Some solid advice there regarding electricity. I must admit I've not been paying huge attention to how much I use, though averages I've gotten do seem to imply my computer at least does not pull as much as people seem to think it might... but I do need to make certain, and of course with limited electricity even my seemingly minimal usage might be too much.
Regarding all this about the northeast/Yorkshire region, I refer you to the age old argument of "if you're south of me, you're not northern".
I don't want to give away my exact location, but rest assured it is north of Northallerton, though I know folk from there.
Jokes aside, I realise there's a lot of debate about what is and is not northern, and I do find that somewhat silly at times, but with reference to canals I can certainly say where I am currently is quite some distance from the canal network, no matter how north it claims to go. There are rivers, some pretty major ones, and of course I mentioned Tees Barrage earlier, but again none of this is connected to the larger network, unless there are some unmarked and forgotten passages from the River Tees I could find myself on.
I'm not certain about recent history, but given the extent of the Danelaw I do believe there must have been some kind of navigable riverway that heads south from here once upon a time. I might look into this, but perhaps it would be something for the powers that be to look into for extending the canal network further? There are a lot of major and historic waterways up here that I'm sure could justify bridging the gap?