[Hampshire Hog]

Good morning
news of the threat of power outages this winter makes me wonder about the impact on our stored food in the freezer. I have some veg frozen but much more meat and fish. Makes me wonder what options we will have if the worst case option occurs. I’m less worried about the gas that just means I put on two more jumpers. How are you all prepared for the winter?

[Lardman]

Power outages are as likely as the £10 per day rebate for limiting use between 4-7pm  

Modern freezers left closed are fine without power for at least 24 hours, a fridge is much less.  It's just more carrot and stick to encourage "smart" monitoring of your use and supply.   

[mumofstig]

https://www.bosch-home.co.uk/customer-service/get-support/fridge-freezers/how-long-will-food-last-in-freezer-without-power#:~:text=1.,hours%20in%20a%20half%20freezer.

Food can remain fresh up to four hours in a refrigerator, 48 hours in a full freezer, and 24 hours in a half freezer.

Worst case scenario right now, seems to be 3 or 4 hours

[Kleftiwallah]

If "Those in Authority" could give us warning of an impending power CUT, we could take out of the freezer/fridge what we needed in advance. 

But that is too easy.   Cheers,  Tony.

[mumofstig]

It's not easy, that's why they can't/don't do it...

[DanielCoffey]

Chest freezers generally hold their cold better than the front door types. A few hours of no power won't bother a freezer at all.

[Subversive_plot]

If "Those in Authority" could give us warning of an impending power CUT, we could take out of the freezer/fridge what we needed in advance. 

But that is too easy.   Cheers,  Tony.

Sometimes it's unpredictable.

When it is predictable, it could be managed with 'rolling blackouts'.

[Growster...]

When the regular power cuts were rife in the early seventies, Mrs Growster and I were newly-weds...

(Misty-eyes, open fires flickering, - er -  ahem...;0)

[Aunt Sally]

Us too, Mr G.  We’ve done it before and survived 

https://www.theblackoutreport.co.uk/2021/01/06/three-day-week-1974/

[JayG]

Had just graduated then, and suddenly found myself more popular than I'd ever been - think it might have been something to do with the fact I was the only one of my student pals lucky enough to have a gas fire in my bedroom!   

[bayleaf]

I'm sure that's not true. It was the warmth of your personality!

[Growster...]

Us too, Mr G.  We’ve done it before and survived 

https://www.theblackoutreport.co.uk/2021/01/06/three-day-week-1974/

That report is just fascinating, Aunty, I'd forgotten how serious it all really was!

Thank you for the link!

[Lardman]

It's a good job we have not been coerced into a total dependency on electricity for everything since then isn't it        I wonder how many realise that without electricity gas central heating boilers don't work. 

[Hampshire Hog]

Never mind the gas boiler Lardman without electricity I can’t use my house phone thanks to BT?? More than that an extended power cut would stop me charging my mobile etc. Where we are we have had power cuts longer than 3 hours when the wind blows and knocks out overhead cables. Also we sometimes get cuts for a few seconds that knock out everything with a clock the whole house starts flashing!!
I realise the food in the freezer is probably ok but my worry is that I don’t trust reassurance from power companies. A couple of days off power and we’re in trouble.
I have a “smart meter” that doesn’t work properly after being installed 3 years ago.

[Yorkie]

I still have a plug-in phone from years ago, that can be used in the event of a power cut.