5 simple steps to prepare for a power outage near me
Electrical power cuts used to be a rare occurrence but are now becoming more frequent
Here are 5 simple and easy steps you and your family can take to prepare for a power cut today
It’s 3AM, the electricity is gone and you can’t turn on your electric hob to heat a bottle of milk for your new born baby.
Diversify
We have BBQ with a side burner. The side burner is a must. We only have an electric cooker / oven in the house. The bbq side gas burner is very important as we have small children. If there is an ESB Power Outage at 3am at night and we need to heat some milk, we have a side burner on our bbq!
Lighting
We bought a lamp which also serves as a torch – A torch can only shine at one point – Lamps are 360 degrees. Charges by usb. But a battery run torch would be as good.
Hens for eggs
Whilst you can’t survive on eggs alone. We have 2 hens so, worst case scenario, we have some food if we need it. Hens don’t lay during the winter. So we have a light on a timer in the coop. This gives them enough light during the winter to lay – They still won’t lay as much as in the summer.
Stove burner / fire
For a free wood article, click here. Ideally, your stove or fire should have wood and coal. Again, its about diversification and having backup off the grid. You don’t want wood only, or coal only. Our stove allows both.
Petrol / Diesel generator
We have a garden room and the entire room is on a plug. We then have a generator, so if the electricity goes, we can plug the entire room into the generator. The room is just a play room for the kids. But if the electricity goes, we can use a kettle, lights, heater, tv, etc…
What not to do
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail
The price of goods and services can change drastically over time. So if the electricity goes for 2 days, then the price of a diesel generator, a bbq or a lamp, will increase – It’s basic supply and demand. So if you can afford to buy the items now, when they are cheaper, why not? Bbq’s, torches and lamps are all usable in normal life scenarios.
You don’t need to be a doomsday prepper to be prepared
I’m certainly not a doomsday prepper. I don’t have a bunker and I don’t intend to eat insects anytime soon.
My view is this. If I prepare and there is no electricity outage, then I haven’t lost out. But if I can put cheap and simple measures in place now, then there is a huge upside.
Don’t have all your eggs in one basket
Again, just is just my advice, take it with a pinch of salt… If the electricity goes and your only source of energy in the house is electricity – electric oven, microwave, electric car, electric heaters, lights, etc, then you will be kicking yourself if the electricity goes.
If you take 2 pieces of advise from this article, it is
- Buy items now that are cheap if you can afford them that you can use in everyday life
- Diversify