LATEST MOAN FROM YOU AND ME - 2022

Peak times will be different for different people. We use our power draining machines during the day because we have solar panels but our heating (gas and some electric underfloor) is on all night because I'm up all night. If we are going to have power cuts then I would put the underfloor heating on as it will hold the heat for a few hours. Sadly, we did away with our open fire because it became too much hard work as we were getting older. I can be cooking any time of the day or night so no problem there - it's a gas cooker anyway but the main oven doesn't work without the electric starter

Our upright freezer goes nutty if it is off for three hours. It doesn't always work properly afterwards unless I defrost it.

Things were less complicated during the three day week 48 years ago. The three days were for industry and the public had three hour cuts three times a week (don't think they could count higher than three).

 

We get lots of power cuts and always ring immediately. That way we are able to make sure it gets started sooner.

If you are retired or have certain conditions you can get on the 'At Risk' register. Even if you are quite capable it is worth getting on it because they treat you with more care and can sometimes help out if needed.

We had a free home safety check done by the Fire Service (offered at an event at our village hall) and they came in, checked the house, fitted new smoke alarms free, gave security advice and automatically put us on the register. Whenever we phone up about power cuts they always say 'we see you are on the at risk register and do you need anything'. The answer has always been 'no' but it's nice to know that we can say yes if necessary.

Get help from your supplier

You can also look up your water/gas/electric suppliers website and they will also have their own At Risk Register sometimes called Priority Services Register.

 

Last time we had planned power cuts in the 3 day week early 1970s there was a rota, we knew when they were planned. It hardly affected me, we were much less reliant on electricity then. Beer pumps were hand operated which was the most important thing for me.

 

Another thing that annoys me are house prices. I've been saying for at least 50 years that governments should do something to help keep prices down (building a lot more houses would have been best).

It doesn't affect us now as we have paid off our mortgage, so would be an advantage to us if we downsize, but the price of houses in this area are ridiculous - and we're out in the country.

I can't see another price crash like that in '89/90 so it has become almost impossible for youngsters to get on the housing ladder. Builders don't want prices to drop so they restrict the number they build.

I happened to see a TV programme from America which was about lottery winners buying houses. Apparently it's a series with a housing expert doing the looking for them. The one I saw was where the house they bought was 2,400sq ft, in immaculate condition in 1.5 acres. The price was $289k (£260k at our current bad rate of exchange). In this area that would cost closer to 2 million!

 

Yes, the builders are happy to build a lot of houses now because the population is rising faster than expected and creating more demand. The banks had been lending at ridiculously low rates and giving them much too high a percentage of the value of the house. With the higher rates these last two weeks it will depress the market and slow new building.

 

That's why the government won't intervene. To reduce prices the interest rate needs to be artificially high or the government needs to build a couple of million council houses.

 

That's partly right but the banks got scared that things would all go belly (was going to use a different part of the anatomy) up because of that stupid budget.