7 Best Ways To Keep Warm During A Power Outage
If the power goes out during the winter, keeping yourself and your family warm will be of the utmost importance. Because of this, it is important for every survivalist to know about the 7 best ways to keep warm during a power outage.
You can keep warm during a power outage in these 7 ways: 1. Fire up your fireplace, 2. Light your kerosene heater or wood stove, 3. Wear multiple layers of clothing, 4. Have a designated heat room, 5. Camp indoors, 6. Exercise, 7. Drink warm beverages.
Heat Sources for Power Outages
1. Fire Up That Fireplace
For most of the year, fireplaces may be purely decorative. As the weather gets colder, however, fireplaces become invaluable in helping to keep the family warm. Your fireplace is one of the best heat sources to help you keep warm during a power outage.
Before using your fireplace, make sure that your chimney and fireplace has been properly cleaned within the last year. Ash at the base of the fireplace should not be allowed to build up as it restricts air supply and results in more smoke.
Additionally, make sure that the area around the fireplace is free of flammable items like books, drapes, furniture, etc. Have a fire extinguisher ready in case of an emergency as well.
Alternatively, you can use candles to help keep your hands warm. Place a couple of them near one another and you have a mini-fireplace.
These heat sources are highly effective but can pose risks if left unattended. If you have to leave the room, then make sure to put them out first to avoid any unwanted fires.
2. Light The Kerosene Heater or Wood Stove
Good, old-fashioned wood stoves or kerosene heaters may also make for great alternative heat sources for power outages. Kerosene heaters and wood stoves have been in use for many generations.
Though not as common as they used to be, having them at home can be handy for emergency situations like these. Just remember to use these items with caution as they are still a fire hazard.
Most kerosene heaters and wood stoves require plenty of ventilation as they emit harmful gases. Fortunately, when it comes to kerosene heaters, there are more modern alternatives that are now rated for indoor use.
Wood stoves may be permanently installed or portable. Portable wood stoves are easy to position it where they need to be for your heating needs. If you have a portable wood stove, have it placed near a window and construct a DIY chimney that will help channel smoke out.
3. Wear Multiple Layers of Clothing
One of the easiest alternative heat sources is multiple layers of clothing. Wearing more clothes is one of the simplest and easiest ways to keep yourself warm when the temperature drops. When choosing clothes for this task, take the time to pick ones that are thick and insulating.
To keep yourself even warmer, grab some hand warmers, a scarf, a hat, and maybe even some thick socks for good measure. You can also throw on a blanket if you’re still cold after putting on all those layers of clothes.
Additionally, make sure that apart from your family, you don’t forget your furry friends if you have any. If you’re feeling cold, then they most likely are too. Having an extra blanket where they can curl up under should be just fine.
4. Have a Designated Heat Room
One of the best life hacks for surviving a winter power outage is to isolate yourself and the members of your family into a designated heat room within the house.
When the power goes out, your own bodies are your primary sources of heat. Isolating everyone to one room will help capture the body heat from the family members so that everyone can be warmer.
To do this, simply find one area in your house and designate it as the family’s shelter. Choose a room that is small enough for your bodies to keep relatively warm, but large enough for everyone to still be able to settle comfortably in.
An ideal room would be one that has few openings to the outside of your house. It should also preferably have its own bathroom and space to fit a few emergency supplies in.
Once you’ve chosen your family’s designated heat room, try to block up any cracks and crevices where cold air may pass through. If you don’t have tools, something as simple as a few towels and some tape should do temporarily.
Lastly, if the room does have windows, try to get some curtains or blinds. During the morning, keep them open and let as much warmth from the sunlight in as possible. At night, close them to help trap warm air inside and prevent drafts from getting in.
5. Indoor Camping
As was mentioned earlier, the smaller the space that you can isolate yourself and your family to, the easier it will be for you to heat that space up with your body heat. With that said, why not make it even easier by setting up a tent within your designated heat room.
If you have any sleeping bags, you can grab those as well and sleep inside them. Sleeping bags are designed specifically to keep body heat trapped inside of it. You can also use blankets and drape them over the tent to really keep that heat in.
Lastly, if you have any thermoses lying around, fill them up with hot water as soon as the power goes out. They will slowly radiate that heat throughout the day. They’ll also make for great feet warmers that are perfect for placing inside sleeping bags so you can avoid cold feet.
6. Get Some Exercise
Exercise is one of the fastest ways to raise your body temperature. In fact, just 5 minutes of continuously doing jumping jacks or jumping rope will make you feel instantly warmer. If you have children, turn the activity into a family bonding time by playing games with them. A family walk will not only help with the bonding, but will elevate the body temperature of all.
Regardless of the method, remember to keep moving. Exercising is a quick and easy way to raise your core body temperature and stay fit at the same time.
7. Drink Warm Beverages
While you have that kerosene heater turned on, why not make good use of it and heat some water. To the crafty survivalist, even an emergency like a power outage can be turned into something fun and memorable.
With the power gone, it is the perfect time to whip up a batch of hot chocolate or coffee and spend time bonding with the family. This isn’t just a great way to keep the body warm, but also to spend some much-needed quality time with the people who matter most.
Are there other alternative heat sources for power outages that you can think of? Share them with us in the comments section below!
