Winter Storms and Blackouts - Simple Tips to Stay Warm

December was a crazy month. We had one adverse weather advisory followed by another - high winds and rain, flooding, high winds and rain, snowstorm, and high winds again. The windstorm one Tuesday night was quite strong - it took out a number of trees in our area, which then took out the power lines, blew transformers, and blocked roads. We were fortunate and were only without power for a day and a half. It took a while to get into town that Wednesday morning, but the road crews and the electric company crews were out bright and early working hard to open up roads and restore electricity. 

It was a dark drive home Wednesday night with no lights along the freeway, but our oldest son had the oil lamps and candles lit at the house, offering a welcoming glow when we returned. Since our wood stove is not yet installed*, the house was a bit chilly. Husband had a plan, however, and with the help of a Mr. Heater indoor propane heater we picked up in town, we soon had the house nice and cozy. 


*The house had a pellet stove when we moved in; it was worthless whenever the electricity went out because it requires electricity to run the hopper and the fan. This is why we are moving to wood heat as our backup.


This situation made me think of those without generators and alternative heat. What can you do to keep your house warm and livable in the event of a short-term blackout? Here are a three simple items that can be a big help:


Window Coverings 

Our windows are low quality and rather drafty. One of the first items we saved up to purchase for the house was insulated blackout blinds. This was mainly because the house had no window coverings at all and our neighbors are in love with their super bright floodlights. They leave them on all night, lighting up their property, the neighbors' properties, the lake, the sky, the woods - basically the entire vicinity. We needed blackout blinds to dim the bedrooms enough at night to be able to sleep. We chose insulated blinds because we knew that they would help keep the house warm in the winter and cool in the summer. They work really well. In one of the bedrooms, we added thick blackout curtains on each window as well, increasing the insulation factor significantly. 


Insulating your windows will go a long ways towards helping to keep your home warm. If you don't have good window coverings, you can hang blankets over the windows to provide the needed insulation from the cold outdoor air.


Draft Stoppers

If your doors are not well sealed, a lot of cold can seep through the cracks. Draft stoppers help keep the cold air from creeping in from underneath the doors. You can read about how to make simple draft stoppers in our previous blog post "Easy DIY Draft Stoppers." These can be as plain or as beautiful as you like. If you do not have time to make draft stoppers, you can simply roll up a towel and place it in front of the door too keep the drafts out.


As with the windows, you can hang blankets over the doors to keep the drafts to a minimum and better insulate your rooms from the outdoors.


Mr. Heater Big Buddy

No matter how much you insulate the windows and doors, your house will be much warmer if you have a heat source. We purchased an indoor safe propane heater for our home during the latest blackout. 

Boy is this heater impressive! It kept the entire upstairs warm during the power outage. In fact, it was a bit too warm - we had to turn it down to low part way through the night. It is rated for indoor use and runs on two 1 lb. propane cylinders. Our model requires AAA batteries for the ignition and D batteries if you want to run the fan. It has three settings: 4,000; 9,000; and 18,000 BTU. It claims it will heat up to 450 square feet, but our upstairs is around 1,000 square feet and the entire upstairs was nice and warm. Mr. Heater has many different models. If you are concerned about staying warm in a winter power outage, this is a great option. You can find these heaters at Amazon (click here for our affiliate link), Lowes, Home Depot, and many other places.


For us, this heater will be a great asset even once our wood stove is installed. We will use it to keep the farthest reaches of the house - the utility room and downstairs bath - warm if we lose electricity again. It will also be helpful to keep the pipes from freezing if the electricity goes out while the temperature is low.


Clothing Layers

Layering your clothes will also help you to stay warm even when the temperature inside drops. Base layers such as wool and linen can help draw moisture away from your skin and will keep you warm even if damp. Long sleeve shirts over the base layer, followed by a sweater or sweatshirt can go a long ways towards maintaining a comfortable body temperature. Wool socks covered by slippers or shoes will help keep your feet warm and insulated from cold floors. Wearing a hat indoors will minimize the heat lost through your head, thereby keeping your entire body warmer.


There are more options than these that will help keep you warm in a power outage. Keep in mind that if you are without power for more than a short period of time, you will likely have to take additional measures to stay warm. Nevertheless, these are all a great place to start. 


Stay tuned for our favorite non-electric lighting options!


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