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Post by annabellespapa on Dec 2, 2022 12:43:19 GMT 1
I am a sucker for the tv programme Alaskan Homestead Rescue (on now on Dmax) with people living off grid, they cope without mains electricity but they have ingenious solutions, water power, solar, wind etc, one show using solar actually charged batteries in a series and they had lighting and power to run a freezer and fridge, in the likely event that we will have power outs for a couple of hours at a time but able to charge large batteries when there was power, what would you need to do, how many batteries and what size would you need and how would you connect to your home supply to kick in when the power is off.
Or have any of you out there have alternative ideas/solutions ?
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exile
Member
Massif Central
Posts: 2,682
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Post by exile on Dec 2, 2022 13:36:48 GMT 1
1. Have a heat source that is not dependent on electricity - wood stove or fire
2. Keep the freezer full and don't open the doors. WE lost power for 47 hours 3 years ago and the contents remained below the supposed critical -18C over that time.
3. Have alternative cooking modes - we have gas and electricity.
4. Wear warm clothes.
5. Put an extra layer of blankets/duvets or other covers on the bed.
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Post by robertarthur on Dec 2, 2022 13:40:28 GMT 1
Battery capacity for living off-grid comes at a price, a calculator from the US. Bridging several hours: insulation of fridges and electric boilers is very good, no problems there. Communications, how to feed a modem, router, charge your smartphone and laptop?? A practical way out: an old 12 V car battery + a little inverter to produce something that should be a nice sine wave but not always is. As a partial answer to a blackout. Perhaps throw in several 12 V leds for basic lighting purposes. More autonomy: one or two solar panels and a simple voltage regulator to charge an old car battery. Or a genny + an inverseur de source to switch everything from grid to generator. This one would also be nice. |
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exile
Member
Massif Central
Posts: 2,682
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Post by exile on Dec 2, 2022 14:21:23 GMT 1
Just to be clear: do not be suckered into buying generators, battery banks, solar panels etc. unless you want to make a long term move towards off-grid style life anyway.
A 2 hour cut - even 4 hour cut - is not going to kill anyone unless they are on some form of life support equipment. Yu might be slightly inconvenienced and miss the day's episode of Corry or 'Stnders. Nothing worse.
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Post by annabellespapa on Dec 2, 2022 14:23:05 GMT 1
1. Have a heat source that is not dependent on electricity - wood stove or fire 2. Keep the freezer full and don't open the doors. WE lost power for 47 hours 3 years ago and the contents remained below the supposed critical -18C over that time. 3. Have alternative cooking modes - we have gas and electricity. 4. Wear warm clothes. 5. Put an extra layer of blankets/duvets or other covers on the bed. Really hood sound advice Exile, thanks. |
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Post by annabellespapa on Dec 2, 2022 14:27:44 GMT 1
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Post by houpla on Dec 2, 2022 15:03:38 GMT 1
I shouldn't think that many folks living permanently in France for more than one winter would be unprepared regarding heating and cooking. Our experience of tempests/subsequent loss of leccie while living in the mobilhome gave us a useful heads-up when it came to tweaking the plans for the house. Nowadays, though, a lot of people seem to be scrapping a landline phone in favour of putting everything through a router, or using mobiles, so providing power for them (or a landline for that matter) is something of a priority. I'd be really interested in RA's take on using a generator for that.
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Post by robertarthur on Dec 2, 2022 16:07:14 GMT 1
@ Annabellespapa, it looks like the website of Hampshiregenerators is down at the moment. @ Houpla, a long time ago there was an interesting design principle for NATO communications equipment: KISS, keep it simple and stupid. If you are running a business in la France profonde you should consider to invest in a good UPS solution. For occasional users there are low cost solutions. Car batteries have one problem: they don't like to be discharged below 50% of their (once) nominal capacity. The special batteries for stationary energy storage are much better and of course ask for deeper pockets. Generators can be noisy, problem of exhaust fumes, fuel efficiency and sometimes problems with electronic devices because of the non-sinusodual wafeforms they produce. For a semi-permanent connection to your installation électrique you will have to rewire your tableau électrique, for an electrician or experienced DIY. A summary by Honda. In 1967 Timothy Leary - turn on, tune in, drop out - inspired several off grid experiments and communities all over the world. With the technology of today you can do much more, but either you stick to easy low cost solutions to cope with the occasional blackouts or engage in a more fundamental life-style rethinking. Cut the cable to the grid.... If I remember well there is a forum participant (electrician) who bought a huge blue ex-ERDF generator, just to be on the safe side in case of major power outages. |
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JohnnyD
Member
Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
Posts: 1,999
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Post by JohnnyD on Dec 2, 2022 16:22:52 GMT 1
Here in the UK we live in a small village where the leccy arrives on overhead poles, hence subject to farmers reversing into them occasionally, so I bought a 5.5Kw Genny and had a transfer switch fitted, if the power goes, I can fire up the genny, hit the transfer switch and the house runs off the genny like it does the grid, obviously I need to keep the power down to less than 5.5Kw, so no oven/dishwasher etc, but it works well. If these cuts become common in France, I might do the same........
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Post by pcpa on Dec 2, 2022 18:41:56 GMT 1
If these cuts become common in France in the likely event that we will have power outs for a couple of hours at a time The rumour mill is certainly working but perhaps not having the desired effect, the intention is for people to reduce their consumption at peak demand. If ERDF have to make tough decisions then the first thing they, well the government in fact, will do is to reduce the operating hours of the big energivore industries like Arcellor Mittal, Crystallerie d'Arques etc or even stop them producing and pay the workets chomage technique, not that many businesses can afford the current wholesale rates. That will happen before any selective reduction in current drawn by domestic dwellings on tarif bleu. I saw the Bouchers demonstrated recently about energy costs, now Boulangers I could understand but Bouchers?  |
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Post by robertarthur on Dec 2, 2022 18:52:33 GMT 1
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Post by cernunnos on Dec 2, 2022 19:05:47 GMT 1
Two weeks without power in 2000 showed us what was needed. Just a small generator to run the freezer now and then , the rest worked without . The major problem was lighting , so we have enough candles in the storeroom. Go to bed early , get up late .  |
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Aardvark
Non-gamer
Living in soggy 22 and still wondering what's going on.
Posts: 2,172
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Post by Aardvark on Dec 2, 2022 19:23:51 GMT 1
I do that now.
Nothing to do with power cuts.
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Post by gigi on Dec 2, 2022 20:12:24 GMT 1
We’re joining in Octopus’s sessions of cutting back on our use of electricity for an hour each evening when they ask, 4 times so far, for a small fee depending on how much electricity we save. We ourselves don’t save a lot as we don’t use a lot of electricity anyway, but feel it’s a good thing to join in with.
Something we’ve been thinking about for a while is having solar panels fitted on our roof and have finally signed up for them recently. Once they are in place there’ll be 1 electric socket to plug in an extension cable to use energy from the storage battery we’re having fitted, if the electricity should be cut here.
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Post by cernunnos on Dec 2, 2022 20:30:26 GMT 1
We have looked at and discussed installing solar panels with batteries.
In my point of view , a waste of time and money .
Better to use less energy , than try to produce enough to keep the same standard of living ?
Solar panels and batteries only work well in the Summer. So when they cut the power in the Winter?
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