While blackouts may seem a thing of the distant past, reminiscent of war times, or even a scene in a dystopian film – the threat of winter blackouts has now become a reality for the UK public. The National Grid has warned that there may not be sufficient energy to ensure every home has enough gas as a result of reduced gas imports from Europe.
While it has been deemed ‘unlikely’ by the Financial Times, the National Grid has also warned that British households should at least prepare for the possibility of blackouts. John Pettigrew has said that the company would have to impose power cuts during “the deepest darkest evenings in January and February” if generators failed to secure enough gas, particularly if the country suffers a cold snap.
In these worst-case scenarios, it is predicted that power would be cut off to parts of the country for up to three hours, which has been suggested to be between 4 pm and 7 pm. While there has been a lot of fear-mongering surrounding the events of blackouts, the fact is that this is a possibility in 2023 and a reality a lot of homes could be facing and should therefore be preparing for.
With energy bills at their highest levels in at least half a century, and predictions of prices tripling and reaching over £5,000 for the average household by next year, being prepared for any eventuality has never been more important. While there is little that can be done to stop rising energy prices, you can find some advice on how to best protect yourself from rising costs here.
Additionally, we’re all feeling the squeeze at the moment and while there is little we can personally do to bring down your energy costs, we can help you prepare for the cold and uncertain winter with our prepping for blackouts range and some advice.
We’d like to stress that although power cuts are not expected to happen, given the events of recent years, the unexpected can always occur, and Preppers Shop’s message is always about being prepared. After all, it’s better to have and not need than need and not have.
What is a blackout?
A blackout is a total crash of power as a result of an imbalance between power generation and power consumption.
Preparing for blackouts – tips
- Stock up on low-tech gadgets such as torches, extra batteries and candles.
- Resources such as lamps are really useful.
- Keep all tech charged and some additional power banks just in case.
- Emergency cool boxes and ice packs to keep food fresh.
- Download videos, movies, and other essential things to watch when streaming is down.
- Purchase or keep a first-aid kit handy.
- Write down the emergency numbers of family and friends.
- Keep your fridge and freezer closed to maintain the chill.
- Having a supply of cash – card machines and cashless systems may not work.
- Keep some bottled water stocked up.
- Supplies such as camp stoves and backup cookers will be useful to stock up on.
- Toiletries and essentials should be kept stocked up.
- Have a stock of playing cards/board games/toys for kids.
- Look out for others. You may have all you need to survive and feel safe, but others may not be as lucky. Keep in touch with friends and neighbors.
Blackout supplies
There are lots of essential supplies such as toilet paper, water, and batteries that will need to be kept handy in events such as a blackout. However, at Preppers Shop, we stock a wide range of products that can be used for various things. Your camp stove and sleeping bags kept at the back of the garage might become an essential way to keep warm and fed in the event of an emergency.
Lanterns
Lanterns are incredibly useful and can be carried with you, held up high, or left to sit and illuminate in the event of a total power blackout. Our Feuerhand hurricane lanterns can last up to 20hrs with just one tank filling of paraffin oil. They’re also heat resistant, and the glass is breakproof, making them ideal for indoor and outdoor use.
Also, oil for laps is essential and should be kept stocked up to ensure your lamps can be used reliably time and time again.
If you don’t have a lantern, stocking up on regular torches and head torches is a good idea. Just make sure they’re charged up.
Heating
Keeping warm is always essential, but this may require more than just a regular blanket. Portable heaters are a staple of most homes and can be used to heat rooms up and to gather around when it’s cold.
We also stock a range of camping and ex-military blankets that are made using insulated materials to keep you warm, but also lightweight and easy to pack down when not needed.
We stock a lot of Polish military blankets, fleece blankets, and popular camping blankets that can also double as ponchos for added warmth and cover. It never hurts to have a few spare blankets lying around as they can make all the difference if you are feeling the cold this winter. Additionally, having spare blankets could really benefit someone else during these hard times, so it can never hurt to have too many.
We also have a huge range of sleeping bags and other warm sleeping equipment traditionally used for camping.
Cooking
If the powers out, cooking might not be a possibility. Camp stoves can be useful to heat up water, make food, or do anything else in the event of a power outage. Resort to traditional beans on toast or soup with your camp stove and you won’t have to rely on your traditional cooker or microwave.
Our Vango double cooker works with gas canisters and will help you cook, heat and more in any eventuality.
Other cookers may require solid fuel tablets to cook. The Hexi Cooker, for example, uses solid fuel tablets and is versatile and reliable for all kinds of emergency cooking.
Food
If you’ve been aware of prepping for a while, you’ll know about the importance of stocking up on food rations and other food prepping. In the event of an emergency, freeze dried meals from Expedition Foods include a huge range of variety, including vegetarian meals and they have a shelf life of up to 5 years. You can also purchase genuine army rations and ration hampers from Preppers Shop. To browse our full range of prepper food, click here.
During a blackout, shopping may be difficult, so it can’t hurt to stock up on some long-life food and ensure you always have something edible and reliable stocked up at home.
Cool boxes
Having a reliable cool box on hand will ensure any goods at risk of spoiling while the power is down can be kept cool. Our Yeti cool boxes are perfect to keep frozen food frozen and cold food chilled. These cool boxes are amazing and can keep ice for up to 5 days. Additionally, we stock Yeti ice packs too.
Power sources
Power banks and additional charging packs are a lifesaver when the power is out. Plug them in and charge any phones, tablets, consoles, etc.
Generators are also a good backup solution; we should be seeing a stock of these arrive very soon!
First aid supplies
Again, it never hurts to be over-prepared. Every home should have a well-stocked first aid kit anyway, but for a blackout especially, having a first aid box or kit around could be incredibly useful. For a more comprehensive bag of kit, you can purchase one of our Bug-out bags. Bug-out bags contain everything you need for a survival situation and can be very useful during a blackout.
Bundles
To help you stock up on supplies, we’ve also created two prepping for blackouts bundle options.
- British military wool blanket
- Feuerhand Lantern oil lamp
- Hexi cooker & 16 Hexi tabs
- British army ration meal pouches x 3
- British Army water purification tabs x 40
- Kombat waterproof matches
- 3 x breakfast rations
- 6 x main meals
- 3 x packs of nuts
- 3 x packs of sweets
- 3 x packs of biscuits
- 3 x date & banana bars
We’d like to note that although ‘prepping’ might make you think of a zombie apocalypse or other end-of-the-world preparation situation, prepping really can just mean preparing for any sort of event. Whether it be food shortages, lost heating, or power outages. Whether you decide to ‘prep’ or not, it’s important to remember that a lot of homes this winter will face some hardships and if you are worried about heating your home or managing through the presumed blackouts, preparing now will help.
Preppers Shop has a variety of products on offer to help this winter, including versatile camping equipment, lots of blankets, camp stoves, and alternative energy sources to help you through any eventuality in the coming months. We probably can’t help you survive a zombie breakout, but we do have the supplies to support you this winter.
You can visit us in Cornwall, or get in touch via email or phone at 01637 850259