What Preps are you doing this week? Part 13

[Frnc]

Details of heat alerts.
https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/wea ... lerts/heat

[GeraldTheBonzai]

Be interesting to see how the national grid manages. The NESO summer outlook 2026 specifically identifies the coming bank holiday as potential being difficult to balance the grid, especially if there is a lot of sun and wind.

As i'm writing this, and looking at the live dashboard, 65% of UK electricity is coming from wind and solar.

[Frnc]

Be interesting to see how the national grid manages. The NESO summer outlook 2026 specifically identifies the coming bank holiday as potential being difficult to balance the grid, especially if there is a lot of sun and wind.

As i'm writing this, and looking at the live dashboard, 65% of UK electricity is coming from wind and solar.

It is a bit harder. Air con increased demand is a big factor. The heat has various effects on the grid - none good. Gas and nuke also suffer from warmer cooling water from rivers. Wind can be down in some high pressure heatwaves - not the case at the moment. Sudden cloud after clear sky cause solar to fluctuate. We mignt struggle to import if heatwave is over Europe.

[GeraldTheBonzai]

The issue is actually low demand. If supply exceeds demand, then things need to be disconnected ( and the energy generator compensated). However generation is not geographically uniform. As such NESO has to juggle which providers it needs to tell to disconnect, whilst ensuring that the main backbone grid can distribute across the different regions.

https://www.neso.energy/document/380251/download

[Frnc]

The issue is actually low demand. If supply exceeds demand, then things need to be disconnected ( and the energy generator compensated). However generation is not geographically uniform. As such NESO has to juggle which providers it needs to tell to disconnect, whilst ensuring that the main backbone grid can distribute across the different regions.

https://www.neso.energy/document/380251/download

It's a bit of both. Depends on the location and time. Some places might have extra demand from air con. Other places might excess electicity due to high solar and wind output. At midday, the national picture might be a huge surge in solar. Lot of factors going on.

[Frnc]

Ordered a white blackout roller blind for the back bedroom (where most of my prep gear is). Window faces south. It sticks on the glass. Window is a full opener so it will block the sun over the whole window. Room has a curtain, but it's a cheap thin one, and a dark colour, so it absorbs heat rather than reflects it.

[Frnc]

Portable A/C test results.

Room was 21.9 around noon. Set AC to 21. Ran for 1 hour. Room cooled to 19.7. I think AC had more or less settled at that point, as the curve has flattened. I'm not sure if I kept my door shut, obviously I should have. Window was reasonably well sealed. It was about 22 outside. Later I realised my door was open. Window was shut during afternoon heat. Hose/window kit was in place. I can't drop my blind, but I can close curtains around the hose.

Of course the room warmed up again. I'll run it on Monday afternoon for a few hours. I probably want to take the hose/kit out of the window before bed, but I could leave it in.

You have to bear in mind that heat is stored in the walls, bed etc, and gets released after the AC is turned off. But hopefully the room will be a bit cooler than it would otherwise be, and I'll be asleep.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Portable A/C test results.

Room was 21.9 around noon. Set AC to 21. Ran for 1 hour. Room cooled to 19.7. I think AC had more or less settled at that point, as the curve has flattened. I'm not sure if I kept my door shut, obviously I should have. Window was reasonably well sealed. It was about 22 outside. Later I realised my door was open. Window was shut during afternoon heat. Hose/window kit was in place. I can't drop my blind, but I can close curtains around the hose.

Of course the room warmed up again. I'll run it on Monday afternoon for a few hours. I probably want to take the hose/kit out of the window before bed, but I could leave it in.

You have to bear in mind that heat is stored in the walls, bed etc, and gets released after the AC is turned off. But hopefully the room will be a bit cooler than it would otherwise be, and I'll be asleep.

We are fortunate where I placed mine there's a old vent and air brick which is a high flow plastic one I just duct it into that with a home made patras plate (adapter off eBay and a bit of MDF )

[Frnc]

Portable A/C test results.

Room was 21.9 around noon. Set AC to 21. Ran for 1 hour. Room cooled to 19.7. I think AC had more or less settled at that point, as the curve has flattened. I'm not sure if I kept my door shut, obviously I should have. Window was reasonably well sealed. It was about 22 outside. Later I realised my door was open. Window was shut during afternoon heat. Hose/window kit was in place. I can't drop my blind, but I can close curtains around the hose.

Of course the room warmed up again. I'll run it on Monday afternoon for a few hours. I probably want to take the hose/kit out of the window before bed, but I could leave it in.

You have to bear in mind that heat is stored in the walls, bed etc, and gets released after the AC is turned off. But hopefully the room will be a bit cooler than it would otherwise be, and I'll be asleep.

We are fortunate where I placed mine there's a old vent and air brick which is a high flow plastic one I just duct it into that with a home made patras plate (adapter off eBay and a bit of MDF )

Good idea. I do have an airbrick in the chimney breast, but never thought of that. But I'm happy with the window setup. This one comes with a 1.8m hose. Most are 1.5. At first, I thought it wouldn't quite reach the correct position exactly, but on second try it did go into place, and even stayed there. But obviously it's at it's max, so good job it had the extra 30 cm. At first I jammed the top of the kit under the window handle, but later it stayed by itself. Better to have the handle over it anyway.

I'd post a pic, but can't upload now, and Imgur is down as well, or overcapacity.

[Frnc]

strictly speaking, i was supposed to use the flexible window kit. But that has to be stuck to the window, and I didn't want to damage the wrap. Also it might not lock. And it would be even harder to get to stay in place.

I used the rectangular board instead, jammed in the open gap, under handle. Window is top opener. I stuffed half a thin plastic dust sheet in the side triangles, and the small gap where the rectangle bends away from the upper frame slightly, probably caused by jamming it under the handle.