Cold comfort

It may come as a little bit of a relief to think that an economic downturn might mean that we get through the winter without power cuts – lower industrial demand means more capacity to meet domestic needs

One way of helping to ensure that supply continues uninterrupted may be to minimise the demand we place on the system at peak times – for example by not taking a shower in the morning

It comes as a bit of a shock to remember that washing anything other than hands & face in the morning is something of a recent habit for the British winter

In the days when you woke up in a cold bedroom with no hot water until some time after the immersion heater was switched on, the thought of stripping off for even a quick rub down with a flannel was unthinkable. And showers were in any case rare in the days, before domestic pumps became commonplace, when plumbing depended mainly on convection & gravity

Only those who employed servants to brave the cold, warm up the house by lighting the fires, bring madam a nice warm cup of tea in bed & jugs of hot water to wash with could afford to be punctilious about morning ablutions

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