How to Stay Warm During a Power Outage
If you lose heat when you lose power, as has happened in much of Texas lately , power outages in the winter can be especially dangerous. Here are some tips for keeping warm in your home without the heat.
Safety first
First, a few words about how not to heat a house. You can die if you create toxic fumes in a confined space, so:
- Never start the car in an enclosed space (including a garage). If you want to use your car to keep warm, go outside and sit in the car with the heating on. Do not try to use it to heat your home.
- Never run a propane, gasoline or other fuel generator in an enclosed space. (There are “home generators,” which are simply battery packs that can be used indoors. Make sure you know what you have and follow the safety instructions that came with them.)
If you have a camping stove or feel the urge to start a fire to cook food or boil water, do so, but only outdoors .
If you feel nauseous, dizzy, or weak, this could be a sign of carbon monoxide poisoning. Move to fresh air and seek medical attention. (By the way, now is the time to remind you to have a working smoke detector and carbon monoxide monitor in your home.)
For more information on generator safety, read this fact sheet at energy.gov .
Close rooms
It is easier to keep a small room warm than it is throughout the house, especially if you have lost power and your body is a source of heat. Choose one or two rooms in your home to keep warm. Ideally, this should be a room in the center of the house. Outside walls (the ones where the other side faces the street) let in more heat than the inside walls (the ones where the other side is another room in your house). For this reason, avoid corner rooms whenever possible. Close the doors leading to other rooms in the house. (If you do not have such closing doors, hang blankets in the doorway.)
Gather everyone in the main room of your choice. This includes children and pets. Bring bowls of food, snacks, and everything else to the main room. Do not open doors to the street or other rooms more often than absolutely necessary. Bring anything that shouldn’t freeze into this room, such as water jugs or houseplants.
If you have a heater, use it, but be sure to follow all safety precautions. Read the instructions that came with it (or google it) and make sure you leave enough space around the heater on all sides, don’t plug it into an extension cord, and otherwise follow the recommendations for your heater type .
Insulate your main room
Then, minimize the amount of heat that can escape from your home by focusing on the central room in which you spend most of your time.
- Place towels under doors and in any other cracks or drafts you find in walls, windows, or doorways.
- Close windows and curtains.
- Cover the windows with trash bags or bubble wrap.
- If you have a window fan or air conditioner that you cannot remove, cover it with blankets or towels.
- Hang blankets over windows.
- Hang blankets on the walls to keep the cold out. (Focus on the outer walls here, but for clarity, you hang blankets on the inside of the wall.)
- Cover the floor with rugs, towels, or something else ( even dirty laundry ).
The perfect place for your bed is the center of this room. If the whole family has to spend the night in the same room, rearrange furniture as needed so that as many people as possible are in the center of the room.
Layer up
It’s time to put on all your warm clothes . If you are missing, get creative. Wear leggings or tights under multiple layers of pants. Don’t be too proud to wear another family member’s leggings underneath your jeans or someone’s oversized sweatpants over the top.
Fold as many shirts as possible. Fold up your gloves and mittens. Wear hats, hoodies, and winter coats, even when you’re indoors. Several loose, light layers are often better than one thick layer.
Dress your pets too. They can wear your socks and T-shirts. You can also turn an old sweater or sweatshirt into something to keep your pet warm; Search for ideas on Google DIY Dog Sweater.
Hold on to any heat you can
Your floor and walls will be cold. Do not lean against walls or keep your feet on the floor for longer than necessary. If you can curl up in a squat position with your feet under you and your arms folded into crossed arms or otherwise close to your body, your arms and legs will stay warm.
Use whatever hot you have. If you have sufficient battery or electricity to operate the (safe!) Product, use it in a warm room and gather around it. For example, if you are going to watch a movie on your laptop, take turns holding it on your lap.
If you have a way to make hot drinks, do it. Holding a mug of hot tea is as much a pleasure to your hands as it is to everyone else. Wrap hot food or drinks in towels or other insulating material and eat or drink immediately as they cool quickly.
And don’t forget to eat. Provide your body with calories as staying warm is hard work. Also, alcohol is not recommended if you are cold – it will dilate your blood vessels, making you temporarily feel warmer, but it can actually lower your body temperature as it will cause you to lose heat. Alcohol can also suppress your body’s ability to shake.