living without a fridge/freezer

[MaryN]

Wow, MB! Thanks for that. I shall run it off and study it in greater detail. I am assuming the fuel you use is petrol and not diesel. The idea of using an inverter off a car battery is genius and I know this would work off our heavy duty Landrover battery.

You are correct about the home wiring in the UK. We cannot just pull the main breaker, as you put it. This is possible but has to be installed by a specialist electrician (at great expense) when a homeowner has decided to install the option to go off grid. I think Highlander did it at his property in Scotland.

Thanks again for that. I shall be able to approach the potential power shortage problem from a completely different angle.