Our summers are getting drier, and our winters stormier, and our grid infrastructure to support that isn’t quite there yet. It’s easy to feel a little exposed by all that. The good news is that there are simple ways to deepen your understanding and take some of that control back within your home. None of this is about fallout bunkers or doomsday thinking. It’s just about closing those small gaps in an ordinary home that can cause anxiety or stress when things aren’t going to plan.
1. Electricity
Right now: Buy a portable power bank with a solar panel, and a simple battery radio in your drawer so you can always keep in touch with loved ones as well as local news in case the power drops.
Long game: Invest in solar panels, a battery and a changeover switch so you have the ability to generate and use your own electricity.
2. Heat
Right now: Almost every heating system requires electricity to either ignite or to pump the heat around your home. Most modern builds hold onto heat for days within the fabric of the home, so keep doors and windows shut tight as much as possible if the power goes out.
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Long game: I’m still a strong believer in the heat and agency a simple wood-burning stove can bring as a backup, keeping at least one room in the house warm no matter what the grid is doing.
3. Shelter
Right now: We’re lucky to get storm warnings well in advance these days. Use the time before a storm hits to clear the gutters and tidy away anything loose in the garden.
Long game: Before investing in heat pumps and external insulation, draught-proofing doors, windows and attic hatches is the cheapest and most effective thing you can do to improve your home’s thermal performance.
4. Water
Right now: That water butt in the garden isn’t just for the plants. With the right basic treatment knowledge, it’s also a backup drinking supply if the mains ever go down. Slimline rainwater harvest tanks fit neatly against the wall even in a small urban garden.
Long game: Invest in a drinking water filtration system so you always have the peace of mind that water is available.
5. Food
Right now: Swap a few items in your weekly shop for quality Irish tinned goods. There are some amazing products out there, and it means the fridge not working won’t be a crisis.
Long game: Buy produce from your local community-supported farm. When supply chains falter, you’ll treasure that relationship.
In conversation with Rosanna Cooney
Heat, Shelter, Water, Food: How to Be Ready for the Unexpected by Harrison Gardner is published by Gill Books.
