Worried about power cuts this winter and beyond? With stories circulating in the media about whether the National Grid can cope this season it’s bound to make people feel anxious. We’ve heard stories from people who lived through those awful 1970’s blackouts being reported in our media outlets today, and it certainly does make for grim reading and listening. The people that remember these black outs say that those were terrible times, and very inconvenient – often happening at peak hours but sometimes just randomly. In most cases their houses were freezing and the majority of people were unable to provide a hot meal when their children returned from school or for when the adults returned home from work. A three day working week was imposed which must have had a huge impact on wages and productivity.
Headlines from the 70’s are a bit different to now, such as “BIG shutdown is on its way” (Daily Mail, front page, 1972) and “BIG switch off blacks out MILLIONS” (London Evening News, front page, 1972). Our headlines are slightly less intimidating right now, but it certainly feels like we could well be about to see something similar to these 1972 headlines any day now. Our headlines have ranged from “UK blackouts: will homes lose electricity tonight?” (National World Online, Nov 2022) to “Emergency blackout could be introduced as early as tomorrow” (Nottingham Post, Dec 2022). Our government seems quick to reassure the public that all will be well, but can we trust this, and can they truly tell? There’s no smoke without fire a wise person once said – in fact this wise person (Heywood) wrote a book of English proverbs way back in 1546 but we feel this one in particular has really stood the test of time, and feels relevant.
We HOPE we won’t be going back to those times in the 70’s but what if we do? How will this impact ordinary Britains trying to go about their daily lives and what impact will it have on our businesses? It certainly feels like the National Grid is trying to warn us and our government is trying to reassure us, which is never a good sign! Interestingly it’s suggested that because of our modern way of life, we won’t cope as well as they did back in the 70’s. We certainly rely heavily on electricity in these modern times, with many homes using this as their main or only source of energy. Thinking back to the 70’s it’s important to note of course that it wasn’t just ordinary Britons who were affected. Many businesses too saw their income vastly reduced, very suddenly and with little warning and probably with very little or even no financial help either. It’s reported that shop workers had to use head torches to allow them to stay open as the light faded outside, but the lights remained off. If you wanted a beer at your local, you’d probably have to drink it by candlelight and even Downing Street met by candlelight. We’d like to think that perhaps a bit of the WW2 spirit shone through in these dark times, especially for those poor souls alive at the time who could still remember the war. We hope we won’t return to this, but if we do, are you prepared?
You may have seen recently in the news that Britain has sent Ukraine a vast number of generators “some big enough to power a small village”1. You can’t really miss headlines such as “The UK will donate more than 500 mobile generators to help keep the lights on in Ukraine” (The Guardian, March 2022)2 and “Warwick charity sends generators to Ukraine” (BBC news, November 2022)3. This news is heartening in these tough times of course, and we seriously hope it will really make a difference to at least some of those long-suffering Ukrainians as they try to make it through what will probably feel like the harshest winter of their lives. This story also shows us how vitally important a power supply is, and how useful and fundamental a generator can be in the event of a black out or power cut.
Our sister company, Just Generators (www.justgenerators.co.uk) realise that their customers range from people needing additional power at their home or business to domestic users who simply want to be prepared for a power cut, or increasingly likely, an actual total power black out. For some, it’s a necessity, for others it’s merely a case of wanting to feel ready for anything, and when we’re reading headlines such as “Government tests energy blackout emergency plans as supply fears grow”4 we can’t help but feel like we need to be prepared for anything. A black out could be announced any day now, and it’s obvious that after all the press coverage on the subject the government will maintain that they’ve warned us in some way.
Just Generators we offer a vast range of carefully selected generators ranging in size and price. You can take a look at our entire range or you can see below for some great generator bundle offers. You can also ring us on 0345 222 0231 or you can chat online – either way you’ll get to speak to a trained generator expert who can make sure you get the right generator to suit your needs.
Here we have some bundle deals for you to take a look at:
Our fantastic bundle options are chosen through our years of experience and customer feedback, and without question offer the best reliability and value out there, the primary considerations we feel are most important in the current economic climate.
First up we’ve got the Loncin LC2000I 1.6KW Portable Inverter Generator Bundle.
OUR PRICE £644.00
Bundle includes Honda fuel additive + Honda oil + 5 litre fuel can + 5 metre mini reel
- 1600 Rated Watts / 2.0 KVA
- Compact and lightweight
- Petrol engine
- 7 hr running time
- Ideal for camping, caravan and general leisure use
- Stable output ideal for sensitive electronics
Great for camping as it offers low noise and it’s easy to move about. The powerful 79cc, 148F single-cylinder, 4-stroke OHV engine is economical, environmentally friendly and neighbourhood friendly. This suitcase style generator is the ideal choice if you want cheap, consistent electricity for leisure use or as a backup at home!
Secondly we have the Loncin LC3000I 2.3KW Portable Inverter Generator Bundle.
OUR PRICE £829.00
Bundle includes Honda fuel additive + Honda oil + 5 litre fuel can + 5 metre mini reel
- 2300 Rated Watts / 2.5kVA
- Low oil auto shutdown
- 5 hr running time
- Smooth output for sensitive equipment including laptops & TV’s, lighting
- Ideal for home / site / leisure / camping use
This Loncin LC3000i is lightweight, powerful and incredibly reliable making it the ideal portable generator. It has a fuel capacity of 4.5 litres and rated output of 2.3kw (240V) of continuous power. It reduces fuel consumption by up to 25% making it incredibly economical as well as reliable. The LC3000i features a carrying handle which makes it ultra easy to transport, and with dimensions of just 49.9cm in length, by 28.5cm width with a height of 45.5cm, it will store comfortably in most caravans, camper vans or even the boot of the car.
And last, but not least we have the Hyundai HY3200SEI Petrol Inverter Generator Bundle.
OUR PRICE £1075.00
Bundle includes Honda fuel additive + Honda oil + 5 litre fuel can + 5 metre mini reel with USB sockets
- Ideal for powering televisions, laptops, motorhomes, power tools and more
- 2800 rated watts Max Watts 3200 / 4 KVA
- Smooth output for sensitive equipment including laptops
- Extremely quiet
- Electric start
- 3 year warranty
The Hyundai HY3200SEi generator is a compact yet powerful portable inverter petrol generator ideal for caravans and motorhomes as it allows you to take the modern luxuries from home with you wherever you go. The control panel features two 230v sockets for use with any appliance which uses a standard 3-pin 13A UK mains plug, as well as a 12v DC battery charging outlet, so it’s ideal for a variety of uses. Producing a pure sine wave output, it can safely power all sensitive electronics without the risk of damaging or overloading them. With Hyundai’s 3-year platinum warranty you can have complete peace of mind.
STOP! We would encourage you to call us on 0345 222 0231 for advice on choosing your new generator bundle, or alternatively, we would be happy to discuss your options via our online chat (9-5pm, Monday to Friday).
- https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2022-11-29/the-generators-big-enough-to-power-whole-villages-being-sent-to-ukraine
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/14/uk-to-donate-more-than-500-mobile-generators-to-ukraine
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-63659968
- https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/01/government-tests-energy-blackout-emergency-plans-as-supply-fears-grow
