Threat of black outs

[Lightspeed]

Power and gas supply failures this winter:

We are off grid for gas, using 12Kg bottles piped into the house. Already I've been living in semi bug out mode g=for the last six months and know that one 12Kg bottle will cope with my cooking needs for 4 months. We have 4 reserves and one live cylinder. Important consideration for winter months is to ensure that any gas cylinders that you are relying on are Propane as Butane will not become gaseous at temperatures less than -1c

Backup cooking is electric ( oven and microwave), wood ( multiple stoves and oven), and charcoal BBQ.

Heating: Currently gas fired at primary home and electric storage heaters at BOL. Backup is wood fired stoves. Stoves, and chimneys have been refurbished over the summer. Wood stock sufficient for at least two years permanent off gris bug-out.

Light: Parafin lamps, candles, solar lamps, and before winter sets in, a solar charged 12v system very similar to the one SD is describing on the main site. Since early summer my radio coms have been entirely solar powered. This afternoon I checked performance and the small cell was still putting out around 12v until two hours before sunset.

Water: at the BOL, if power is cut,, so to is the water supply. As of last weekend we now have more than 2,000L of stored water that is able to be fed into house plumbing as soon as mains pressure drops off. Rainwater harvesting very simple to implement if water supply is threatened long term.

Sanitation: Cess pit based system, with backup dry toilet with humanure-type composting bins.

These solutions are for survival. The wood burners can maintain 25C temperatures in the main living areas, and these are now equipped for sleeping as well now. But we are under no illusions, if electrical supply were to fail for lengthy periods, life would be considerably less comfortable than it is today.