Gas alert as demand and prices rise

Vortex · Post by **Vortex** » 03 Dec 2010, 11:29

Just come back from the country supplies place.

They have a fair stock of gas cylinders and loads of coal.

The queue was long 'tho with most people buying animal feed and burnable stuff.

Nothing worthy of panic - but if this keeps up until March then the shelves will indeed be empty!

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 03 Dec 2010, 15:56

We are going through logs at a scary rate. It almost makes external cladding look like a viable option.

madibe · Post by **madibe** » 03 Dec 2010, 16:07

Got myself dug out of the drive / yard yesterday and drove 7 miles to the nearest shop (co-op) only to find there was no meat or veg. Well, apart from the three leeks that I snaffled. Thank heavens for my own frozen veg... no spuds even!

No tinned soup or ready meals...and funny enough low loo paper levels (people shitting themselves?)

I grabbed cheese (plenty of blue but no cheddar{plastic}) and one of the last four loaves of bread. Freezer cabinet was low too but my freezer is ok stocked. Got a few tins of this and that. Unbelievable though. Obviously bought beer.

I am out of heating oil and waiting a delivery (not fired it up yet this winter)...tanker snowed in so it is Ferkin freezin... logs are in but low, so I am saving them for ultra desperation. But it is sooooo cold. So, I am having a pretty good experience of PO right now. I do have a small electric fan heater which I am currently carrying around with me.

Thank goodness for Slankets and thinsulate hats.

On a serious note, I am worried about the condition of the house. It is +1 in the loo / bathroom. +2 in the bedroom and +12 in the living room. The kitchen is freezing too, which is making cooking difficult. ie - chuck it in a pot and retreat till it is done.

So, hope you are not all feeling too smug.

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 03 Dec 2010, 16:13

Blimey maudibe . . . thoughts are with you!!

I was just thinking this afternoon, it's so early in the year for all of this. We struggled to cope last winter and it came four weeks later.

I've just been moving some logs into storage, it's so bitterly cold, it's like a shock to the system when you step outside

Last Friday I had 3 cubic metres of logs delivered, which was supposed to last until the new year. I swear I must have got through nearly half of them in a week.

Post by **clv101** » 03 Dec 2010, 16:15

Where are you based maudibe?

madibe · Post by **madibe** » 03 Dec 2010, 16:20

Near Worksop. God knows how it would be in Scotland. Bless them...or Wales...

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 03 Dec 2010, 16:25

Crikey you lot. Envy not.

How attractive does mega-insulation on your house sound?

It should be de rigeur, before it's mortis.

madibe · Post by **madibe** » 03 Dec 2010, 16:27

Yes Andy - I ordered the oil on a long delivery date to save money - bad move, but then again two weeks ago when I ordered who was to know that it would turn out like this?

So my heating oil was supposed to be delivered 2nd latest - I rang them up and they said they where having 'problems', which I quite understand having seen the A15... the oil is coming from Killingholme near Grimsby.

So, although I was OK whilst temps where average this cold snap has got me by the goolies.

My log supply was adequate, but is only used at weekends due to work etc (usual problem with people using solid fuel heating - by the time you warm the hearth it is time for bed!) So it is all but out after a week off work. Argh!

Mean Mr Mustard · Post by **Mean Mr Mustard** » 03 Dec 2010, 16:28

Perhaps it's my background in Business Continuity, but here, Resilient Chateau Moutarde is always stocked up with food and raw materials eg flour for making our own bread. Likewise diesel, water, etc etc.

I thought all PowerSwitchers were the same, knowing the many BAU vulnerabilities, we were all stockpilers? (As distinct from panic buyers).

BTW, 'interesting'

techy report on UK gas resilience over at The Oil Drum. Penny for them, Chris?

madibe · Post by **madibe** » 03 Dec 2010, 16:34

Mr Mustard.

Stockpiling is good - but you cant really stockpile heating oil unless you have a large budget. Likewise for food to some extent. I have all the raw materials but my kitchen is too cold to cook in ( and I love to cook properly). Currently I just want to throw something at a pot! I have made some nice soups and stews in the past week. LOL

Right now finances are quite tight so it is a lovely idea to have several hundreds of pounds of food fuel and the like in hand. But for a lot of folk...

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 03 Dec 2010, 16:40

emordnilap wrote: How attractive does mega-insulation on your house sound? It should be de rigeur, before it's mortis.

Ha! Quite.

madibe · Post by **madibe** » 03 Dec 2010, 16:42

LOL

Cant be that bad as I am still laughing....can't cry 'cos my tears would freeze.

Hey tho - pub tonight and it is toasty

Seriously though guys - this is what it is like deep into PO. It is very cold and very scary.

Vortex · Post by **Vortex** » 03 Dec 2010, 16:52

maudibe,

A nosey question: was this situation caused by bad luck ... or was it unavoidable?

Some PowerSwitchers seem well prepared ... but a few seem to be suffering.

I'd like to know where the discrepancy comes from.

madibe · Post by **madibe** » 03 Dec 2010, 17:03

Hi Vortex... a bit of both.

I have not used the central heating since Feb. I have held off. Looking at the oil price and then gone for it two and a half weeks ago (just 500 ltrs) to get me through. But then the weather changed fast.

I am also skint - trying to get the credit card down, running a small online business, single, so paying for every other fecker to breed. Oh and lose 20% of my salary to the good ole CSA.

So yea - skint.

Sorry if this seems rude. But hey.

So, due to seperation I have a less than ideal home, lifestyle. I am working on it (hence earning extra money trading online) - but my dream of being 'self sufficient' (ish) went away with the ex.

So yea, bit of bad planning, bit of a feck-up, and a bit of circumstance.

Thats life eh

PS_RalphW · Post by **PS_RalphW** » 03 Dec 2010, 17:53

Ice in my beard cycling home tonight