The threat of blackouts this winter has led to a company reporting a surge in sales of generators, torches and head torches. Last week, National Grid has warned households could lose power for up to three hours at a time this winter if gas supplies run extremely low.
The company said it was an "unlikely" scenario but added that supply interruptions were a possibility if the energy crisis escalated. Following this announcement, Toolstation said it looks like customers are getting ready for power cuts.
Comparing data from the first 11 days of October 2021 to the same period this year revealed a 203% increase in sales of generators and a 43% increase in sales of torches and head torches, according to Toolstation. A company spokesperson said: "Although it's far from certain that the National Grid will have to resort to blackouts this winter, it's clear customers are preparing for this worst case scenario.
"With the clocks going back on October 30, the sun will start setting just after 4.30pm, with this time getting earlier each day. For this reason, we're not surprised to see the UK preparing by purchasing torches and head torches to provide light in the event of power cuts.
"While generators are typically used on building sites and by holidaymakers on camping trips to provide electrical energy, the increase in sales suggests savvy homeowners are finding a use for them. This is supported by the fact that we've seen an uplift in sales of inverter generators specifically.
"These are ideal for powering electrical equipment like lamps, fan heaters and TVs because they provide clean and stable power and are portable, economic to run and keep noise and emissions to a minimum." According to National Grid, cuts would probably occur at peak times and customers would be warned in advance.
But as a "base case" National Grid expects homes will face no problems. Customers would be warned at least a day in advance about any power cuts, which would occur at times of high demand, possibly in the morning, or more likely between 4pm and 7pm.
They would be rotated so not all areas of the country were affected at the same time.
