The power company called.... And I laughed

[lowroadacres]

So the power company called to let us know that they need to have the power out for a couple of hours later this afternoon to work on a job site near our home.....

I laughed and said no problem as I put another 2 splits in the stove.

 

[katwillny]

Thats funny. Its the 6th of Dec and I have turned on my furnace 2 times this season for no longer than 5 minutes just to make sure it works. I love my stoves.

 

[CarbonNeutral]

The only reason my boiler has turned on is because my dining room, which is shut off when it's not being used, dropped so cold that I couldn't set the old-style thermostat any lower.

I replaced the thermostat.....

 

[LLigetfa]

Gas is cheap. Both my woodstove and my furnace run every day unless of course the power company calls in which case the woodstove stands alone.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Propane is expensive. I dragged my 500 gallon tank to the curb. It had been empty for a while anyway. And I laughed.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

When the power goes out, the neighbors come visiting.

 

[BrotherBart]

I laugh each time, usually every two to three years, when the electric company comes out and replaces our meter. Been doing it for almost thirty years and they have to walk past the wood stacks to get to it. Well, I didn't laugh when they didn't tell me they were out there and blew out a six hundred dollar UPS unit. That they got the privilege of replacing.

Or when they "estimated" the bill after replacing it one time. But I have a Blueline power monitor and had daily readings for four years to shove up their poop chute.

Something in their billing system must set off flashing red lights when a large all electric house only averages 19 KWH a day in January.

 

[LLigetfa]

When the power goes out, the neighbors come visiting.

When the power goes out, my neighbors are outside messing with their gensets. I sit by the warm fire and laugh.

 

[FyreBug]

Good posts, if people ever ask you why on earth would you want to burn wood, just wait and see when the power goes out in the middle of the winter.

My brother was in Quebec when they had the great black out about 10 years ago. In their area the power was out for at least 2 weeks (4 if you count the daily power outages while they were fixing the grid). In Quebec the majority of people heat with electricity. He had up to 23 people staying in his house for a few days!

 

[lowroadacres]

One of my largest motivations for heating with wood is the factor you describe from the ice storm in Quebec. Our family went without power for two multi day storms when I was a child. The saving grace in both cases was the wood stove. A Fisher Baby Bear to be exact.

We are not alarmists to the point of having a bug out vehicle and a nuclear proof bunker but we would do alright in the event of an extended power outage.

 

[48rob]

He had up to 23 people staying in his house for a few days!

You have to wonder...how many of those who he helped have gotten off their tails and done something to provide for their own future...

Rob

 

[FyreBug]

Well, I think since this event a lot of Quebecers are into wood stoves & generators.