No gas?

[Tarrel]

Ahem.. Just finished a hot cross bun, toasted on the hotplate of the Rayburn, with tea from kettle boiled on the Rayburn. Home made carrot and orange soup for lunch, simmered in the Rayburn all morning. Had to go out in the biting wind this morning to empty the ashpan while the kettle was boiling, but we won't talk about that!

Wood and/or coal takes a bit of extra work, but I think it's worth it for the off-grid security it brings.

@meg; sorry to send mixed messages, but truth is, nobody really knows what will happen with the gas - there are so many variables. If you were to pin me down for an opinion, I'd say 99% sure you're not going to have your gas cut off.

The essence of preparation, IMHO, is resilience. Making sure you're not totally dependent on one source of heat, or cooking, etc. That way, it doesn't matter whether you know for sure or not if the gas supply is at risk; you'll be prepared either way. I'm slowly working towards being "off grid ready", happy to enjoy the creature-comforts and easy life that "always on tap" electricity, water, food, etc provides, but able to switch away from it at short notice if need be. The first step was installing solid fuel heating. Next steps this spring/summer are building a solar PV system and planting a veg garden. Then rainwater harvesting. Finally, if I can convince other half, chickens.