Blackout Help

MrBlobby

MrBlobby

MrBlobby

Associate
Joined
9 Sep 2009
Posts
1,252
What do you need to avoid the electricity blackouts. Some sort of battery and inverter presumably, Anything else ? Presumably I'd need an electrician to wire it in just wanted to get the kit first.
 
What are you looking to protect and for how long ? Whole house is a bit pointless and would be silly money to do. I'd mostly want to be sure the freezer was ok.

They're only talking about rolling blackouts (in the worst case) and industrial users would be cut before residential.
 
MrBlobby said:
What do you need to avoid the electricity blackouts. Some sort of battery and inverter presumably, Anything else ? Presumably I'd need an electrician to wire it in just wanted to get the kit first.
Click to expand...

It all depends on how much power you're looking to draw and for how long.

Whole-house power requires quite significant generator or batterybank and inverter, however you need an isolatiion-changeover switch to disconnect the house from the mains supply before switching over to backups.

If you can give more information on how much equipment you're looking to run and for how long, it may help people advise you better :)
 
You've got 2 options - grid-tied/failover or off-grid - both will be a fair bit of money if you want to continue with some semblance of normal - at a minimum you'd want around 8kwh worth of battery backup which will set you back around 1.5-2 grand for stuff like gel deep cycle batteries and around 4-5 grand for lithium based, not including the rest of the equipment.

Any grid-tied system will require DNO notification/approval - you'd also need some kind of transfer switch/changeover isolation/island mode or whatever to continue running your house as normal.

EDIT: Gets a bit complicated to explain but your average grid-tied solar install, etc. won't just continue running your house when the mains dies.

Alternatively if you want to just be able to run some devices, charge a laptop, etc. then there are various power stations like the Eco Flow, Anker Power House, etc.

Personally I built myself a separate off-grid system - but it is basically this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Off-grid-system-inverter-batteries/dp/B07TBG4F6V/ but with the upgraded battery https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00D8FR3PO (33Kg each!) and using Renogy solar panels, charge controller and inverters instead.

peterwalkley said:
I'd mostly want to be sure the freezer was ok.
Click to expand...

Most freezers, as long as you aren't in and out of them, shouldn't have a problem with the potential 3 hour rolling black outs should they happen, which is still fairly unlikely.
 
Last edited:
I've got a couple of UPS's which I've had for a while now, not because of what the media says. One of them keeps my computer/monitor/router going and the other one has type C USB outlets that can charge my phone/tablet if needed.

For gas hobs, I can use a cigarette lighter to ignite it, so I can boil water or heat up soup/pasta if needed.

I still don't think we'll get blackouts though.
 
MrBlobby said:
What do you need to avoid the electricity blackouts. Some sort of battery and inverter presumably, Anything else ? Presumably I'd need an electrician to wire it in just wanted to get the kit first.
Click to expand...
Your best bet is to go solar panel and battery combination than just a battery based system.

As the additional cost of installation of the solar panels will be negligible in the long run
 
adam cool dude said:
Just get a diesel generator or a Truck battery with an inverter.
Click to expand...

Generator is a great idea if you've got the premises for it - not so great if you live in flats, etc. though. Also the noise factor - though in an emergency probably an acceptable trade off.

I do keep meaning to add one into my options but never seem to get around to it :s
 
Last edited:
Without pointing fingers at at the OP anyone interested in this, is this an actual thing which UK citizens are concerned about? I appreciate the 'generator, get it done' views but also wow.

UK looking good :cool:
 
Last edited:
[FnG]magnolia said:
Without pointing fingers at at the OP anyone interested in this, is this an actual thing which UK citizens are concerned about? I appreciate the 'generator, get it done' views but also wow.

UK looking good :cool:
Click to expand...
It’s a Europe thing with the energy issues caused by gas supplies. France has already had to restrict energy usage and we aren’t even in the winter yet!
 
[FnG]magnolia said:
Without pointing fingers at at the OP anyone interested in this, is this an actual thing which UK citizens are concerned about? I appreciate the 'generator, get it done' views but also wow.

UK looking good :cool:
Click to expand...

People at work are mildly concerned - it comes up in casual conversation but most don't think it will likely happen or just be 1-2 days at the worst - a few who have medical equipment that requires power, etc. are taking measures as a precaution just in case.
 
Last edited:
[FnG]magnolia said:
Without pointing fingers at at the OP anyone interested in this, is this an actual thing which UK citizens are concerned about? I appreciate the 'generator, get it done' views but also wow.

UK looking good :cool:
Click to expand...
The problem with the UK is that when an organisation (in this case the National Grid) publishes its 'worse possible case' scenario, people think that it is actually going to happen. There have been many times over the past decades that we have been told that if the worse was to happen we would have blackouts but they have never happened and, I believe, are exactly what the National Grid say they are - a theoretical potential risk but highly unlikely. I doubt there are many people buying generators in the UK.
 
Last edited:
Armageus said:
It's been sensationalised in the Daily Mail and on Facebook due to the leaking of a Rolling Power Cut "Plan"
Click to expand...

I had no heating in Feb a few years ago due to boiler going. It isn't really that bad. You can manage in a modern house as in 1970's +.

You have several options for hot food. We could cook a BBQ or use the camping gas stove with the cartridges. Boil water on it etc.

The advent of battery banks of meaningful size could power a Snes Mini and a small TV or just play board games.

The papers are just scare mongering as always.
 
lol, there aren't going to be any kind of rolling back outs in the UK.

There aren't even any in places like Italy where the situation is much more precarious. Germany, France, Italy, Spain all have energy saving measures, that the UK hasn't needed to resort to yet. It's actually become something of a joke in Germany, energy shaming people.

If you want to prepare or if TSHTF when a simple camping stove and a couple of gas canisters would do you fine, and for electricity to power smaller items either a large solar array (if it's just computer fridge etc..) or a small Honda EU2200i generator. Both would probably work out similar given how cheap 360w panels are now (my last used 360w Benq panel was £100), but then you'd have to factor in some batteries for the array and a decent controls like something from the victron range and possibly inverters if you didn't have 12/24v appliances.
 
The only thing I'd need to power is my medical equipment.

I've got a battery that lasts for 9 hours. I'm also thinking of buying some battery storage solar panel device, just in case.
 
Abraxaz1 said:
Your best bet is to go solar panel and battery combination than just a battery based system.

As the additional cost of installation of the solar panels will be negligible in the long run
Click to expand...
Ok So ideally it would be good to be able to keep the gas central heating on and the lights. How do solar battery systems work though, does the battery power the whole house or ... something else ?
 
MrBlobby said:
Ok So ideally it would be good to be able to keep the gas central heating on and the lights. How do solar battery systems work though, does the battery power the whole house or ... something else ?
Click to expand...

I have solar and a battery, it can power the house for multiple hours, but the issue is as @Rroff mentioned, unless you specifically have it setup for it, it requires the grid to function.

I imagine it's very rare to have solar installed with this in mind, as there is some sort of an added cost for it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom