as they used to be.  I am fortunate that my Tumbler is an energy efficient model.

I remember the power shortages, miners strikes and lack of light and heating in the early seventies when I was a teenager.  The more time goes on with present difficulties the more it reminds me of those times and memories are coming back of what we used to do to keep warm.

One of the reasons I believe in diversification of power/fuel is based on this time. If you have gas or electric/wood fired/coal range and the electric goes, you don't need a kettle as you have the capacity to make hot drinks and keep warm.  That is one of the reasons I keep a picnic kettle in the house.  There to my mind is a need for diversity.

My mother was seriously ill with what was eventually diagnosed as Primary Biliary Cirrhosis of her liver and she felt the cold terribly.  We had not long moved into the bungalow that mum and dad had bought and it was warm air central heating based on oil.  There were all sorts of ties linked into this central heating system i.e. we had to purchase fuel from a specific business we were tied in.  Just one of a string of items that we could not do.  The oil system was on an electric feed, and of course with the power outages would not work during a power cut despite the fact that it was an oil fuelled system.  So no warmth. Something to think about even in this day and age as I believe that there are still electrical feeds on oil based heating and even Gas Boilers.

My father was an Fitter/Engineer by trade just like his Dad before him.  He found a rather risky way of keeping us warm, which was technically not legal. I do not know all the ins and outs but it involved a piece of rubber tubing, and a gallon fuel can with which he bypassed the electrical feed.  The fuel can I believe had Red Diesel in it.  You can be prosecuted for using this type of fuel in anything other than agricultural equipment. It has a red dye in it which leaves a tell tale stain on any equipment it is used with. Dad did what he did though because of Mum being so cold all the time and also ourselves.  

For the best part during that period, we kept to the front room as a family either talking, or playing board games. The front room being lit by Tilly Lamps, which we already had.  Cooking took place on a little Gaz single stove.  It worked though, and for the best part we were kept warm and were fed which was the important thing.  To go to bed at night, we were escorted to our bedrooms with the aid of a Tilly Lamp each night before settling down.  Needless to say we had plenty of covers on the beds as well as hot water bottles and blankets for when we were sat down.  Some things are not necessarily how we like them to be, i.e. being restricted to one room for example, and to keep that room really warm, but the practicality of the situation is that if it is a way of getting through and keeping warm then I for one am prepared to do that.  Sometimes we really cannot be too fussy.  The positives though were that we had a very strong bond with our parents', we talked (we were a family that talked before anyway) but we interacted more.  No computers or mobile phones to take you away from the people in  your near vicinity.

Mum and Dad made the best of it.  Their positive attitude, stuck with my brother and myself and taught us an indirect lesson to make the most of what we had.  At the end of the day it was about being practical, getting on with things and dealing with things as they arose.  And the most important thing, getting through whatever was being thrown at us as individuals and collectively as a family.

The purpose of this post is that Mr Lewis wants us all to consider when and how we use our electric to minimise the impact on the National Grid which in turn helps minimise the risk of power shortages.  An interesting article to read in any event for those of us monitoring our power usage.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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