How To Keep Warm When The Power Is Out And More Winter Storm Tips
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Learn how to keep warm when the power is out during a winter storm. Plus more tips for conserving water, keeping warm, hygiene needs and more.
No one really likes to feel cold, do they?
Winter is all pretty and fun until the power goes out and you suddenly have no heat, hot water, or a way to cook.
But it doesn’t have to be a huge inconvenience when your power goes out if you take some time to prepare for winter storms ahead of time!
We are very glad to have 2 wood stoves in our home. We made sure to install them not long after moving into this little homestead. They keep our home nice and warm and I can cook on them too if need be.
But if you don’t have wood heat then you will want to make sure you have another non-electric source of heating for when your power goes out.
These easy tips for heating your home, plugin updrafts, keeping your food cold and what to do without a toilet, will help keep your family warmer and more comfortable when bad weather takes out your electricity.
How To Prepare For A Winter Storm
The best time to prepare for a winter storm and possible power outage is long before it hits.
When you know that a storm is coming make sure you do some simple prep work that will make your family much more comfortable and safer during power outages.
- Make sure you have a way to heat your home. These indoor propane heaters like this one are great. These are designed for indoor use.
- Make sure you have enough fuel for your generator.
- Test your generator to make sure it’s working ok.
- If you don’t already own a generator and have frequent power outages think about buying a good backup generator.
- Stock up on firewood and make sure it’s in a place that is easy to get too if you have a fireplace or woodstove.
- Make sure your laundry and dishes are all caught up on.
- Pick up paper plates, plastic cutlery, and foam cups too. If your power goes out not having to do dishes is a big help!
- Make sure your family has enough warm clothes. Wool socks and thermal clothing will go a long way to helping everyone feel better.
- Make sure you have extra warm blankets.
- Pick up diaper wipes. These are great to use for washing your hands and other needs when you are short on water during a power outage.
- Sock up on bottled water. Either buy enough water or fill up storage containers to last your family a few days worth of drinking, cooking and cleaning water.
- Have easy to make food on hand. Stock up on bread or make your own bread while the weather is good and have easy to use canned food, and foods that don’t need to be cooked on hand too.
- Stock Up on lamp oil, or if you use oil lanterns make sure you have plenty of lamp oil or kerosene.
- Keep your cell phones charged too so you can check up on the weather and power outage information.
How To Keep Warm When The Power Goes Out
Reduce Heat Loss In Your Home
When you have air leaks in your home it increases the cost of your winter heating bill (and summer cooling cost too!) so it’s a good idea to winterize your home properly.
If you haven’t been able to do that yet, these are some easy tips to get you started and keep your home warmer when the power is out.
Avoid Opening Exterior Doors
It’s something you probably don’t think about a lot when your powers on but opening outside doors lets a lot of cold air into your home. It can quickly drop the inside temperature by 5 to 10 degrees.
If you really need to go outside use an exterior door that goes through a garage or another add on. It will help to keep the cold air from coming inside your home.
Shut all the inside doors to rooms your not using. When your power is out it’s much harder to keep your whole home warm.
Instead of trying to heat it all close off all the rooms that you aren’t currently using. This includes bedrooms, laundry rooms, bathrooms etc.
Use Door Snakes
The base of your door can be a big cause of air leaks into your home. If you don’t already have door snakes installed then roll up some towels and place them along the bottom of the door to plug up any drafts.
Cover Your Windows
Windows are also a big loss of heat in your home. Close your blinds and curtains to help reduce heat loss.
You can also hang sheets or quilts up over your windows and tape them to the frame to help block any air leaks quickly.
How To Heat Your Home When The Power’s Out
The best way to heat your home when the power is out is with a wood stove or fireplace. We are very thankful to have 2 wood stoves in our home. They are great to cook on when the power is out too!
Of course make sure that you always have good, dry firewood on hand. This can easily be forgotten if you aren’t heating with wood often.
Use A Portable Heater
Portable non-electric heaters are another great option to keep your room warm.
Make sure to use a propane heater that is labeled as indoor safe! Many propane heaters that are designed for outdoor use can cause carbon monoxide buildup if used indoors, and it’s deadly.
Portable propane heaters like this one are tested and certified for indoor use.
Kerosene heaters are another option for keeping a room warm when your power is out. Kerosene heaters also produce carbon monoxide but at a much lower amount.
They are safe to use indoors as long as you provide ample ventilation (crack a window open).
When we lived on our old off-grid homestead before we had a wood stove setup we heated our little place with a few kerosene heaters and it worked great for us. I even cooked on top of them!
I don’t know if it’s a “recommended” practice or not but since the one I had, had a flat top and got very hot it was easy for me to use a frying pan or kettle on top of it.
Remember to keep all space heaters well away from any flammable objects!
Use candles for heat. Candles can actually put off a good amount of heat and as a bonus give you light when it’s dark.
Always practice proper safety with candles and any other open flame. Keep them well away from children and pets who could possibly get burnt or knock the candles over.
Also always keep candles away from any flammable objects and make sure you have a fire extinguisher nearby.
Take Advantage Of The Sun
If your power is out during the daytime and the sun has come out, open up the blinds on the windows on the sunny side of your home.
The sunlight coming through the windows will help to warm up your home. Just remember to cover the windows back up later when the sun is off that side of the house.
Tip: Never use generators, outdoor propane heaters, camping stoves, BBQ’s or anything made for outdoor use inside your home! They produce carbon monoxide that can be deadly. Always make sure you have working carbon monoxide detectors in your home.
Save Heat By Using One Room
When your power is out in the winter and you don’t know that it will be back on soon, using one room to live and sleep in will help to conserve heat.
If possible chose a room on the opposite side of your home that the wind is coming from, or one that always seems to be warmer than the rest of your home.
Hang up blankets over the doorway to the room to keep the heat in.
Then remember to cover up the windows as well if you haven’t already done so. You can hang blankets, sheets or quilts over the window and use tape to seal the edges.
Make An Indoor Tent
If you have kids they will love this next part! Even though your room is closed off from the rest of your home it can still feel cold especially on the floor.
Lay down a few blankets or pillows on the floor and using some extra blankets make a tent inside your room.
You can even place a mattress on the floor inside the tent if you want to. But with everyone sleeping in the same room your body heat will help to keep it warmer.
Wear The Right Clothing
Layer your clothes. Just like when you go outside in the winter if your power is out, make sure you wear layers of clothes to keep you warm.
Multiple layers of loose clothes will keep you feeling warmer than tight-fitting close will. If you have Thinsulate or wool clothing that will help a lot too!
Wear your winter hat and gloves to help keep warmer as well.
Use instant hand warmers to help keep you warmer. These come in different sizes the standard sized ones are perfect for using in gloves, pockets, and footwear to keep warm.
Just be careful as they could be too warm to have right against your skin. Try placing them in-between 2 layers of gloves to keep your hands warm.
Do Toilets Work When The Power’s Out?
Yes, toilets will normally still flush when the power is out but there is a catch.
Depending on where you live you may not have running water when there is no power.
The good news is that you can still flush your toilet by pouring a bucket of water into the toilet bowl.
The best way to keep water on hand for flushing and other non-drinking uses is to fill your bathtub up with water before the storm hits.
This is something my grandmother always did when she knew a storm was coming in the winter or summer.
If you forgot to do that, or have an unexpected power outage you can easily use melted snow for this since it doesn’t have to be sterile.
If you have no water for flushing toilets, use a 5-gallon bucket instead. If you have sawdust on hand you can add that each time you “go” to help absorb the odor.
You can also line the bucket with a garbage bag.
Keeping a toilet seat that snaps onto a 5-gallon bucket or a portable camping toilet can be a big help in emergencies!
Camco Standard Portable Travel Toilet
Camco 41549 Toilet Bucket Kit with Seat
Dealing With The Lack Of Water or Hot Water When The Power Is Out
Having clean water available to us each time we turn on the tap is something we really take for granted isn’t it?
If you are on city water and the power goes out you may or may not have water. It will depend on how long the power outage lasts and if the city has backup pumps.
But either way, they often issue boil water advisers here when the power is out because water treatment centers aren’t working. Filtering your water is always a good idea.
If you have your own well you won’t have water either unless you have a generator to run the well pump.
Unless you are using a piston well pump style with these you can turn the wheel by hand to pump water from you well. It will take a while but does work.
You should still have enough pressure to fill up your sink a few times though. If you don’t already have emergency water storage make sure to fill up clean bottles or jars so you can use this water for drinking too.
Heating water when the electricity is out can be a little difficult.
If you have a wood stove place a large pot of water on top of it so that you will always have warm water available.
If you don’t have a wood stove or a backup generator you can heat large amounts of water outside using a camping stove or BBQ. Just remember to NOT use these indoors or in a garage with the door shut.
Preventing Food Spoilage When The Power Is Out
When your power goes out, avoid opening your fridge and freezer as much as possible. Each time you open the door you are letting the cold air out and lowering the amount of time the food will stay safe inside.
If it’s cold enough outside and the power won’t be back on before your food would spoil, move the food to an unheated garage, porch or outside to keep it cold.
As much as it can be an inconvenience when the power goes out, it is so much easier on you and your family if you are prepared for it ahead of time.
Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.
