Are we powerless

OCTOBER 5 HOUR OUTAGE

Off we went again - and this time it was frightening! At about 05-45 on the morning of 5th October 2009 the house was woken by a very loud banging noise from our meter. Everything in the house was flashing on and off and the noise was frightening! So for the first time in ages we turned the electricity off at the mains.

When we reconnected we found that the old fashioned lights were glowing dimly but the energy saving bulbs were off. Our supply was running at 68Volts against our normal 225Volts. It went on like this for nearly 5 hours until supplies were restored.

The only casualty was the internet modem which died and we had to buy a replacement. Nothing whatsoever from EDF energy of course as it is obviously OUR FAULT that we left our broadband connected!

This really has to stop. you don't get things blowing up in the town so why should we put up with it?

ARE WE POWERLESS?

Horsted Keynes gets its electricity supply from two directions roughly split across the line of the green. Those of us to the South have had 12 power cuts in the last year, the shortest lasting 30 minutes, the longest lasting 8 hours. On Boxing Day we were without power for three and a half hours and then on December 30th many of us had low or no voltage again, this time for much of the afternoon. Things fared a little better until the 19th September last year when many villagers had to throw their Sunday lunch into the bin when the power went off for 4 hours.

The situation in the Northern half of the village is for some reason slightly better but even so the old peoples housing Westall House have given in and installed a huge standby generator in their garden!

Obviously as we live in the country our power has to come across the fields on wires fixed to poles rather than under the ground, but we are sure that our record of power cuts is way above average. If you, like us, are fed up with the service that EDF Energy (the new name for Seeboard but really standing for the new owners who are - Electricity De France) give please get in touch.

We are surprised that EDF Energy have not arranged to feed the whole village from EITHER supply line. As both power supply directions are seldom cut off at the same time this would solve our problems at a stroke. If you have kept an accurate record of power cuts in the village we would be pleased to publish it here.

Please get in touch at webmaster-at-horstedkeynes.com . Perhaps a "class action" could be arranged; is there a lawyer in the village?

ps. Seems that we are not alone. Well known song writer and Sussex resident Richard Stilgoe bemoaned the service that he was getting from EDF Energy on a recent edition of Countdown on Channel 4. Surely in the Twenty First Century something can be done. Back-up generators at centres of population perhaps? Nah, thought not ;-)

You can find more electricity information including emergency telephone numbers on our information page.

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These large powerful batteries hold up to twice as much power as a car battery, are leak proof and can be recharged many times without fear of spillage or smell. We use them with 230 volt inverters to power lights, televisions, DVD's, etc during our frequent power cuts. Can easily power a small central heating pump for more than 24 hours so at least you don't have to freeze during the winter! Take a look at our batteries page for full details.
We are not able to supply these batteries all the time as supplies are very limited, however if you need one please contact the webmasters and we will try to point you in the right direction.