Energy shortages

[NorthernRaider]

For the sheeple of today a power cut would be far more disruptive than it was in the 1970s because back then central heating was ignited by an electrocmechanical pilot light / thermocouple and piezo ignitor, so back then if the leccy went off the CH would still work.

But todays CH boilers are all electronically ignited and regulated so if the leccy goes off the gas CH does as well.

Also in the 1970s millions of homes still had open chimneys and coal fires, in the UK of 2013 less than half of one percent still have open fires or easy access to coal.
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IKE We keep three 7 KG blue bottles to power a camp cooker but we also keep 2 meters of spare rubber gas pipe, 2 spare hose clips and one complete spare clip on regulator plus a kitch size boz of matches as a backup cooker.

Even many rural folks with oil or gas CH will still be buggered because their CH boilers are also very often electronically ignited and regulated.

Also far more people today keep the majority of their food in freezers rather than in tins in a cupboard so the amount of food spoil will be much greater.