OT Can we do without it?
Submitted: Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 19:31
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Willem
Electricity...that is!
A storm today in this region knocked the power out for 5 hours. The town was deathly quiet.
I went down to the tyre
shop for stuff and a notice on the locked door said "We'll be back when the power comes on"!!!!
After 4 hours I dusted off the old Suzuki 900 genset and fired it up to run the fridge and freezer for short bursts individually.
Our power supply has been cut 4 times in the past 4 months for more that 5 hours at a time. It is then when one realises just how much of our life is ruled by the supply of electricity. We have a gas stove, a wood stove and solar hot water but that is as far as it goes for alternative energy. Oh yes, and two car fridges.
At these times one tends to think of alternative powering stuff, but the cost is prohibitive. Maybe a new 5kva diesel genset should be looked in to...lol
Cheers
Reply By: Jimbo - Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 19:44
Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 19:44
Willie,
I agree, you don't realise how much you depend on it until it is gone
In the late 90's in Vic, when HRH Kennet was in power, we seemed to lose it in suburban
Melbourne about every two months. It really got to be a bad thing.
We haven't had a loss for a couple of years, but the last time was really strange. Our kids went mad; no TV, no computer. Jenny and I sat by the light of the candle chatting and gave them the 12 volt lantern to take and read a book.
They didn't want to read, so came and sat with Mum and Dad and had a chat. It was almost like camping.
Cheers,
Jim.
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Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 20:06
Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 20:06
Some of the best social life we had was in the 1970s in the UK during the Three Day Week when the miners were on strike for a prolonged period and electricity was cut off for hours at a time to various areas.
Everybody talked more, read more socialised more. I never miss it when I go bush - but then I suppose I don't need an operating theater or similar at that time but I reckon we could live with a lot less of it, if we chose to.
Mike Harding
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Reply By: Bob Y. - Qld - Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 20:01
Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 20:01
No, Willem, we couldn't do without it, not for long, anyway, as you've found out. Feel that electricity would be the greatest resource we have, though others might dispute that. Maybe petroleum is???
Having been in the "bush" over 40 years, am concerned about power we have no control over.
The 5KVA diesel "silent-pack" would be the way to go.
Regards,
Bob.
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Reply By: Wayne (NSW) - Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 21:24
Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 21:24
Willem,
Recently I spent a weekend at a B&B.
The water was from a tank off the roof, the heater was a wood fire, the hot water was gas, the stove and oven was gas, the 240v power was solar panels.
The B&B is in
Dargo.
Before the power went on in
Dargo,1970 I think, they had the keg on the bar and the beer was room temp. When the power went on the pub got a cool room and the locals didn't like the beer because it was cold.
If you are not sure where
Dargo is have a look at "Places"
Wayne
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Follow Up By: Willem - Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 22:00
Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 22:00
It takes a lot of planning to set up an 'alternative' lifestyle. Trouble is with all of todays hi-tech stuff you need lots of POWER and solar is out opf the reach of most of us.
FYI do know where
Dargo is...lol
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Follow Up By: Wayne (NSW) - Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 22:20
Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 22:20
Willem,
When the owner was building the house it was going to cost $80,000 to have the power put on. Now it would cost him $18,000 after he had put on the solar panels.
I was sure that you knew where
Dargo is, but hopefully you are not the only one that reads this post.:-))
Wayne
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Follow Up By: Gramps (NSW) - Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 23:34
Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 23:34
Willem,
Not only planning. $$$'s as
well. It aint cheap. Reminds me of a show on organic farming. One very dry farmer remarked about going
well into the 'red' before he could go 'green'
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Reply By: Rick (S.A.) - Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 22:39
Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 22:39
Well, who sold the bloody power generation & distribution here in SA?
Who did you vote for?
And marvellous Mike is not exactly helping alternate power sources like uranium. He only wants to sell it, to exploit it, but not be responsible for it.
I tell ya, I'm worried for our kids & their mobs....we'll likely be OK, but as we keep on pillaging the environment by burning fossil fules, we are rooted. Lucky you & I don't have a lovely
shack on Eyre Peninsula 20 feet from the waters edge..........climate change will make that a very cheap
shack before we are departed this earth.
oh, hang on, my Big Niss uses tyres & burns fossil fuels.
S'pose I will have to be like eveyone else- double standards, NIMBY philospohy.
Cheers, and hope you all don't mind the twisted outlook. Perhaps I need to
camp in red dirt sooner rather than later?
PS Willie................. LOL. With a significant alcholic content, is the PP juice immune to the vagaries of electricity?
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Follow Up By: Member No 1- Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 07:41
Tuesday, Mar 28, 2006 at 07:41
we SA are going to subsidise the upgrading of the gas fired generators up Hallet/
Burra way for hundreds of millions of $$$....double the output..great...
but to follow is a wind plant for double the amount of $$$ for less than half of what the upgrade to the gas fired plant is going to give us...
these things only work when they have wind and no bloody good on very hot days as they have to slow them down or even shut them off as they burn out...which is what happend in the riverland
doesnt make sense!! our power is going to cost heaps in the very near future if they keep building wind plants (we susidise by way paying our bills)
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Reply By: Footloose - Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 23:09
Monday, Mar 27, 2006 at 23:09
Only 5 hours ? Ours has been out 3 times this year and it takes around 6 hours for them to fix it.
We had to replace the mains on our property last year and were without power for 4 days. I bought a cheap gen set just to run a few essentials like the freezer. Our place couldnt survive without it. We were using the camping gear to get a cuppa nd to
cook. And you're right, its so quiet. I love peace and quiet but it drove my missus batty. TV is her stress relieving choice.
Even our mean green Biocycle waste system has a 240v pump ! So much for joining the enviro generation. And the water has to go somewhere, so I have to use more fossil fuel to cut the faster growing grass.
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