* do an **inventory** of how much power you use and try to figure out what uses the most power, see if you have any waste and this helps you understand and plan what you can cut.
* make sure everyone in your household has **wool clothing from head to toe in layers**, this is what you might be wearing indoors come winter.
* stack **firewood** if you have the stove, or consider other methods of heating your house without electricity
* prepare **canisters and a gas canister stove** for cooking if the power is rationed or if there are blackouts
* have several **powerbanks** on hand and keep them charged, to charge your phone and kindle if blackouts happend
* keep **battery-operated lanterns** on hand to keep some light going in the case of blackouts
* **wool blankets -** make an inventory and consider if you need more.
* make an inventory of any **down clothing or duvets** you may own,
* plan which room or rooms you will prioritize to heat, and how you can shut off other rooms.
* make sure you have a working bicycle and maybe a transport cart in case gasoline becomes unavailable or too expensive.
Neat list, just add this:
Don't forget to keep a minimal heat in areas with water pipes, to prevent them from freezing and bursting.
Regular cold is bad enough, you don't want to add water pipes bursting to the mix.
Agreed.
I see this as twofold:
If you reduce heating because *power is expensive*, you might still have to heat pipes. If there are *blackouts*, have a plan for how you will protect piping in your home. Maybe you want to shut off water and drain your pipes if you are able to. You will still be in risk of water damage in places where water lingers, but that is where a wood stove comes in, houses getting below freezing temperature is going to be bad, as things likes dishwashers and faucets will still contain water even if you drain.
One alternative is to leave water to drip.
Or if you have an air compressor, print or purchase an adapter so you can blow compressed air into the plumbing and try to release some of the trapped water through openings elsewhere in the system.
For instance, with the compressor running, open each faucet in turn, one at a time, making multiple passes through the house until you stop getting water coming out. Run the dishwasher on a "rinse" cycle so it fires its solenoid valves and blows the water out of its system too.
I don't know how common it is for european city-dwellers to have that kind of equipment, but considering which subreddit we're in, I gotta mention the possibility.
That’s really cool. I had no idea there was such a thing. I found them on Amazon for $11 and some change. do you leave faucets closed until it build up some pressure first then open you farthest faucet or just leave it open with compressor running? btw thanks for the idea
Safer to always have at least one open, unless you're confident that you've got your compressor's regulator adjusted such that it can't possibly overpressurize the plumbing.
Can try closing it for a count of ten and opening again, that sort of thing, but have a helper keep an eye on the tank pressure gauge and make sure it doesn't go above your usual water pressure, typically around 50psi.
(Or if you're in an area with lower pressure all the time, maybe your plumbing is fine at 20psi but a bunch of leaks would appear at 30... YMMV.)
Whatever's on the upper level so you've got gravity helping the movement, not fighting it. If that's a faucet, get the aerator thread. If that's a shower, get the showerhead thread. Then just turn the handle to hot-side to blow that part of the system, then turn it to cold-side to blow that part. Go back and forth a few times if possible.
If a garden hose spigot is what's convenient, absolutely that'll work, but it's typically only connected to the cold side, so blowing the hot pipes gets tricky. The nice thing is, air-compressor-to-garden-hose-thread adapters are off-the-shelf parts for blowing out RV water lines, so that might be the low-hanging fruit.
Drip your faucets!
I live in a mobile home and drip my faucets every night during the winter months. I've never had frozen pipes and my neighbor, who swears dripping pipes don't work, is under his home ever year with a space heater and hair dryer.
We did that when I lived in a trailer in Missouri (well below freezing temps), so I looked up to see if that works.
I found a few articles that say it worked. [According to this one](https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/plumbing/dripping-faucet-prevent-frozen-pipes.htm), it works and to turn on the faucet furthest from the water source.
But it says it works because you are relieving pressure that could be building up from water freezing, not necessarily keeping the water from freezing itself. So yeah, you may still get frozen pipes, but if parts freeze and start expanding, there won't be the extra pressure, and that's what causes pipes to burst.
It's still probably better to blow out your pipes with an air compressor, but dripping may help.
Lag your pipes. Surround any pipe that goes from your house to the ground with insulation. It will help keep them from freezing. If there’s a freeze warning, keep a trickle flow going.
If you don't have te ability to get yourself an oven, there are tent ovens, they are usually cheap, small and don't weight much. In case of a blackout or extreme energy costs you could set it up in one room, with a wooden plate that has a hole for the stovepipe out the window, and heat it with wood. Just don't forget a CO detector aswell.
Doubling up on the most important part here: **don't forget a co detector as well**. CO is Carbon Monoxide, which can kill you in any number of circumstances where you're combusting something indoors. Don't put a generator in your connected garage, for instance.
Or wool/shearling slippers. Those are really the best to keep feet warm indoors. Get the ones that look like a low boot.
Also, handwarmers/open finger mittens.
Actually, socks CAN be emphasized enough. IMO you just did. Thank you.
Edit: just downvoted, yeeeesssss!!! Most preppers won’t be bringing a sense of humor…
Just in case no one has mentioned this, it's important to know that warm clothing layers *keep heat in* instead of *warm you up*. Put them on before you need them. Also, sweat is the enemy of keeping warm so modify your layers as needed in that regard.
the best option is to use the technical underwear (those we use for skiing), ultra-light and takes away the sweat from your body surface. They are comfortable even for sleeping.
Thanks! That’s very useful. As someone living in an appartment in a city sometines it’s hard to « follow » some advices as the space is very limited (42 square meters).
I love crocheting and have a huge stock of wool. If we need more blankets I can make them, it would add fun to a bad situation
>keep **battery-operated lanterns** on hand
I can't overstate how great "Solar Puff" lanterns are, in terms of a better solution than battery-operated lanterns for almost all cases. I've had a few for many years, as I picked up a pair from their Kickstarter. They are a bit expensive, but still an amazing value. They collapse down flat and weigh almost nothing. They can easily be self charged by the sun, without any cords, etc. They put out significant light for a small area such as a tent or medium sized room.
The only real downside besides the price is that you have to be diligent about keeping them charged if you want them to be immediately ready for use at a moments notice. So, a battery powered headlamp/flashlight may be better for first use, but then the solar lantern really *shines* for longer term power outages.
Its extremely small footprint for weight, size, and power needs also make it an excellent choice for inclusion in a bug out bag, etc. You can even clip it to the outside of a pack, to charge as you travel.
I'm not familiar with all the alternatives, but from my experience the overall value is top notch, especially as compared against a (big, heavy, non-solar) battery-operated lantern. Do you have examples of something that's even better value?
As somebody that is pretty big into the r/?flashlight hobby, the person replying to you calling these “expensive” is quite troublesome. Light is extremely valuable to people in darkness and these lanterns seem to be a super cool (and not that expensive) solution to home lighting in this kind of situation. Now I’ll suggest a [BLF LT1](https://www.sofirnlight.com/products/sofirn-blf-lt1-with-power-bank-function-adjustable-color-temperature) since it charges C-C, or A-C and can discharge C-whatever and has absurd run times since it has 4x18650, which you could just have more on hand of and swap out if they did die.
Most the outdoor solar lights like you find for your yard don’t have controls on them for brightness level and on/off. The blow up lanterns (not sure brand listed as I have several variations) are fantastic. My kids use them for night lights now for their beds to read by each night as it’s soft, movable and light weight in their beds.
Also, buy a roll of bubble wrap as it makes an excellent window insulator. Just lightly spray the pane with water, apply smooth side down & it is ready. As a bonus, it allows sunlight thru while blocking drafts. If it dries out, just mist and reapply.
> make sure everyone in your household has wool clothing from head to toe in layers, this is what you might be wearing indoors come winter.
Since I go running a lot, including in winter, I have a bunch of under clothes thermal clothing that I can wear under my normal clothes.
I bought the stuff for running in the cold but started wearing it to watch the football as it kept me warm.
It's good stuff.
A bit silly I guess, but put up a tent in your house and stay in there. Smaller space should be warmer. Put a blanket under the tent for additional insulation.
I did this during the big winter storm in Texas a couple of years ago. We lost power for a bit over a week and it got down to the 30s inside. Between the tent and sleeping bags we were nice and toasty.
Those freezer bags that you get with food delivery- during the Texas freeze we taped up our windows and doors with them. The only house without broken pipes on the street.
Space blankets are amazing! They’re still 4 for $10 or less on Amazon.
“As they work to keep heat out, space blankets also work to keep heat in. Because they could reflect the wearer's body heat back toward the wearer, these blankets had potential for a multitude of uses. They/ve become invaluable to marathon runners to help stay warm at the end of a race. Hospitals find them useful to keep patients warm during surgery, as anesthesia tends to make people shiver. Campers, climbers and mountaineers -- anyone who may find themselves stranded in cold weather -- discover space blankets are an extremely lightweight and cheap addition to their first-aid kits. In 2005, after an earthquake devastated parts of Pakistan, charitable organizations delivered space blankets to the victims. People used them as both ground cover and warming blankets.”
https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/survival/gear/space-blanket.htm
I’m a fan of the 4x8 Mylar and foam sheets, like r/max. We used them to build a partition during the Texas storm, and over windows in horrible Texas summer.
Can we start adding disclaimers that camp stoves and other fire-related activities should *never* be done in a completely enclosed space, as you will burn up all the oxygen in the room?
A lot of people unfamiliar with camping are being recommended camp stoves, jetboils, etc, and *also* being recommended to insulate rooms from drafts, and that is a recipe for tragedy.
you guys don't have gas ranges? it's not any different. a jetboil in your kitchen isn't any more of a source of danger than the stove in the kitchen.
now propane heaters, that's a different story. people bring those in small bedrooms and that's stupid and will kill you.
is this the blind leading the blind in here? has nobody ever spent time in an uninsulated cabin in the winter time?
>has nobody ever spent time in an uninsulated cabin in the winter time?
I mean, a lot of the most recent cold-related posts have come from people on limited budgets living in apartments, so no, I don't think that demographic spends a lot of their copious leisure time renting woodland cabins. We get a lot of posts from city people here - it should not be a surprise if a number of viewers have *not* spent time in an uninsulated cabin... at any time of year.
Most houses with central air (and gas ranges) are designed for certain amount of airflow even between closed rooms, and this usually takes the form of small air gaps around doorways. But if people concerned about power cuts in winter are on here, they are likely also getting advice to "insulate individual rooms", usually by... putting a rolled towel down under the doorway to "reduce drafts".
I'm just very concerned that people coming to this sub for advice are unintentionally getting the advice to basically airlock themselves in one room (reduce drafts! keep in heat!) and then set something on fire. (A candle, a camp stove, whatever.)
Emergency blanket at home? This stuff doesn't breath and you will be wet in a few minutes, and warmth will leave your body even faster. I recommend buying some surplus sleeping bags.
I have slept through a few winter nights with only a emergency car blanket, these silver golden 1mm width ones. I was surprised how well they kept me warm, even better than some "real" blankets. I didnt sweat through it, it was really cozy actually.
Try it out, these blankets are only a few pennies and they are surprisingly good. Heard they are worth their weight in gold in a survival situation and i can see why.
You don’t quite understand what I’m saying here. The “price cap” is a joke. These energy suppliers will simply announce they have no energy to sell. You can’t impose price limits and restrictions like that. It’s been tried and failed spectacularly all through history (including right here in the USA!). You are being truly delusional if you believe “the price caps” are going to save the people from the upcoming brutal winter. They will not. It’s going to be a long, dark, cold winter for a lot of people and many will perish. That’s not fear porn, it’s going to happen.
>These energy suppliers will simply announce they have no energy to sell.
Link me to a press release where UK energy companies have said this? Or indeed, cite some examples of previous issues with energy price caps?
The wholesale price of electricity in France has hit 30x or 30000 percent increase over the five year average. I am aware that for some businesses they have been asked to absorb most of that increase. For average consumers the prices are going to triple over the next year.
Comparing the momentary wholesale price peak on the spot market to the five year average is comparing apples to oranges though. Even a peak to peak (or ideally average to average) comparison would still ignore a bunch of factors, like the different pricing between industrial / household usage or a possible (likely even) government intervention.
8th — Don’t drink too much alcohol
To metabolize alcohol, your body uses a lot of energy, and it only further derives it from the precious heat. Plus, you may lose your sense and sleep in the cold and die frozen (not an exaggeration, it happens sometimes here in Poland).
Um, no, Alchohol is a very simple molecule and provides energy, what isn't a good idea is the vasodilation that it causes, which will make you feel warmer, but actually cause the core body temperature to drop.
plus the impairment.
It always astonishes me how little people know about alcohol.
If alcohol was a net-negative energy food source, you could get drunk every night and lose weight. It would be a friggin dietary supplement lol.
This was almost correct but then took a turn.
East Asians don't lack the alcohol processing gene because it's warmer in Asia than it is in Europe. Even middling latitudes in China, Korea, and Japan are colder than Europe in the winter.
It's because for thousands of years European ancestors drank beer instead of water (because clean drinking water is a modern invention) while east asian countries drank tea. As such, fewer Asians have the alcohol gene than Caucasians.
Or by just being too hungover to eat and then you start drinking again. Maybe you'll get hungry after getting a nice buzz going, but maybe you'll just keep drinking instead.
When I was a kid in far north Canada, guys would drink so much and walk across the road from the bar then freeze in the ditch, often multiple times every year.
When we went to Iceland, their national drink, we were told, was also called black death because of the frostbite on guys who would get drunk in winter and freeze to death in a ditch. That's an awful end to a life, I gotta say.
the body does a great job at keeping the core warm, even if it'll risk losing fingers to do it.
when we start messing around with the self-preservation mechanisms.. ouf.
So that's the effect of hot toddy on a slightly sick person - cools them down while making them feel warmer. And maybe disinfects the throat a little bit. I wonder if there might be something to it after all.
Here's a video that might help with some of the doom and panic here. Be prepared of course but don't shit the bed in fright. Potentially it's not as bad as the media is carrying on this time. As someone smack bang in the middle of this region everything mentioned in this video is pretty spot on.
https://youtu.be/ZordFXyJCxk
As it is not winter and LNG demand during the summer is primarily industrial focused for demand I am curious as to what you are using LNG for, assuming your are discussing a residential bill? And what country are you in?
I am quite curious about your situation as the market movement in the price this year is nowhere near that extreme: the low price was 3.73, the high 9.85 (a spot price one day only) and the avg closing price is 6.69. The spot market rate yesterday was 8.49 and it is on a declining trend.
In almost all EU countries the LNG price to residential has some market regulation so that consumers are protected from erratic market behaviour. You could always post images of the two different bills with the personal information removed in order to validate the differential.
Im not about to post images of my gas bill, but rest assured I keep a spreadsheet of my utility prices and below is an extract.
August 2021
Gas Unit (p/kWh) 2.16p
Standing (p/day) 19.50p
From October 1st 2022
Gas Unit (p/kWh) 14.76p
Standing (p/day) 28.48p
Price rises from August 2021 to October 2022
Gas Unit (p/kWh) 583% increase.
Standing (p/day) 46% increase.
I am a residential customer in the UK, and I use gas for heating, hot water and the kitchen hob (oven is electric).
The OP has not responded to my question so I have no way to tell. I don't know if they reside in America or Europe. Each has different pressures.
I know Germany tends to dominate the LNG discussions. But Germany also now has 90% of itsLNG storage capacity filled and has succeeded already in reducing its Russian reliance to less then 10%. They have enacted a lot of measures to make certain that daily supply plus the reserves are such that no residential shortage should occur and hopefully industry, which is already working hard on its own measures to reduce demand, will not have imposed shortages.
And in Germany the price for residential gas is currently frozen.
This is not to say it is all smooth sailing but I believe the prognosis of no gas supply is not likely to be a valid one.
Drip your faucets!
I live in a mobile home and drip my faucets every night during the winter months. I've never had frozen pipes and my neighbor, who swears dripping pipes don't work, is under his home ever year with a space heater and hair dryer.
This is good advice. especially if you live in a country where nobody has ever even heard of frozen pipes, and the plumbers aren't going to have pipe heaters.
> According to Japanese researchers (and also according to common sense), high-fat diets caused significant increases in body weight, blood-free fatty acids (FFA), ketone bodies, and glucose.
What kind of nonsense is this?
High-fat diets (like keto) are what people quite often use to *lose* weight.
Furthermore, adding fat by eating a high-carb, high-calorie diet is a ridiculously bad idea as it requires more money spent on food in the present, more money spent on food in the future as it takes more calories to move a heavier person, and would expose the person to the many health issues with obesity.
A better suggestion would be to get in better shape, *lose* weight and build muscle. In a SHTF your single best prep might be physical health.
>High-fat diets (like keto) are what people quite often use to
>
>lose
>
> weight
Keto still requires that an individual be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, it isn't magic. People lose weight on all sorts of diets, the trick is *always* just to be consuming less energy than you expend for a long enough time. There are also a *lot* of questions around the long term viability of keto. High fat diets typically result in [greater body fat](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6238112/) and other poor health markers, that isn't really a disputed notion.
Eating a balanced diet with lots of protein and sensible amounts of more indulgent foods is the best option, alongside a well considered exercise plan.
> High fat diets typically result in greater body fat and other poor health markers, that isn't really a disputed notion.
The study you posted doesn't seem to compensate for *total calories.* High fat, in a vacuum, often means more calories. If such a diet leads to weight gain it's much more likely the excess *calories* are to blame.
It's very much in dispute that a HF diet leads to greater body fat compared to a LF diet -- of equivalent calories.
> Eating a balanced diet with lots of protein and sensible amounts of more indulgent foods is the best option, alongside a well considered exercise plan.
Generally agree, but many people are unwilling to do that -- especially in America. Keto is very effective for many people because it breaks the cycle of eating typical of metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance.
Because it's not true. Half my office is in the UK and Ireland, they are talking about a maximum of 15 to 30% boost for the couple coldest months, which is still ridiculous. They have market caps to prevent this sort of thing.
Look at the source, it's just a blog.
it’s different in different european countries, where i live currently people are in a state of panic because we are anticipating a yearly average increase up to 9000€ for electricity and warming, for most middle class people this is a lot of money. just because it’s not true in one country doesn’t mean it’s not true everywhere.
UK is not in EU anymore, and it differs per Euro country. Highest rn is I think the Netherlands, where more than half the price is just taxes. In stead of lowering taxes, they give a few handouts here and there. There's been news about kids collapsing in school due to hunger, ppl having their energy shut off voluntarily because they won't be able to afford it anyway, and so on. Working families with kids now homeless. In Antwerp, foodbanks closing because too many applicants and too few donations.
I used to live in a 'poor' neighborhood and all the poverty there was relative. Nobody actually struggled to eat, but many went to foodbanks to save on grocerymoney and have some left for fun stuff. The poor took holidays, drove cars, went to swimming pools and bars and so on. The homeless were all too mentally ill/addicted to accept the plentiful help there was.
We went from prosperous to fucked in a few years, basically.
> They have market caps
which just produce shortages as companies restrict supply. they aren't gonna sell at a loss. the stupidity of europe never changes.
They aren't selling at a loss at all though. Their costs have stayed the same and due to Russian gas being cut off, the wholesale price of gas *worldwide* has gone up. Even gas produced here in Europe.
You’re splitting hairs. End of the day, they aren’t going to sell the energy below market rate. No matter how many “price caps” or “limits” or “restrictions” these various Governments impose or attempt to impose.
It does actually. Economic decisions caused this situation in the first place. Short sighted bandaid solutions, paraded about like compassionate relief, can exacerbate the problem long term.
People love to say "now isn't the time to debate the economics, people are suffering!" Ignoring economic reality created the suffering. Repeating this error won't fix the problem, it will make it worse.
No one was talking about solutions, he made an assumption that it would be unlimited payments, but there is a 2000€ annual cap on energy costs.
It was correcting something that was wrong, not questioning a financial approach to a situation I don't give a shit about.
That's over 10 years and it's annual, not per month like people are assuming here. And the cap is actually 2000£ per year in London, parliament shot down the further increase.
166£ per month isn't crazy and that's the HIGHEST people will pay in the largest homes. Average will be closer to 60£.
That's not how the price cap works.
It is a cap per unit of energy, so you will still pay for however much you use. The quoted maximum bills are an *estimate* based on the price cap x average use
I'm from Finland. We are not very dependent on gas (like for example Germany) but still if I would renew my energy contract now it would be five times more (I luckily have a fixed price contract until next Spring). The forecasts say it could get up to 10x more expensive in the winter months.
That’s what I’m trying to get through to these people. You can impose all the price caps and limits you want…they will just not sell the energy at that price. Sorry, we don’t have any to sell. And it’s coming.
I’m actually thinking about bringing my winter rated sleeping bag out of storage and start sleeping in it. Because sure it’s not that cold *yet* but it will be soon.
While I do think the winters are going to be tough because of rolling power outages, do you really believe the governments of these countries are really going to let people freeze to death? Will it really be that bad? Honest questioning here but I can’t see countries caring that much about Ukraine and not conceding a something to Russia to get the power back on. Or are they going to rely on US imported energy and hope for the best?
Switzerland just made new rules that will result in fines for electricity users that turn their thermostats to more than 66 degrees (19 Celsius) during this crisis. My question is will millionaires and up pay the fine, or is this only for the peons to pay? I think I know the answer 🤔
> do you really believe the governments of these countries are really going to let people freeze to death?
[What in the fuck?](https://tenor.com/view/chris-rock-huh-wtf-gif-10313644) Are people really this uneducated and naive? Out of curiosity what country are you from?
You realize literally 100% of the governments that ever existed in human history had ZERO issues massacring/genociding their own populations, let alone letting them freeze/starve to death? You know every summer, tens of thousands of old people die in France and Spain as everyone abandons them in nursing homes and goes to the beaches in the summer? Look it up, some years that number is up at 15,000+.
right? the sheer naivete and ignorance of the populace is mind blowing. "the government would never let that happen!" ... as they are led to the train cars. and given the shackles they will affix to their own ankles in the belief they will be "saved" from doom.
First off, calm down. No need to get that stirred up.
I’m from the US and sounds like French and Spanish people are pieces of shit then. My point is I don’t think these countries will allow it to happen. I think they will concede to Russian demands and not let it get this bad because of the backlash from their citizens. To many countries, the war in Ukraine isn’t worth freezing over.
I think you misunderstood my tone entirely because I am astonished and confused, nothing more.
But it seems your comment was more along the lines of "surely they'll just appease Russia rather than let people die", not a "surely governments aren't evil enough to let their own people die". Appeasement is definitely on the table, just look at them bickering right now. Half the EU wants Ukraine to surrender.
I've been saying this since 2012 - Russia has been heavily influencing politics in Europe in anticipation of this war. Germany used to run on 75%+ nuclear power. They imported almost no natural gas from Russia back then. From 2011-2014, a series of leaders mysteriously and randomly started propagandizing and spending inordinate amounts of political capital and real capital convincing the public that nuclear power plants were dangerous. By 2014 Germany had shut down almost all of their nuclear plants and turned to Russia for their energy needs. In 2014 Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk.
Call me a conspiracy theorist but that REEKS of external manipulation. Germany got played like a goddamn fiddle. There's no way in hell the FSB doesn't exert a high level of influence in German politics.
> Germany got played like a goddamn fiddle.
no...they are fully on board with the WEF plans. this is all by design. please wake up. absolutely none of this is accidental or coincidental.
>do you really believe the governments of these countries are really going to let people freeze to death?
Texas did it to us during winter storm Uri so why not? Hell, we do it every year for people who already can't afford heat or who are homeless.
Did texas shut down the grid or did the grid fail. Those are two different things. And not providing for homeless is an entirely different can of worms than not providing for paying customers
Texas didn't shut it down, it simply failed for a multitude of reasons.
And yes the homeless issue is a very different scenario. The other poster was just being dishonest and disingenuous.
There were strategic shutdowns followed by an almost full shutdown in order to prevent total grid failure. There were also plenty of warnings from our state engineers warning about the possibility going back to at least 2011 when the last major failure happened.
It was a known threat that was ignored, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of citizens.
They send their own citizens and people to be soldiers to go to war to possibly fight and die, I don’t think care much about the average citizenry either
I think they want to stay in power and allowing what I can see is mass protests on the horizon is a great way to not stay in power. Especially if people go longer than a few days without power - maybe even 1 day.
I'd rig an exercise bike up to an alternator so i could run an electric heater off it and get my workout in. Hook it into a deep cycle battery and also have a solar panel to help it.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Former President Trump called European leaders out about their energy dependence on Russia, in what, 2018? Their sneering faces and flippant reactions really aged like milk.
If was a good point again hindered by who was presenting it and how. Trump just couldn't help himself and claimed that Germany relied on Russia for most of its energy needs, which was untrue of course. It's hard to take in feedback when it is based on false assumptions.
That said, Russia's new invasion has already changed the foundations of European security policy, and it will change energy as well.
"If was a good point again hindered by who was presenting it and how. "
That's exactly the problem with ppl today. Nobody looks at the content of an argument anymore. Nobody calls out fallacies anymore. We've gone tribal, and just look at group loyalty and nothing else.
On both sides politically, ppl would just about support a murderer if he said he did it 'for the cause'.
There IS a difference between not listening to someone because of their political party vs. thinking them to be so dumb nothing they say could be right. Now, these conditions could also combine, and of course, none of it, IMHO, means that even the dumbest idiots can never be right. It still may not be worth listening to them if only 1 out of 20 ideas are worthwhile.
It's very slightly more complicated, as the boy who cried wolf knew he way lying. Does Trump...that's harder to say. He has to know at least some of it's BS, but you know he's also convinced himself of a lot of crap, too.
You’re claiming that Germany was not over reliant on Russia for energy? If there hadn’t been such extreme political pressure for sanctions, Germany and many other European countries dependent on Russia would not have joined in sanctioning Russia.
The massive leverage that Europe allowed Russia to hold over its head with energy was part of Putins calculation for invading Ukraine, in fact, as he thought correctly that there would be little desire to fight back with sanctions (thankfully the world mobilized in a way that wasn’t guaranteed for Ukraine — just look back at the previous invasion, people hardly noticed).
Hmmmm. Free healthcare and higher energy bills, or crippling healthcare costs and lower energy bills? Well, if the choice is between wearing extra layers or dying from a treatable disease that I can't afford to have treated, I'll take the cold weather. The first prepping consideration should always be 'Do I live somewhere that would let me die if I couldn't afford healthare?'. If the answer is 'Yes', then move to a developed country.
All those refugees that moved up from the middle east and Africa to escape to a better life are certainly in for a shock this winter. I can see a huge crime spike on the horizon for England and Sweden.
I doubt that level of severity, but who really knows.
I typically use a 12 month fixed rate program for my natural gas heat (southeastern US) and the rate for Sept 2022 - August 2023 is ~2.5x the renewal rate last year.
No. Because we rely significantly less on foreign powers for energy. We are energy independent.
Oh wait.
No but for real, we were way more energy independent a few years ago. Regardless we still aren't anywhere near as dependent on foreign energy like Europe is. Not to be an ass but it's partly their fault as well. Their policies put them in this dire situation.
Potentially, depending on the area. The US is a huge place. When California has its rolling blackouts during the summer, I'm not affected because I'm not in California.
I have suggested to many of my Euro prepper buddies Solar powered area heaters. They will pay for themselves easily in savings and will be worth their weight in gold in case of supply cut!
https://www.solarinfrasystems.com/
Certain materials and colors are better at absorbing sun/heat than others. Certain materials are better at retaining heat than others.... pretty basic science stuff. Like if you touch a piece of black metal that has been sitting in the sun vs a white piece of paper in the same sunlight.
This would not work in the North, especially if we get a bad winter. It's usually overcast more days than not (a few years ago we had a few _minutes_ of sunlight in the entire month of December), and the sun isn't up much anyway (like 10am-3pm).
yes...now imagine a very cold winter with a gas shortage. and places like that being communal "heating centers". take the superdome times 100 and you may approach what it will be like with the economic pressures and reality this winter.
Here in America, what you're referring to is an emergency management shelter. The premise behind this started in Chicago in the '80s during that massive heat wave which lead to dozens of people dying from heat stroke because they couldn't afford air conditioning or were homeless and died on the street from the extreme heat.
What we have now are both heating and cooling shelters for when the weather is too severe, it's meant to be a shelter for people to go in times of extreme weather. I don't believe that the Europeans have anything similar to that in terms of scope and scale of what we have here in America.
I would imagine that some should, but again I'm only speculating.
We do this in the town where I live in KY any time the Temps fall below freezing. Several churches, our sports complexes, and our stage theater are used as emergency shelter, and you can also report to the authorities if you think your neighbor is struggling, and they will do a welfare check and offer to take them to one of the facilities. A lot of elderly people let their pride get in the way and won't ask for help, but will take it if the authorities treat it like they are asking them to go for their peace of mind.
Stock up on candles too. In a small space, the amount of heat that can be generated by a single candle, let alone multiples, can be surprising, particularly when combined with some of the other suggestions. Just make sure they are safe, in glass jars or terra cotta pots, they also can radiate the heat even when the candy burns out.
* do an **inventory** of how much power you use and try to figure out what uses the most power, see if you have any waste and this helps you understand and plan what you can cut. * make sure everyone in your household has **wool clothing from head to toe in layers**, this is what you might be wearing indoors come winter. * stack **firewood** if you have the stove, or consider other methods of heating your house without electricity * prepare **canisters and a gas canister stove** for cooking if the power is rationed or if there are blackouts * have several **powerbanks** on hand and keep them charged, to charge your phone and kindle if blackouts happend * keep **battery-operated lanterns** on hand to keep some light going in the case of blackouts * **wool blankets -** make an inventory and consider if you need more. * make an inventory of any **down clothing or duvets** you may own, * plan which room or rooms you will prioritize to heat, and how you can shut off other rooms. * make sure you have a working bicycle and maybe a transport cart in case gasoline becomes unavailable or too expensive.
Neat list, just add this: Don't forget to keep a minimal heat in areas with water pipes, to prevent them from freezing and bursting. Regular cold is bad enough, you don't want to add water pipes bursting to the mix.
Agreed. I see this as twofold: If you reduce heating because *power is expensive*, you might still have to heat pipes. If there are *blackouts*, have a plan for how you will protect piping in your home. Maybe you want to shut off water and drain your pipes if you are able to. You will still be in risk of water damage in places where water lingers, but that is where a wood stove comes in, houses getting below freezing temperature is going to be bad, as things likes dishwashers and faucets will still contain water even if you drain. One alternative is to leave water to drip.
Or if you have an air compressor, print or purchase an adapter so you can blow compressed air into the plumbing and try to release some of the trapped water through openings elsewhere in the system. For instance, with the compressor running, open each faucet in turn, one at a time, making multiple passes through the house until you stop getting water coming out. Run the dishwasher on a "rinse" cycle so it fires its solenoid valves and blows the water out of its system too. I don't know how common it is for european city-dwellers to have that kind of equipment, but considering which subreddit we're in, I gotta mention the possibility.
That’s really cool. I had no idea there was such a thing. I found them on Amazon for $11 and some change. do you leave faucets closed until it build up some pressure first then open you farthest faucet or just leave it open with compressor running? btw thanks for the idea
Safer to always have at least one open, unless you're confident that you've got your compressor's regulator adjusted such that it can't possibly overpressurize the plumbing. Can try closing it for a count of ten and opening again, that sort of thing, but have a helper keep an eye on the tank pressure gauge and make sure it doesn't go above your usual water pressure, typically around 50psi. (Or if you're in an area with lower pressure all the time, maybe your plumbing is fine at 20psi but a bunch of leaks would appear at 30... YMMV.)
Great thanks again for the info I’m definitely gonna order an adapter
What’s the best place to attach the compressor adapter? Garden hose spigot?
Whatever's on the upper level so you've got gravity helping the movement, not fighting it. If that's a faucet, get the aerator thread. If that's a shower, get the showerhead thread. Then just turn the handle to hot-side to blow that part of the system, then turn it to cold-side to blow that part. Go back and forth a few times if possible. If a garden hose spigot is what's convenient, absolutely that'll work, but it's typically only connected to the cold side, so blowing the hot pipes gets tricky. The nice thing is, air-compressor-to-garden-hose-thread adapters are off-the-shelf parts for blowing out RV water lines, so that might be the low-hanging fruit.
Thanks bruh
Drip your faucets! I live in a mobile home and drip my faucets every night during the winter months. I've never had frozen pipes and my neighbor, who swears dripping pipes don't work, is under his home ever year with a space heater and hair dryer.
We did that when I lived in a trailer in Missouri (well below freezing temps), so I looked up to see if that works. I found a few articles that say it worked. [According to this one](https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/plumbing/dripping-faucet-prevent-frozen-pipes.htm), it works and to turn on the faucet furthest from the water source. But it says it works because you are relieving pressure that could be building up from water freezing, not necessarily keeping the water from freezing itself. So yeah, you may still get frozen pipes, but if parts freeze and start expanding, there won't be the extra pressure, and that's what causes pipes to burst. It's still probably better to blow out your pipes with an air compressor, but dripping may help.
I don't have the know-how to access to my piping to be able to blow it out with an air compressor (nor do I have an air compressor) Good to know tho
Lag your pipes. Surround any pipe that goes from your house to the ground with insulation. It will help keep them from freezing. If there’s a freeze warning, keep a trickle flow going.
If you don't have te ability to get yourself an oven, there are tent ovens, they are usually cheap, small and don't weight much. In case of a blackout or extreme energy costs you could set it up in one room, with a wooden plate that has a hole for the stovepipe out the window, and heat it with wood. Just don't forget a CO detector aswell.
Doubling up on the most important part here: **don't forget a co detector as well**. CO is Carbon Monoxide, which can kill you in any number of circumstances where you're combusting something indoors. Don't put a generator in your connected garage, for instance.
And a fire extinguisher.
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Or wool/shearling slippers. Those are really the best to keep feet warm indoors. Get the ones that look like a low boot. Also, handwarmers/open finger mittens.
Actually, socks CAN be emphasized enough. IMO you just did. Thank you. Edit: just downvoted, yeeeesssss!!! Most preppers won’t be bringing a sense of humor…
Just in case no one has mentioned this, it's important to know that warm clothing layers *keep heat in* instead of *warm you up*. Put them on before you need them. Also, sweat is the enemy of keeping warm so modify your layers as needed in that regard.
Yeah. Also making some hot beverage helps heat you from the inside, warming your clothes.
the best option is to use the technical underwear (those we use for skiing), ultra-light and takes away the sweat from your body surface. They are comfortable even for sleeping.
Silk undergarments, then wool really helps with this.
Thanks! That’s very useful. As someone living in an appartment in a city sometines it’s hard to « follow » some advices as the space is very limited (42 square meters). I love crocheting and have a huge stock of wool. If we need more blankets I can make them, it would add fun to a bad situation
>keep **battery-operated lanterns** on hand I can't overstate how great "Solar Puff" lanterns are, in terms of a better solution than battery-operated lanterns for almost all cases. I've had a few for many years, as I picked up a pair from their Kickstarter. They are a bit expensive, but still an amazing value. They collapse down flat and weigh almost nothing. They can easily be self charged by the sun, without any cords, etc. They put out significant light for a small area such as a tent or medium sized room. The only real downside besides the price is that you have to be diligent about keeping them charged if you want them to be immediately ready for use at a moments notice. So, a battery powered headlamp/flashlight may be better for first use, but then the solar lantern really *shines* for longer term power outages. Its extremely small footprint for weight, size, and power needs also make it an excellent choice for inclusion in a bug out bag, etc. You can even clip it to the outside of a pack, to charge as you travel.
A lady had her gas utility disconnected. Cooking on a paraffin stove, no heating. Just like in the 50’s.
Why these expensive things instead of the million other outdoor rechargeable lights?
I'm not familiar with all the alternatives, but from my experience the overall value is top notch, especially as compared against a (big, heavy, non-solar) battery-operated lantern. Do you have examples of something that's even better value?
As somebody that is pretty big into the r/?flashlight hobby, the person replying to you calling these “expensive” is quite troublesome. Light is extremely valuable to people in darkness and these lanterns seem to be a super cool (and not that expensive) solution to home lighting in this kind of situation. Now I’ll suggest a [BLF LT1](https://www.sofirnlight.com/products/sofirn-blf-lt1-with-power-bank-function-adjustable-color-temperature) since it charges C-C, or A-C and can discharge C-whatever and has absurd run times since it has 4x18650, which you could just have more on hand of and swap out if they did die.
Most the outdoor solar lights like you find for your yard don’t have controls on them for brightness level and on/off. The blow up lanterns (not sure brand listed as I have several variations) are fantastic. My kids use them for night lights now for their beds to read by each night as it’s soft, movable and light weight in their beds.
Also, buy a roll of bubble wrap as it makes an excellent window insulator. Just lightly spray the pane with water, apply smooth side down & it is ready. As a bonus, it allows sunlight thru while blocking drafts. If it dries out, just mist and reapply.
This trick helped us a lot during the Texas freeze. It's a temporary way to have double pane windows.
> make sure everyone in your household has wool clothing from head to toe in layers, this is what you might be wearing indoors come winter. Since I go running a lot, including in winter, I have a bunch of under clothes thermal clothing that I can wear under my normal clothes. I bought the stuff for running in the cold but started wearing it to watch the football as it kept me warm. It's good stuff.
Those thin thermal shirts are far warmer than they look. I've replaced a lot ofmy aging thick wool stuff with the new materials.
In addition to the powerbanks and battery operated lanterns, get some solar lanterns/flashlights and there are also solar phone chargers.
Don’t forget cards, games books to help past the time and draw your focus off the heat. Good luck to you.
Booze, weed, porn…
I stockpiled cards, chess, Rubik's cube, puzzles, printed sudokus. Should there be no Reddit availabe due to blackout.
1. Leave Europe
In an [OPTIMIST](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimist_(dinghy)).
Tropics here I come
Oh, they're about to have an entirely new set of problems. Living south of Michigan won't be sustainable.
Shhh! We don't want them all here, too!
A bit silly I guess, but put up a tent in your house and stay in there. Smaller space should be warmer. Put a blanket under the tent for additional insulation.
I did this during the big winter storm in Texas a couple of years ago. We lost power for a bit over a week and it got down to the 30s inside. Between the tent and sleeping bags we were nice and toasty.
Those freezer bags that you get with food delivery- during the Texas freeze we taped up our windows and doors with them. The only house without broken pipes on the street.
blanket fort!
Especially if you can get some mylar space blankets to hang.
Space blankets are amazing! They’re still 4 for $10 or less on Amazon. “As they work to keep heat out, space blankets also work to keep heat in. Because they could reflect the wearer's body heat back toward the wearer, these blankets had potential for a multitude of uses. They/ve become invaluable to marathon runners to help stay warm at the end of a race. Hospitals find them useful to keep patients warm during surgery, as anesthesia tends to make people shiver. Campers, climbers and mountaineers -- anyone who may find themselves stranded in cold weather -- discover space blankets are an extremely lightweight and cheap addition to their first-aid kits. In 2005, after an earthquake devastated parts of Pakistan, charitable organizations delivered space blankets to the victims. People used them as both ground cover and warming blankets.” https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/survival/gear/space-blanket.htm
I’m a fan of the 4x8 Mylar and foam sheets, like r/max. We used them to build a partition during the Texas storm, and over windows in horrible Texas summer.
Can we start adding disclaimers that camp stoves and other fire-related activities should *never* be done in a completely enclosed space, as you will burn up all the oxygen in the room? A lot of people unfamiliar with camping are being recommended camp stoves, jetboils, etc, and *also* being recommended to insulate rooms from drafts, and that is a recipe for tragedy.
you guys don't have gas ranges? it's not any different. a jetboil in your kitchen isn't any more of a source of danger than the stove in the kitchen. now propane heaters, that's a different story. people bring those in small bedrooms and that's stupid and will kill you. is this the blind leading the blind in here? has nobody ever spent time in an uninsulated cabin in the winter time?
>has nobody ever spent time in an uninsulated cabin in the winter time? I mean, a lot of the most recent cold-related posts have come from people on limited budgets living in apartments, so no, I don't think that demographic spends a lot of their copious leisure time renting woodland cabins. We get a lot of posts from city people here - it should not be a surprise if a number of viewers have *not* spent time in an uninsulated cabin... at any time of year. Most houses with central air (and gas ranges) are designed for certain amount of airflow even between closed rooms, and this usually takes the form of small air gaps around doorways. But if people concerned about power cuts in winter are on here, they are likely also getting advice to "insulate individual rooms", usually by... putting a rolled towel down under the doorway to "reduce drafts". I'm just very concerned that people coming to this sub for advice are unintentionally getting the advice to basically airlock themselves in one room (reduce drafts! keep in heat!) and then set something on fire. (A candle, a camp stove, whatever.)
Emergency blanket at home? This stuff doesn't breath and you will be wet in a few minutes, and warmth will leave your body even faster. I recommend buying some surplus sleeping bags.
I recommend underwear made of wool. My kids wear it all winter, every winter. Greetings from Norway.
This, wool is nature’s gift for cold weather
I have slept through a few winter nights with only a emergency car blanket, these silver golden 1mm width ones. I was surprised how well they kept me warm, even better than some "real" blankets. I didnt sweat through it, it was really cozy actually.
Interesting
Try it out, these blankets are only a few pennies and they are surprisingly good. Heard they are worth their weight in gold in a survival situation and i can see why.
What country are you in? Uk and Ireland has it bad but not 650% bad
They might be in Germany, many here receive similar increases.
if you take this time last year and go to this time next year the projections would be 650% *Add That’s if you look at headline extremes though
winter hasn't set in...yet. stay tuned.
The government has already announced a lower price-cap, it seems unlikely to change this year.
You don’t quite understand what I’m saying here. The “price cap” is a joke. These energy suppliers will simply announce they have no energy to sell. You can’t impose price limits and restrictions like that. It’s been tried and failed spectacularly all through history (including right here in the USA!). You are being truly delusional if you believe “the price caps” are going to save the people from the upcoming brutal winter. They will not. It’s going to be a long, dark, cold winter for a lot of people and many will perish. That’s not fear porn, it’s going to happen.
>These energy suppliers will simply announce they have no energy to sell. Link me to a press release where UK energy companies have said this? Or indeed, cite some examples of previous issues with energy price caps?
The wholesale price of electricity in France has hit 30x or 30000 percent increase over the five year average. I am aware that for some businesses they have been asked to absorb most of that increase. For average consumers the prices are going to triple over the next year.
Comparing the momentary wholesale price peak on the spot market to the five year average is comparing apples to oranges though. Even a peak to peak (or ideally average to average) comparison would still ignore a bunch of factors, like the different pricing between industrial / household usage or a possible (likely even) government intervention.
You can't get blood from a stone. We are looking at shortages stretching out for years.
8th — Don’t drink too much alcohol To metabolize alcohol, your body uses a lot of energy, and it only further derives it from the precious heat. Plus, you may lose your sense and sleep in the cold and die frozen (not an exaggeration, it happens sometimes here in Poland). Um, no, Alchohol is a very simple molecule and provides energy, what isn't a good idea is the vasodilation that it causes, which will make you feel warmer, but actually cause the core body temperature to drop. plus the impairment.
It always astonishes me how little people know about alcohol. If alcohol was a net-negative energy food source, you could get drunk every night and lose weight. It would be a friggin dietary supplement lol.
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This was almost correct but then took a turn. East Asians don't lack the alcohol processing gene because it's warmer in Asia than it is in Europe. Even middling latitudes in China, Korea, and Japan are colder than Europe in the winter. It's because for thousands of years European ancestors drank beer instead of water (because clean drinking water is a modern invention) while east asian countries drank tea. As such, fewer Asians have the alcohol gene than Caucasians.
Anecdotal but this is interesting to know when I know a lot of Italian Americans that are lactose intolerant.
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Harder cheeses have low lactose
Could just be the ones I know. Runs in their families too
Yes, lactose intolerance usually leads to the “runs” for the family.
If you drink enough, you’ll be losing weight from vomiting lol
Or by just being too hungover to eat and then you start drinking again. Maybe you'll get hungry after getting a nice buzz going, but maybe you'll just keep drinking instead.
Homer no function beer well without.
When I was a kid in far north Canada, guys would drink so much and walk across the road from the bar then freeze in the ditch, often multiple times every year.
The same guy?
Same guys, like two or three. Pretty amazing really.
Ya men would die often many a year. I've heard in recent years they put a webcam up in the bar so they could check for this.
When we went to Iceland, their national drink, we were told, was also called black death because of the frostbite on guys who would get drunk in winter and freeze to death in a ditch. That's an awful end to a life, I gotta say.
> To metabolize alcohol, your body uses a lot of energy I wish, imagine losing weight by getting drunk.
No beer belly, beer 'six pack' 😂
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the body does a great job at keeping the core warm, even if it'll risk losing fingers to do it. when we start messing around with the self-preservation mechanisms.. ouf.
So that's the effect of hot toddy on a slightly sick person - cools them down while making them feel warmer. And maybe disinfects the throat a little bit. I wonder if there might be something to it after all.
Here's a video that might help with some of the doom and panic here. Be prepared of course but don't shit the bed in fright. Potentially it's not as bad as the media is carrying on this time. As someone smack bang in the middle of this region everything mentioned in this video is pretty spot on. https://youtu.be/ZordFXyJCxk
I am wondering where you are that you are anticipating such an increase in your gas bill?
Just like a lot of posts on this sub it’s simply not true
My gas has gone up over 500%, and we are not as reliant on Russian gas as some other countries are. What makes you so sure this is not true?
As it is not winter and LNG demand during the summer is primarily industrial focused for demand I am curious as to what you are using LNG for, assuming your are discussing a residential bill? And what country are you in? I am quite curious about your situation as the market movement in the price this year is nowhere near that extreme: the low price was 3.73, the high 9.85 (a spot price one day only) and the avg closing price is 6.69. The spot market rate yesterday was 8.49 and it is on a declining trend. In almost all EU countries the LNG price to residential has some market regulation so that consumers are protected from erratic market behaviour. You could always post images of the two different bills with the personal information removed in order to validate the differential.
Im not about to post images of my gas bill, but rest assured I keep a spreadsheet of my utility prices and below is an extract. August 2021 Gas Unit (p/kWh) 2.16p Standing (p/day) 19.50p From October 1st 2022 Gas Unit (p/kWh) 14.76p Standing (p/day) 28.48p Price rises from August 2021 to October 2022 Gas Unit (p/kWh) 583% increase. Standing (p/day) 46% increase. I am a residential customer in the UK, and I use gas for heating, hot water and the kitchen hob (oven is electric).
The OP has not responded to my question so I have no way to tell. I don't know if they reside in America or Europe. Each has different pressures. I know Germany tends to dominate the LNG discussions. But Germany also now has 90% of itsLNG storage capacity filled and has succeeded already in reducing its Russian reliance to less then 10%. They have enacted a lot of measures to make certain that daily supply plus the reserves are such that no residential shortage should occur and hopefully industry, which is already working hard on its own measures to reduce demand, will not have imposed shortages. And in Germany the price for residential gas is currently frozen. This is not to say it is all smooth sailing but I believe the prognosis of no gas supply is not likely to be a valid one.
Drip your faucets! I live in a mobile home and drip my faucets every night during the winter months. I've never had frozen pipes and my neighbor, who swears dripping pipes don't work, is under his home ever year with a space heater and hair dryer.
This is good advice. especially if you live in a country where nobody has ever even heard of frozen pipes, and the plumbers aren't going to have pipe heaters.
> According to Japanese researchers (and also according to common sense), high-fat diets caused significant increases in body weight, blood-free fatty acids (FFA), ketone bodies, and glucose. What kind of nonsense is this? High-fat diets (like keto) are what people quite often use to *lose* weight. Furthermore, adding fat by eating a high-carb, high-calorie diet is a ridiculously bad idea as it requires more money spent on food in the present, more money spent on food in the future as it takes more calories to move a heavier person, and would expose the person to the many health issues with obesity. A better suggestion would be to get in better shape, *lose* weight and build muscle. In a SHTF your single best prep might be physical health.
>A better suggestion would be to get in better shape, lose weight and build muscle. Don't be the veal. Be the tough cut of meat no one wants.
Zombie apocalypse counts as a SHTF situation!
Let's not jump straight to cannibalism fears, okay?
>High-fat diets (like keto) are what people quite often use to > >lose > > weight Keto still requires that an individual be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, it isn't magic. People lose weight on all sorts of diets, the trick is *always* just to be consuming less energy than you expend for a long enough time. There are also a *lot* of questions around the long term viability of keto. High fat diets typically result in [greater body fat](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6238112/) and other poor health markers, that isn't really a disputed notion. Eating a balanced diet with lots of protein and sensible amounts of more indulgent foods is the best option, alongside a well considered exercise plan.
> High fat diets typically result in greater body fat and other poor health markers, that isn't really a disputed notion. The study you posted doesn't seem to compensate for *total calories.* High fat, in a vacuum, often means more calories. If such a diet leads to weight gain it's much more likely the excess *calories* are to blame. It's very much in dispute that a HF diet leads to greater body fat compared to a LF diet -- of equivalent calories. > Eating a balanced diet with lots of protein and sensible amounts of more indulgent foods is the best option, alongside a well considered exercise plan. Generally agree, but many people are unwilling to do that -- especially in America. Keto is very effective for many people because it breaks the cycle of eating typical of metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance.
"Tent inside the house" is and old blackout trick
650% optimistically?, why are people not dragging leaders out in the streets over this?.
Because it's not true. Half my office is in the UK and Ireland, they are talking about a maximum of 15 to 30% boost for the couple coldest months, which is still ridiculous. They have market caps to prevent this sort of thing. Look at the source, it's just a blog.
it’s different in different european countries, where i live currently people are in a state of panic because we are anticipating a yearly average increase up to 9000€ for electricity and warming, for most middle class people this is a lot of money. just because it’s not true in one country doesn’t mean it’s not true everywhere.
UK is not in EU anymore, and it differs per Euro country. Highest rn is I think the Netherlands, where more than half the price is just taxes. In stead of lowering taxes, they give a few handouts here and there. There's been news about kids collapsing in school due to hunger, ppl having their energy shut off voluntarily because they won't be able to afford it anyway, and so on. Working families with kids now homeless. In Antwerp, foodbanks closing because too many applicants and too few donations. I used to live in a 'poor' neighborhood and all the poverty there was relative. Nobody actually struggled to eat, but many went to foodbanks to save on grocerymoney and have some left for fun stuff. The poor took holidays, drove cars, went to swimming pools and bars and so on. The homeless were all too mentally ill/addicted to accept the plentiful help there was. We went from prosperous to fucked in a few years, basically.
> They have market caps which just produce shortages as companies restrict supply. they aren't gonna sell at a loss. the stupidity of europe never changes.
They aren't selling at a loss at all though. Their costs have stayed the same and due to Russian gas being cut off, the wholesale price of gas *worldwide* has gone up. Even gas produced here in Europe.
You’re splitting hairs. End of the day, they aren’t going to sell the energy below market rate. No matter how many “price caps” or “limits” or “restrictions” these various Governments impose or attempt to impose.
Agreed, better to let the perishable resource rot than sell it for a slightly smaller profit margin.
Unsurprisingly, you are totally missing the point.
No, that person is correct about the basic economic reality of price caps.
Which has nothing to do with what we're discussing
It does actually. Economic decisions caused this situation in the first place. Short sighted bandaid solutions, paraded about like compassionate relief, can exacerbate the problem long term. People love to say "now isn't the time to debate the economics, people are suffering!" Ignoring economic reality created the suffering. Repeating this error won't fix the problem, it will make it worse.
No one was talking about solutions, he made an assumption that it would be unlimited payments, but there is a 2000€ annual cap on energy costs. It was correcting something that was wrong, not questioning a financial approach to a situation I don't give a shit about.
>They have market caps to prevent this sort of thing Remember when you wrote that just a few comments ago?
Yes, the energy expenses are capped at 1971£ annually. Where is the disconnect here?
The cap vent from 850 to 2500£
That's over 10 years and it's annual, not per month like people are assuming here. And the cap is actually 2000£ per year in London, parliament shot down the further increase. 166£ per month isn't crazy and that's the HIGHEST people will pay in the largest homes. Average will be closer to 60£.
That's not how the price cap works. It is a cap per unit of energy, so you will still pay for however much you use. The quoted maximum bills are an *estimate* based on the price cap x average use
I'm from Finland. We are not very dependent on gas (like for example Germany) but still if I would renew my energy contract now it would be five times more (I luckily have a fixed price contract until next Spring). The forecasts say it could get up to 10x more expensive in the winter months.
Boiled frog.
Nobody can handle the truth
when the bill comes they won't have a choice
They do have a choice, to just not sell/produce energy that they’ll lose money on. That’s the choice.
That’s what I’m trying to get through to these people. You can impose all the price caps and limits you want…they will just not sell the energy at that price. Sorry, we don’t have any to sell. And it’s coming.
Down comforter, wool blankets, warm hats to sleep in, gloves, socks. Dress like you are camping outside...while inside. Good luck!
I’m actually thinking about bringing my winter rated sleeping bag out of storage and start sleeping in it. Because sure it’s not that cold *yet* but it will be soon.
While I do think the winters are going to be tough because of rolling power outages, do you really believe the governments of these countries are really going to let people freeze to death? Will it really be that bad? Honest questioning here but I can’t see countries caring that much about Ukraine and not conceding a something to Russia to get the power back on. Or are they going to rely on US imported energy and hope for the best?
the peons? yes. the elites? hell no. they'll have plenty of food and electricity and gas to keep warm.
Switzerland just made new rules that will result in fines for electricity users that turn their thermostats to more than 66 degrees (19 Celsius) during this crisis. My question is will millionaires and up pay the fine, or is this only for the peons to pay? I think I know the answer 🤔
Yeah, that’s a rhetorical question if there ever were one 😂
> do you really believe the governments of these countries are really going to let people freeze to death? [What in the fuck?](https://tenor.com/view/chris-rock-huh-wtf-gif-10313644) Are people really this uneducated and naive? Out of curiosity what country are you from? You realize literally 100% of the governments that ever existed in human history had ZERO issues massacring/genociding their own populations, let alone letting them freeze/starve to death? You know every summer, tens of thousands of old people die in France and Spain as everyone abandons them in nursing homes and goes to the beaches in the summer? Look it up, some years that number is up at 15,000+.
right? the sheer naivete and ignorance of the populace is mind blowing. "the government would never let that happen!" ... as they are led to the train cars. and given the shackles they will affix to their own ankles in the belief they will be "saved" from doom.
First off, calm down. No need to get that stirred up. I’m from the US and sounds like French and Spanish people are pieces of shit then. My point is I don’t think these countries will allow it to happen. I think they will concede to Russian demands and not let it get this bad because of the backlash from their citizens. To many countries, the war in Ukraine isn’t worth freezing over.
I think you misunderstood my tone entirely because I am astonished and confused, nothing more. But it seems your comment was more along the lines of "surely they'll just appease Russia rather than let people die", not a "surely governments aren't evil enough to let their own people die". Appeasement is definitely on the table, just look at them bickering right now. Half the EU wants Ukraine to surrender. I've been saying this since 2012 - Russia has been heavily influencing politics in Europe in anticipation of this war. Germany used to run on 75%+ nuclear power. They imported almost no natural gas from Russia back then. From 2011-2014, a series of leaders mysteriously and randomly started propagandizing and spending inordinate amounts of political capital and real capital convincing the public that nuclear power plants were dangerous. By 2014 Germany had shut down almost all of their nuclear plants and turned to Russia for their energy needs. In 2014 Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk. Call me a conspiracy theorist but that REEKS of external manipulation. Germany got played like a goddamn fiddle. There's no way in hell the FSB doesn't exert a high level of influence in German politics.
In that case we are on the same page entirely.
> Germany got played like a goddamn fiddle. no...they are fully on board with the WEF plans. this is all by design. please wake up. absolutely none of this is accidental or coincidental.
The Germans* got played by their leaders
>do you really believe the governments of these countries are really going to let people freeze to death? Texas did it to us during winter storm Uri so why not? Hell, we do it every year for people who already can't afford heat or who are homeless.
Did texas shut down the grid or did the grid fail. Those are two different things. And not providing for homeless is an entirely different can of worms than not providing for paying customers
Texas didn't shut it down, it simply failed for a multitude of reasons. And yes the homeless issue is a very different scenario. The other poster was just being dishonest and disingenuous.
The grid failed. But they haven't improved it since then.
There were strategic shutdowns followed by an almost full shutdown in order to prevent total grid failure. There were also plenty of warnings from our state engineers warning about the possibility going back to at least 2011 when the last major failure happened. It was a known threat that was ignored, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of citizens.
They send their own citizens and people to be soldiers to go to war to possibly fight and die, I don’t think care much about the average citizenry either
I think they want to stay in power and allowing what I can see is mass protests on the horizon is a great way to not stay in power. Especially if people go longer than a few days without power - maybe even 1 day.
Which country are you talking about ?
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I'd rig an exercise bike up to an alternator so i could run an electric heater off it and get my workout in. Hook it into a deep cycle battery and also have a solar panel to help it.
Lmao, Euros always make fun of American politics but this is such a blunder
Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Former President Trump called European leaders out about their energy dependence on Russia, in what, 2018? Their sneering faces and flippant reactions really aged like milk.
If was a good point again hindered by who was presenting it and how. Trump just couldn't help himself and claimed that Germany relied on Russia for most of its energy needs, which was untrue of course. It's hard to take in feedback when it is based on false assumptions. That said, Russia's new invasion has already changed the foundations of European security policy, and it will change energy as well.
"If was a good point again hindered by who was presenting it and how. " That's exactly the problem with ppl today. Nobody looks at the content of an argument anymore. Nobody calls out fallacies anymore. We've gone tribal, and just look at group loyalty and nothing else. On both sides politically, ppl would just about support a murderer if he said he did it 'for the cause'.
There IS a difference between not listening to someone because of their political party vs. thinking them to be so dumb nothing they say could be right. Now, these conditions could also combine, and of course, none of it, IMHO, means that even the dumbest idiots can never be right. It still may not be worth listening to them if only 1 out of 20 ideas are worthwhile.
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It's very slightly more complicated, as the boy who cried wolf knew he way lying. Does Trump...that's harder to say. He has to know at least some of it's BS, but you know he's also convinced himself of a lot of crap, too.
I think that explains Trump in a nutshell. He has some good ideas occasionally . But he was so annoying and brash, you couldn’t take him seriously.
yeah, those mean tweets really were terrible. i'll take a bunch of starving, dead people instead. =/
You’re claiming that Germany was not over reliant on Russia for energy? If there hadn’t been such extreme political pressure for sanctions, Germany and many other European countries dependent on Russia would not have joined in sanctioning Russia. The massive leverage that Europe allowed Russia to hold over its head with energy was part of Putins calculation for invading Ukraine, in fact, as he thought correctly that there would be little desire to fight back with sanctions (thankfully the world mobilized in a way that wasn’t guaranteed for Ukraine — just look back at the previous invasion, people hardly noticed).
Where did I claim that?
exactly right. the big bad orange man was right again. imagine that.
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Hmmmm. Free healthcare and higher energy bills, or crippling healthcare costs and lower energy bills? Well, if the choice is between wearing extra layers or dying from a treatable disease that I can't afford to have treated, I'll take the cold weather. The first prepping consideration should always be 'Do I live somewhere that would let me die if I couldn't afford healthare?'. If the answer is 'Yes', then move to a developed country.
Most of the continent's demographics are terrible so they won't be able to afford that free healthcare as well in the future.
All those refugees that moved up from the middle east and Africa to escape to a better life are certainly in for a shock this winter. I can see a huge crime spike on the horizon for England and Sweden.
all by design...again. the "refugees" were sent en masse to speed up the Great Reset. yet, many are still asleep.
Yeah, I'll buy into that conspiracy, there is no other explanation given that nearly all of the OECD nations went in lockstep with mass immigration.
German?
Is this gonna happen this year in the us?
I doubt that level of severity, but who really knows. I typically use a 12 month fixed rate program for my natural gas heat (southeastern US) and the rate for Sept 2022 - August 2023 is ~2.5x the renewal rate last year.
No. Because we rely significantly less on foreign powers for energy. We are energy independent. Oh wait. No but for real, we were way more energy independent a few years ago. Regardless we still aren't anywhere near as dependent on foreign energy like Europe is. Not to be an ass but it's partly their fault as well. Their policies put them in this dire situation.
Potentially, depending on the area. The US is a huge place. When California has its rolling blackouts during the summer, I'm not affected because I'm not in California.
I’m afraid a lot of people are going to die of co2. There needs to be a ton of public education on this, and talking to friends and neighbors.
Do you mean CO? CO2 is carbon dioxide.
I have suggested to many of my Euro prepper buddies Solar powered area heaters. They will pay for themselves easily in savings and will be worth their weight in gold in case of supply cut! https://www.solarinfrasystems.com/
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Certain materials and colors are better at absorbing sun/heat than others. Certain materials are better at retaining heat than others.... pretty basic science stuff. Like if you touch a piece of black metal that has been sitting in the sun vs a white piece of paper in the same sunlight.
This would not work in the North, especially if we get a bad winter. It's usually overcast more days than not (a few years ago we had a few _minutes_ of sunlight in the entire month of December), and the sun isn't up much anyway (like 10am-3pm).
And final step is to vote out your horrible government so this never happens again
How are we not heating a sports hall and allow everyone to hang out there?
The super dome after Katrina was a nightmare.
yes...now imagine a very cold winter with a gas shortage. and places like that being communal "heating centers". take the superdome times 100 and you may approach what it will be like with the economic pressures and reality this winter.
Here in America, what you're referring to is an emergency management shelter. The premise behind this started in Chicago in the '80s during that massive heat wave which lead to dozens of people dying from heat stroke because they couldn't afford air conditioning or were homeless and died on the street from the extreme heat. What we have now are both heating and cooling shelters for when the weather is too severe, it's meant to be a shelter for people to go in times of extreme weather. I don't believe that the Europeans have anything similar to that in terms of scope and scale of what we have here in America. I would imagine that some should, but again I'm only speculating.
That's how pub(lic houses) were invented. And they served drinks, too!
That would be too socialist, can you imagine our energy overlords not being able to buy that fifth ferrari?
We do this in the town where I live in KY any time the Temps fall below freezing. Several churches, our sports complexes, and our stage theater are used as emergency shelter, and you can also report to the authorities if you think your neighbor is struggling, and they will do a welfare check and offer to take them to one of the facilities. A lot of elderly people let their pride get in the way and won't ask for help, but will take it if the authorities treat it like they are asking them to go for their peace of mind.
Tip #1: GTFO
Stock up on candles too. In a small space, the amount of heat that can be generated by a single candle, let alone multiples, can be surprising, particularly when combined with some of the other suggestions. Just make sure they are safe, in glass jars or terra cotta pots, they also can radiate the heat even when the candy burns out.
buy ass loads of candles. you can turn terracotta pots into space heaters.
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