I grew up in the 70’s power cuts too. They really weren’t a big deal despite how the press and social media paint those terrible days.
I think rolling power cuts will be a big deal now though, I mean even most peoples heating now requires an electrical connection – coal fires and back boilers never did. How many people need electricity just to make a cup of tea or heat some soup? Its not just our reliance on cell phones and gadgets that will impact us this time round.
I have a camping stove for tea, soup and ramen, fully charged kindle and camping light, warm poncho and my guitar. Almost looking forward to it I guess..
I don’t remember this being in the Brexit discussions or tory manifestos. Typical Tories suck the country dry and leave us with fuck all.
I don’t think my doorbell will even work if the power goes out!
My mobile phone signal needs boosting via our internet. The phone-line is dependant on the internet. No power == no outside contact. We use our Amazon Alexa’s for the radio. I can’t even turn on my boiler without the internet (Hive). If I want to read a book, i have to hope my kindle is charged.
In a prolonged powercut, i have to go sit in the car to find out if it’s a Russian nuclear attack or a fuse blown in the local substation.
We’re a heck of a lot more dependant on internet and electricity now than in the 70s. I keep a selection of torches and powerbanks charged for emergencies (and I’ve figured out how to make the doorbell ring without the internet).
Edit: some of this in jest, and yes, I know the ‘work arounds’ to get this stuff running without the wifi. Except the phone, that’s annoying. Maybe a I need a ‘back up’ old-skool phone to plug into the router incase of a powercut rather than my portables.
I was around in the 70s & remember the power cuts . . What I can’t remember is was it a set time. I can only recall my parents made it fun. It’s history repeating itself . .
For the boomers (either age or mindset) who are looking forward to a return to the ‘good old days’.
Have fun when the streetlights and traffic lights go down at 6pm on a winter evening because the grid can’t cope with the demand.
Tills at shops etc. and card machines are all electronic, even if a card machine was battery powered it probably needs internet access and if your router/broadband isn’t working then tough luck.
Hope you don’t get power surges when the power comes back on and you’re not home to unplug devices.
Landline phones will probably work, but will mobile networks?
Central heating won’t work without electricity because there is no power for the boiler and pumps.
This country and the people living in it are very dependent on electronics.
I work from home 5 days per week and my working hours are 12:00-8:00pm. My boiler requires electricity to work and I have an electric cooker. Rolling blackouts in the late afternoon / evening are going to be very challenging to manage.
The worst part will be having to play Monopoly by candlelight again. Thought we were loong past those days!
That were the 70s when working from home wasn’t a thing, shops didn’t rely on electronic systems to trade, pretty much all emergency services rely on an internet system which uses electricity. Just for a few examples.
It shitty but I do have a ton of books to read that I keep putting off in favour of tv so might get a bit of reading done by candle light
It’ll be interesting to see what company IT departments have to do. Bigger places may have generators & UPS, but they might not have the capacity to last hours. Stuff needs to be shut down & started up in specific order, with actions & checks performed afterwards. Any unexpected blackouts or brownouts can cause both software & hardware issues.
Any else initially think the term Power Cut was referring to the hairstyles of the era because of that accompanying photo?
I recently moved here from South Africa where we have been having rolling blackouts for years, I guess the grass is dark on both sides of the fence when the ruling government is inept.
They really are softly softly softening us up for them, aren’t they?
Sadly I think even if we’d told people in 2016 “if you vote for Brexit, in six years *you literally will* not be able to buy want you want in the shops, have power cuts during the winter, and your electric and heating bills *will* triple”, there would still be people who would have voted for it for a laugh or because they didn’t believe you.
The biggest challenges is people dont have fires with back boilers to heat and keep clean.
However this time is will probably be a more rolling effect where communities will be targeted to allow essential services to function so it will be interesting on what justification they will be using to only target specific parts of a town or cities or if some areas never experience a brown out where others it will become a part of daily life.
I’m wondering what’s going to happen to all those disabled people who have electrical equipment. My father has an electric bed and air mattress and is bed bound. Once the power goes the mattress becomes a thin flat piece of foam.
He needs to position himself using his electric bed as well.
Then there are people who need electricity to stay alive, so ventilator machines, dialysis, etc.
What’s the current likelihood we will get power cuts?
I’m encouraging family to at least get a box of candles in.
We have a wood stove so won’t freeze. I’ve said to elderly neighbours they are welcome to sit in our living room and enjoy the heat. I can cook basic meals on the stove or using camping gear.
The freezer will hopefully be ok unless the power outage is extended.
No internet/tv/device charging etc will impact on people – we might even have to talk with each other.
I doubt we will be at the full-on Purge level of societal breakdown but I’m anticipating more crime as people become increasingly desperate.
My 4yo won’t sleep without thunderstorm sounds and wakes up within 5 mins of it stopping if there’s an internet outage or Alexa borks. This’ll be fun! Need to find a battery powered version he’ll accept.
I think I might watch that YouTube movie again about the whole grid failing in the uk. They got one thing right with that movie, all it takes is a little uncertainty and not knowing what is going on for mass panic to mess things up even further.
If somebody is on a ventilator or using other life saving equipment what will happen then?
Or if you only have a home phone/no mobile service and need to call the emergency services?
Genuine question as I have no idea how any of this is supposed to work
But when I read a FB news story about blackouts the comments are full of boomers looking forward to freezing to death in the dark
Can see the economy tanking further as commerce suffers due to inability to use anything. Even going hard cash won’t work as getting it and using it requires some leccy.
Worry about the number of hospital deaths, or people which require leccy for some kind of device.
A personal one for me, electric locks on psychiatric units. That’ll be a fucking hilarious circus to deal with.
Would things like standing orders or direct debits be scewed? And checking whether it’s been paid/honoured or is that an automatic thing? Wages will be entertaining.
What another thrilling episode of ‘Once in a lifetime/generation shit’
God. The comments on that article are insufferable…
I had a 32 hour powercut after the last big storm. Generally speaking it was fine, we had hot water, those wind up torches and candles. Other than the freezer we weren’t that concerned initially.
Overnight it wasn’t very nice, it was quite cold and the heating uses electricity to run the pumps, despite being gas. The house got down to 14 degrees during the night and my kids climbed into bed with us to keep warm. We “moved out” during the next day and returned when power was back on.
Didn’t have any issues with power surges, as have a surge protector built into the fuseboard (we had the place rewired and specifically asked for one to be fitted).
I don’t think rolling blackouts will be much of an issue for us, if its a few hours at a time – as long as the heating can kick back in, in between it’ll be fine.
​
That being said i’ll still pick up a generator if I ever find one in stock at a reasonable price.
How many purchased a house with a fireplace for this reason?
This clickbait drivel is simply exploiting the slim possibility that there will be power cuts this winter. Course the doomers in here lap it up.
Couldn’t we just combine the rampant racism of the 70s and the rampant racism of now and use all that vitriol and energy to power our homes?
I can imagine that not being a huge deal when your entire world isn’t on the internet.
A few days ago it was that power cuts were unlikely, but they’ve gotten more likely in just a week. Bought a solar generator. Not sitting in the damn dark for three hours. If Tories say unlikely, get ready
I’m ok with power cuts, but only if they’re during my working hours. If you’re gonna take away the electricity, don’t be doing it in MY time.
Edit: some words
My plan is to sit in the dark rocking back and forth while saying “Alexa, is the power back on” and crying when she doesnt answer.
Imagine if we go fully electric e.g. cars, trucks, trains.
No one has cash either.
Deeply concerning and the Politicians seem to be ignoring it.
Funny how the Tories said that Corbyn getting in would result in a return to the 70s.
Strikes, blackouts, inflation, financial chaos and the IMF getting testy. All brought to us by the Tory party.
I’m South African and we’ve been dealing with rolling blackouts since 2008. We call it load shedding and we even have an app that tells us our area’s schedule and when we will go off. It’s not “fun” or going to be nostalgic for anyone. South Africa is crumbling because of these blackouts and it’s got to the point where we can’t laugh at it anymore and it’s become a daily thing for the past 6 weeks. I really hope the UK government puts measures in place to prevent this and I’m sure they will, but don’t allow your government to let this become your new normal.
34 comments
I grew up in the 70’s power cuts too. They really weren’t a big deal despite how the press and social media paint those terrible days.
I think rolling power cuts will be a big deal now though, I mean even most peoples heating now requires an electrical connection – coal fires and back boilers never did. How many people need electricity just to make a cup of tea or heat some soup? Its not just our reliance on cell phones and gadgets that will impact us this time round.
I have a camping stove for tea, soup and ramen, fully charged kindle and camping light, warm poncho and my guitar. Almost looking forward to it I guess..
I don’t remember this being in the Brexit discussions or tory manifestos. Typical Tories suck the country dry and leave us with fuck all.
I don’t think my doorbell will even work if the power goes out!
My mobile phone signal needs boosting via our internet. The phone-line is dependant on the internet. No power == no outside contact. We use our Amazon Alexa’s for the radio. I can’t even turn on my boiler without the internet (Hive). If I want to read a book, i have to hope my kindle is charged.
In a prolonged powercut, i have to go sit in the car to find out if it’s a Russian nuclear attack or a fuse blown in the local substation.
We’re a heck of a lot more dependant on internet and electricity now than in the 70s. I keep a selection of torches and powerbanks charged for emergencies (and I’ve figured out how to make the doorbell ring without the internet).
Edit: some of this in jest, and yes, I know the ‘work arounds’ to get this stuff running without the wifi. Except the phone, that’s annoying. Maybe a I need a ‘back up’ old-skool phone to plug into the router incase of a powercut rather than my portables.
I was around in the 70s & remember the power cuts . . What I can’t remember is was it a set time. I can only recall my parents made it fun. It’s history repeating itself . .
For the boomers (either age or mindset) who are looking forward to a return to the ‘good old days’.
Have fun when the streetlights and traffic lights go down at 6pm on a winter evening because the grid can’t cope with the demand.
Tills at shops etc. and card machines are all electronic, even if a card machine was battery powered it probably needs internet access and if your router/broadband isn’t working then tough luck.
Hope you don’t get power surges when the power comes back on and you’re not home to unplug devices.
Landline phones will probably work, but will mobile networks?
Central heating won’t work without electricity because there is no power for the boiler and pumps.
This country and the people living in it are very dependent on electronics.
I work from home 5 days per week and my working hours are 12:00-8:00pm. My boiler requires electricity to work and I have an electric cooker. Rolling blackouts in the late afternoon / evening are going to be very challenging to manage.
The worst part will be having to play Monopoly by candlelight again. Thought we were loong past those days!
That were the 70s when working from home wasn’t a thing, shops didn’t rely on electronic systems to trade, pretty much all emergency services rely on an internet system which uses electricity. Just for a few examples.
It shitty but I do have a ton of books to read that I keep putting off in favour of tv so might get a bit of reading done by candle light
It’ll be interesting to see what company IT departments have to do. Bigger places may have generators & UPS, but they might not have the capacity to last hours. Stuff needs to be shut down & started up in specific order, with actions & checks performed afterwards. Any unexpected blackouts or brownouts can cause both software & hardware issues.
Any else initially think the term Power Cut was referring to the hairstyles of the era because of that accompanying photo?
I recently moved here from South Africa where we have been having rolling blackouts for years, I guess the grass is dark on both sides of the fence when the ruling government is inept.
They really are softly softly softening us up for them, aren’t they?
Sadly I think even if we’d told people in 2016 “if you vote for Brexit, in six years *you literally will* not be able to buy want you want in the shops, have power cuts during the winter, and your electric and heating bills *will* triple”, there would still be people who would have voted for it for a laugh or because they didn’t believe you.
The biggest challenges is people dont have fires with back boilers to heat and keep clean.
However this time is will probably be a more rolling effect where communities will be targeted to allow essential services to function so it will be interesting on what justification they will be using to only target specific parts of a town or cities or if some areas never experience a brown out where others it will become a part of daily life.
I’m wondering what’s going to happen to all those disabled people who have electrical equipment. My father has an electric bed and air mattress and is bed bound. Once the power goes the mattress becomes a thin flat piece of foam.
He needs to position himself using his electric bed as well.
Then there are people who need electricity to stay alive, so ventilator machines, dialysis, etc.
What’s the current likelihood we will get power cuts?
I’m encouraging family to at least get a box of candles in.
We have a wood stove so won’t freeze. I’ve said to elderly neighbours they are welcome to sit in our living room and enjoy the heat. I can cook basic meals on the stove or using camping gear.
The freezer will hopefully be ok unless the power outage is extended.
No internet/tv/device charging etc will impact on people – we might even have to talk with each other.
I doubt we will be at the full-on Purge level of societal breakdown but I’m anticipating more crime as people become increasingly desperate.
My 4yo won’t sleep without thunderstorm sounds and wakes up within 5 mins of it stopping if there’s an internet outage or Alexa borks. This’ll be fun! Need to find a battery powered version he’ll accept.
I think I might watch that YouTube movie again about the whole grid failing in the uk. They got one thing right with that movie, all it takes is a little uncertainty and not knowing what is going on for mass panic to mess things up even further.
If somebody is on a ventilator or using other life saving equipment what will happen then?
Or if you only have a home phone/no mobile service and need to call the emergency services?
Genuine question as I have no idea how any of this is supposed to work
But when I read a FB news story about blackouts the comments are full of boomers looking forward to freezing to death in the dark
Can see the economy tanking further as commerce suffers due to inability to use anything. Even going hard cash won’t work as getting it and using it requires some leccy.
Worry about the number of hospital deaths, or people which require leccy for some kind of device.
A personal one for me, electric locks on psychiatric units. That’ll be a fucking hilarious circus to deal with.
Would things like standing orders or direct debits be scewed? And checking whether it’s been paid/honoured or is that an automatic thing? Wages will be entertaining.
What another thrilling episode of ‘Once in a lifetime/generation shit’
God. The comments on that article are insufferable…
I had a 32 hour powercut after the last big storm. Generally speaking it was fine, we had hot water, those wind up torches and candles. Other than the freezer we weren’t that concerned initially.
Overnight it wasn’t very nice, it was quite cold and the heating uses electricity to run the pumps, despite being gas. The house got down to 14 degrees during the night and my kids climbed into bed with us to keep warm. We “moved out” during the next day and returned when power was back on.
Didn’t have any issues with power surges, as have a surge protector built into the fuseboard (we had the place rewired and specifically asked for one to be fitted).
I don’t think rolling blackouts will be much of an issue for us, if its a few hours at a time – as long as the heating can kick back in, in between it’ll be fine.
​
That being said i’ll still pick up a generator if I ever find one in stock at a reasonable price.
How many purchased a house with a fireplace for this reason?
This clickbait drivel is simply exploiting the slim possibility that there will be power cuts this winter. Course the doomers in here lap it up.
Couldn’t we just combine the rampant racism of the 70s and the rampant racism of now and use all that vitriol and energy to power our homes?
I can imagine that not being a huge deal when your entire world isn’t on the internet.
A few days ago it was that power cuts were unlikely, but they’ve gotten more likely in just a week. Bought a solar generator. Not sitting in the damn dark for three hours. If Tories say unlikely, get ready
I’m ok with power cuts, but only if they’re during my working hours. If you’re gonna take away the electricity, don’t be doing it in MY time.
Edit: some words
My plan is to sit in the dark rocking back and forth while saying “Alexa, is the power back on” and crying when she doesnt answer.
Imagine if we go fully electric e.g. cars, trucks, trains.
No one has cash either.
Deeply concerning and the Politicians seem to be ignoring it.
Funny how the Tories said that Corbyn getting in would result in a return to the 70s.
Strikes, blackouts, inflation, financial chaos and the IMF getting testy. All brought to us by the Tory party.
I’m South African and we’ve been dealing with rolling blackouts since 2008. We call it load shedding and we even have an app that tells us our area’s schedule and when we will go off. It’s not “fun” or going to be nostalgic for anyone. South Africa is crumbling because of these blackouts and it’s got to the point where we can’t laugh at it anymore and it’s become a daily thing for the past 6 weeks. I really hope the UK government puts measures in place to prevent this and I’m sure they will, but don’t allow your government to let this become your new normal.