Only found your channel today and I'm looking back at some of your content. It's nice to have finally come across a couple of UK based preppers who are sensible and logical and not alarmist, who don't buy in to conspiracy theories. Looking forward to following you pal.

Up here in the Cairngorms the house has a 12kw multifuel stove with a flat top, so that's heating and cooking taken care of. I've just bought a Renogy battery bank set up (great deals on Ebay I caught by chance) with 200ah at 12v and a 1000w inverter- purely for lights, tv, PC, router, stereo... I've just ordered the 40A solar controller and a pair of 220w(+65W potential)bifacial panels but as I know these are almost redundant for the next 4 months as principal backup I bought a 2.2kw P1PE P2500i inverter charger and 3x 10l fuel cans with the additive for storage (will use E5 petrol). This should run the washing machine occasionally and recharge the batteries through the day (If I can't use the AC charger)so it doesn't annoy neighbours running it at night. I'm going to put in a dedicated CU that is separate from any house electrics to take the genny input and run 2.5mm2 cables and add sockets where they will be needed in an outage so there's no ugly reels all over the place... I ran a wee test and it's things like maybe not using the stereo but the Bluetooth headphones, or the JBL Charge via USB powerbanks , turn down the TV brightness that can maximise the life of the LiFePo4's. I got a plug in device so have tested all lights etc so know the demand from everything. The Solar may be garbage in the winter but anything added back in is a bonus. And come summer I could use the batteries and inverter to run the TV etc every day, IF the solar keeps on top of it!!! I've got neighbours who think life will just go on and are woefully unprepared for anything.... Solar is unchartered waters for me, but I'd originally considered an ANKER F2000 but at £1700 it's £300 more than what I have now got and that includes the genny which is "Plan B " (or "C"?!!) I have plenty of food, water isn't really an issue I can get it from a spring in the hill at the back of the house or some of the local mountain streams....

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Followed your shameless plug on Bright Insight stream to your channel 😁 Subbing for shits & giggles🤙 All love brethren stay good! ❤

Very nice! You have convinced me that i need to run a 24 hour test as well. I also use a Delta 2 (with extra battery) for my refrigerator with it always running in UPS (EPS) mode which is good for about 12 hours or more keeping the refrigerator closed as much as possible. Since the microwave is next to the refrigerator, i can also use the Delta 2 to run it for short periods as well. I have a well and can't run the well pump if the power is out but do at least keep a 100 liters or more of fresh water and have a separate system for keeping the internet and computers running and about 800 watts of solar. Just never tested all of it for 24 hours, which i need to do. Thanks for reminding me of the crazy times we are living thru! Cheers

We had no heating in our council flat in the 1970s. You either sat in front of the coal fire or you didnt. Bed time was okay once you were in. A hot water bottle was a very nice thing and all we kids had them and they were replaced about every 2nd year as the rubber used to go off on the stoppers. I think if you dont know how long the power will be out, preserving what you have reserved is key. In the 1980s hurricane, in a small terraced house, we had a whole week of no power. Very luckily we had a gas oven but we used a scout stove for boiling water and hurrican lamps for light. A couple of years back, our boiler broke over winter and we didnt get it sorted till spring. We went around in heavy coats with a hat and double socks indoors. Baby wipes for keeping clean. Electric blankies are really for warming when you get in. You dont need them for the rest of the night if you have warmed up and if they are on in the morning, you wont want to get out of bed. Put your clothes ontop of your top cover and then cover them with a blanket to save them being icy when you put them on,

It's actually insane we are at this junction in time. Ive said it before but historians are going to have a real good look and this period in time. Stay safe everyone, and peace be with you all.

Have a look for thermoelectric generators TEG's a couple of quid each on bay of E, they are 4cm x4cm x0.1cm no moving parts, they fit them to mini fridges, when you put power into them they get hot on one side and cold on the other, but if you put heat on one side log burner and cold on other THEY MAKE POWER. They use these on satellites deep in space with a lump of uranium giving heat and deep space being cold on other. The bigger the temp difference the more power they make, if you put a few in a row and a few rows you can generate quite some power. So when solar no good and you have a log burner you can make power.

I don't know what your whole system cost but I'm using a small inverter-generator (ex Screwfix, cost me £165 when I first bought it) rated at 750W max and running enough stuff indoors to keep us all happy (lights, internet, TV, laptops etc) for 6 hours on a single refill (5 litres) via a made-up extension/distribution lead. On today's fuel cost it amounts to £1/hour. The system works so well I bought a second inverter-generator for backup so £320-ish total to cover 'all' my needs. Most recent purchase was a dual-fuel genset (inverter) so I can keep unlimited amounts of LPG safely on the premises. Currently have 6 off 47kg bottles as our house uses LPG for hot water and cooking. The LPG will run the dual-fuel set for nearly two weeks CONSTANTLY although I've only ever needed it for a few hours at a time. Each to their own of course as not everyone has the space for a genset and room to store LPG.

It must be a bit more difficult in Scotland, but I could not face paying the truly obscene standing charges, the energy companies are lumped in with drug dealers and other undesirables, pensioners freeze while they brag about their massive profits. I just had to go off grid, morally I could not stomach it any longer. Been off a year now and off mains gas since 2012, I get by, I do not miss it.

They are all pushing these very expensive solar generators which is all well and good but how about what the less wealthy of society can do and afford when the power is out?

Great video. Informative . liked how u touched on the possibility of longer term situations where the solar isn’t capable of providing. And in summer when we should be using as much of its energy as possible. Modern stoves are great and if u have the time to collect and process and store free wood from Facebook etc it’s quite cheap to run. If u have to buy in dried cut and split wood it will be expensive. But still a great back up. Heat source.

I’m pushing a wet mattress up a spiral staircase here I’m a 53 yr old woman with a husband and three twenty somethings living all under the same roof I warned them all what was impending 3yrs ago and they laughed at me I’ve been bugging out buying food storing it Bought 3 freezers Bought a butane gas heater And stove I’m hoping I’m fully prepped when the shtf I bought a generator at the very start an eco flow but as I was a novice and had to learn from channels like this one I’ve found my eco didn’t come with a power lead to charge up I’ve been trying to get one but can’t find the right one Can anyone please help me

IF you go for a back boiler stove it will run the rads but whats your plan for the water pump for it ? will the pump run off 12v ?

Good video, im currently look in changing my grid tied inverter, the thi g currently shuts down completely leavng it obsolete when power goes down, which here in Argyll is quite often in winter. Managing so far with utilising camper van electrical set up, leads and generator.

Thanks Brian good to see you did well with the power banks. To cut down on the extension leads once you are disconnected from the grid you can use a jump lead to power the house from the main battery system but do it safely. All the best

Quality video, looks like lots of preparation in this Brian FairPlay to ya👍

Another Quality video mate, just thinking how many uses the one with the slight hook on the tip, eg slicing through large skin of game,seat belt cutter etc lol 👍

Does anyone have any idea how I could use solar panels to charge my power station when I'm on 2nd floor in a flat no balcony. Can't leave it outside the front.

Very good high tech approach to no power. I would be going primitive with the Kelly kettle, smoke meat if need be to preserve, iron clothes on my antique iron heating this up on the wood burner, candles as long as handled super safely, and use hand crank and solar devices. Going heavily primitive first before invest in the tech. Maybe long term not just a log burner but a log burner oven set- more expensive but also more useful.

Good video! Thank you for sharing. -Jill

If you do have a generator in use, you may want to create a box for it to help muffle it’s sounds and draw less attention.

You can get emergency lights that have a battery in that I have the bayonet bulb type of, that give 4-6 hours’ light in a power cut. They have a button and you can take them out and camping with you etc. This buys time to get organised initially.

We went on a camping trip a few weeks back and the guy I went with had a 12v camping fridge in his 4wd and a gas fridge in his camper. For this reason I didn't carry a lot of ice in my Esky and just got it really cold the night before and froze the crap out of all the meat and stuff I was taking. When we got their the Gas fridge refused to work so we had a lot of frozen food, including pre cooked cryo vacced meals, that we had to look after. We were in a Desert and a fair few km's from civilization. It took a fair bit of thought/rearranging, and a friendly local shopkeeper, but we got it sorted and didn't waste any food. In the end the Esky really saved the day so if I was in that situation I would have pre cooked and frozen meals ready to go and would chuck them all in an esky to use over the next few days or longer as they thawed. It would save opening the fridge as with uprights a lot of the cold falls out as you open the door where as a chest cooler doesn't. Things you might use on a daily basis such as milk or butter, for example, could be stored in there as well. Our wood stove rarely gets used but it's in tip top condition and I have a stash of firewood as well if needed. It can be used for heating, cooking and looking at the fire is very relaxing as well. The kids recently bought me a collapsible fire pit for my birthday which is awesome and another cooking method as well. Thanks for the video.

That was great. We did 8 days without power last year after Kieran hit Brittany and used petrol generators, wood cooker, wood stove in the lounge, back up gas bottle cooker we brought up from the basement. I used my huge canning pans to boil water for baths. We subsequently got battery generators and solar panels which aren't great in winter but we can always charge them from the generators.

Thanks Brian , excellent advice there . I do wonder what heating you have, I would have thought that gas central heating boiler is a pump and electric ignition, which is not a massive drain on your batteries. Is it , ??? For my fridge and freezer. I have a 12v battery x4 and a renogy 3000w inverter , which I have yet to install a solar panel/ panels and charge controller , (advice needed ) For lighting. I have several paraffin pressure lamps , hurricane lamps , battery (AA) hand held lanterns , and lots of led lights , candles etc For heating / cooking I have a log burner and plenty of logs , should I not be able to use that I have a huge cast iron 11000w gas ring and plenty of gas to run it (primarily bought for huge pressure canning pot) which chucks out some proper heat, a gas bbq , fire pit I’ve been doing this for a while now and have accumulated this over a period of time. Board games and cards and more food is still “on to add “ list

Cheers, Brian. Very interesting. Our log burner has been an absolute god send. We’ve just got a new gas boiler after going 4 years without, and the biggest thing we learnt was how quickly the house gets damp. Ventilation is an absolute must. We also acclimatised pretty quickly to lower temperatures, although nothing quite prepares you for a 7°c indoor toilet at 3am! All the heated throws in Christendom won’t make up for a house that’s got cold to its bones.

Everyone should do this once in a while, theory is ok but it is when you put it into practice that is when the holes show up 👀👀 Brian, were you running the CPAP on 240v ? if you where, look to source a 12v DC lead with a cigarette light plug, as taking the inverter out of the scheme will allow it to run for a lot longer. You can also get a 12v DC heated blanket There are also 12v DC kettles and sandwich toasters that will run off a solar generator. Slow cookers are low wattage (my small one is only 240v / 100w) which my small Bluetti will happily run for over 12 hours on high power, lot more if low setting used. Taking the slow cooker into the room where you are gathering, it will act as a small radiator as it cooks. If you do have a solar generator then rechargeable battery's are a good idea, a bit more expensive to buy, but after that they are free power for most of your battery powered items. When looking to buy a solar generator for a grid down situation, first look at the space / money available for solar panels, there is little point in buying a big SG - if like me you live in a small flat with minimal out door space. I only have room for a 120w panel so have to get SG's that can be charged from it. A candle lantern will amplify the heat from a candle (as well as protect the flame) as the lantern heats up and radiates the heat sideways instead of it shooting straight up to the ceiling, a candle powered oil warmer does the same thing. Totally different topic - has anyone got any experience with AquaBricks for storing water ? They look like they will fill my need, but very little info on them from the UK. Thanks

How long would you estimate the Anker c300 retains a charge for? I'm considering getting one 👍

Great insight, great video mate 👍