Electricity needs when the grids down.

[Straight Shooter]

Nothing wrong with your view BP …….everyone to their own ! How we survive and the methods used is what matters , the goal is survival how we achieve it will not make that much difference …..so long as the goal is reached .

[bigpaul]

(21 October 2022, 14:09)Straight Shooter Wrote: Nothing wrong with your view BP …….everyone to their own ! How we survive and the methods used is what matters , the goal is survival how we achieve it will not make that much difference …..so long as the goal is reached .

how true that is, me old mucker.
I couldnt agree more, how we travel dosent matter as much as the destination.

[Pete Grey]

(21 October 2022, 14:16)bigpaul Wrote:

(21 October 2022, 14:09)Straight Shooter Wrote: Nothing wrong with your view BP …….everyone to their own ! How we survive and the methods used is what matters , the goal is survival how we achieve it will not make that much difference …..so long as the goal is reached .

how true that is, me old mucker.
I couldnt agree more, how we travel dosent matter as much as the destination.

That’s true we don’t always go in the same direction but we’re all heading to the same place, peace of mind in the knowledge we doing our best for our families.

[Pete Grey]

Eco-worthy who we bought our 240w solar kit from have reduced the price from £249.99 to £189.99, very useful small setup, we use it with two 85ah Lion leisure batteries.

[bigpaul]

it just amazes me the lengths some people will go to just to have electricity at all costs when the power grid goes down.
it seems to smack of desperation- no offence meant- and a refusal to accept the situation as it is. no solar set up will last forever and most modern houses dont have the space required for storing the batteries needed, and many of the set ups I have read up on dont have batteries, they feed any excess into the national grid which wont be any good once the grid is down.

[Pete Grey]

Yes BP a solar set up will not last for ever, but panels will last 20+ years during which time yes the efficiency will decrease. The lead acid batteries we are used to may only last 5 or 6 years but lithium batteries can recharged 2000+ times, and you can always have a spare charge controller.

However........Everyone has to decide what they want within practical limitations, solar off grid will not do everything we would wish for, even if you were to spend £1000’s.

We have decided that our needs are just to charge AA and AAA batteries for torches, our LED lamps, walkie-talkies, a SW radio for news, and a few power tools for home maintenance. This is affordable and would make life much easier come SHTF. I would not like to rely on candles and oil lamps for lighting even though we have them for back up.

You pay your money and you make your choice.

[bigpaul]

Keep It Simple is my motto in life and post SHTF.
we dont use that many batteries and only in the winter and I have a stock of Procell batteries which I replace as they are used. a simple battery radio for any news.
I have used candles and oil lamps in the past and they are suitable for the task.

[Pete Grey]

Over the winter we’ve been using solar to keep all our batteries and rechargeable lamps fully charged without any problems, came in very useful as we were without power for nearly three days due to a cable fault.

The utility room came into its own, with everything at hand.

We used the jenny twice a day (morning and evening) for an hour or so to run the freezers.

Plus side, Apart from being a practice run we did not bother with TV, used the radio and CD player, and mobile internet for communication.

Negative side, nothing really just an inconvenience, as we knew it was just temporary.

A permanent grid shutdown would be a different ballgame.

[bigpaul]

I have lived off grid with no power of any kind, and its not a big deal. KISS.

[earthman]

The first home that I lived in didn't even have electricity, only gas lights on the wall, this were in Notting Hill, London, now one of the wealthy places, that's hard for many to imagine hey, thankfully I moved from there at the age of 3, to a council house that had electricity.

The property that I now own came with 21 solar panels on the roof, I've since added a battery back up system and inverter so I can still power one ring main and some lights during a power cut, it's better than nothing but certainly can't power the whole house or last for weeks at a time.