Warmth in power outages

[u/Cute-Consequence-184]

Warmth in power outages

Some ideas that might help. I've been homeless and I've lived off grid on and off for years.

First off, light is easier to produce than heat.- remember that.

Insulate your windows. They are often the place that allows the most heat to escape. 

You can get UV blockers that also help with insulation. They also help keep out the heat in the summer.

Put bubble wrap, if you can, over the windows. It really does help. I buy rolls off Amazon or from Walmart. This also helps in the summer heat.

Put plastic sheeting over windows either outside or inside. I have cats, so I put greenhouse plastic on the outside using removable gaffer tape. Then I mark the plastic so it can be taken off in the spring and put back on that same window in the fall.

If you can afford it, you can make rigid panels for each window with Reflectix. They have tutorials for use in RVs but they work even better in a house.

Use towels and sheets over curtain rods to further insulate the windows. Remember light is easier and takes less energy to produce.

I use curtain rods over each door to hang blankets. This insulates the doors. You can also isolate cold hallways so you aren't heating empty space.

I put blankets over the exterior doors to prevent heat loss. I close the door before I push aside the blanket. This seriously helps with heat loss. 

Divert your dryer heat inside for the winter instead of outside. They have special lint catchers for the inside so your dryer (if you use one) will help heat the inside.

Have an off grid way to heat at least 1 room. This one room will need to have room for everyone to sleep and eat.

Have sleeping bags and wool blankets. A wool blanket can take a cheaper 3 season bag up to a 4 season bag. Fleece bag liners also help and are easier to wash than a full sleeping bag.

Have wool socks. They have the ability to be damp and still keep you warm. Have long johns. If you don't have long johns, panty hose can help keep your legs warm. But seriously invest in at least 1 pair long johns.

Have a pair of wool mittens. If you ever have to sleep without heat, they can keep your fingers from frostbite. Your fingers being together share heat better than in individual gloves. 

Have ear protection in the cold. Cudos if it is wool.

Have good boots.

You can also put up a tent as it will help contain body heat. It is best for 2 people to share body heat and invite in the family pets as their temperatures are several degrees higher than that of humans.

Have an off grid way to cook. A BBQ grill will work for most of the year but not necessarily in heavy snow... Unless you are from places like upper Wisconsin and can BBQ in shorts in the winter. (My roommate did this!)

So have something like a portable propane camping stove or a butane stove. Even a small kerosene stove will work for short times inside. Cooking will also really heat a room.

For off-grid heat, there are several choices. The cheapest is a single burner tank top propane heater. If can heat about 80 sq ft. If you already have a 20lb tank, they work really well and can heat steadily for 3 days or 5-7 intermittently. Menards had no name brand ones last year for under $20 on black Friday. So if you don't have emergency heat, definitely shop the black Friday sales.

It is best if you have a battery powered CO detector or better yet, an explosive gas detector/CO detector when using propane and butane indoors.

There are larger ventless propane heaters that are more expensive and you will need large tanks for those. So purely for emergency heat, names like Mr. Buddy and Mr Heater are your best options. They really only have the no name brands on the small tank top heaters AFAIK.

There are also kerosene heaters. Although some Western and Midwest states have outlawed their use inside, they are a viable way to heat inside. I used one for 10 years and now a friend is using one at a cat sanctuary. The first burn needs to be done outside as "burning in" the wick produces smoke. (YouTube videos) But after that, it is just a smell you deal with. They have kerosene treatment that helps with the smell. 5 gallons can last 4-5  days. And if you don't have children, you can take off the safety grills on some models and use the flat top as a cooking surface for Dutch ovens and cast iron. It gets extremely hot, so a diffuser plate is recommended even with a heavy bottomed Dutch oven. And again, you need a CO detector and functional fire alarm to be safe. There are even vented kerosene heater used in places like Alaska that work with large kerosene tanks outside.

Next is diesel heaters. They originated with Naval use in various countries and transferred over to long haul truckers for use in their sleepers. Now they are popular in Van lifers and in RV groups. They must have DC power source to run the pump but they are very cheap (most of the time) to use. There are specific FB groups that can explain all about diesel heaters. But if you have a farm with large diesel tanks, they are a very cheap way to have emergency heat. Bonus as they also can burn cleaned cooking oils or various other oils in emergencies.

Living in your car in emergencies. It is possible to ride out power outages in a car. However, the tailpipe must remain clear at all times. So if it is snowing heavily, this can be an issue.

But you have the lighter for DC energy for your phones or computers. And they take little to have light.

I did this for a week during the 2009 Kentucky ice storm.

When I did this, I put emergency blankets on the floorboard under flattish pillows for insulation. The pillows also help with knee fatigue.

I put windshield covers made with Reflectix on the seats to reflect heat back to whoever was sitting there.

Each person had access to a wool blanket. We wore warm wool hats, wool socks and warm gloves.

I closed towels in each window and covered the windows with bubble wrap. I rigged one of the back window in my car to stay open a half inch for fresh air. I also opened the driver's window to clear the ice  and snow occasionally and that let in fresh air.

I stuffed old blankets in the back window for insulation.

I had a battery powered CO detector. VERY IMPORTANT IN SMALL AREAS.

I had a kitchen timer I set for every 30 minutes. I would start the car and run it just enough to reheat the inside of the vehicle and would reset the timer when I shut off the engine. We also had extra fuel and the gas station was running on gas generators and took only cash. We refilled 3 times in 5 days.

We didn't cook per se, we heated cans of food on the warm engine block.

Got out of the car several times a day to check the tailpipe and get food. This allowed a large exchange of oxygen.

The police knew were were in our car. We were in a public parking lot they occasionally patrolled and would stop to talk to us. So if you do this, make sure someone knows about it and is occasionally calling you. SAFETY FIRST.

BEWARE of trying to produce heat with candles. If it's very dangerous. They need to be on a fire blanket at the very least. WITH NO PETS AROUND. Not only that but they provide minimal heat, only enough for a very small (closet) room.

[u/tempest1523]

Good detailed considerations

[u/newarkdanny]

This is one of the best actual real world experience on this topic I've seen here. Good job you covered everything I could think of.

[u/8Deer-JaguarClaw]

Great tips here. Thanks for sharing!

[u/Remote-Candidate7964]

Thank you for sharing! These are excellent tips and examples

[u/Jazman1985]

I would just like to throw out a point on the wool/sleeping bag combo. You want the wool inside your sleeping bag if your bag is down, down derives its warmth from its ability to expand in volume, it's best as an outer layer. Same applies for down jackets, it's a great outer layer(or if directly under an oversized wind/rain layer), but let your puffy puff.

I would also argue that candles work well for providing heat while you're in the room. I would never leave them unattended, but during a power outage when everyone is gathered in a single room playing cribbage a half dozen candles can provide a significant amount of heat. I personally have hurricane lanterns with kerosene to cover this particular niche better.

[u/EnergyLantern]

Long johns collect sweat and become radiators of cold during the winter which is why I won’t wear them anymore.

[u/Cute-Consequence-184 → u/EnergyLantern]

Some do especially the old cotton ones. Cotton kills remember?

Wool doesn't and silk does not either.

Wool regulates your temperature really well and absorbs any sweat. Wool can hold over a third of its own weight in liquid before it feels wet. And even wet it can't still keep you warm. Raw wool even produces a minutes amount of heat when wet.

Silk breathes extremely well and is so thin you can forget you are wearing anything.

Some of the newer synthetic materials wick any sweat away into the outer layers.

[u/EnergyLantern → u/Cute-Consequence-184]

The reality is I am not going to find wool long johns at most department stores so you really have to specify wool.

[u/Cute-Consequence-184 → u/EnergyLantern]

In an emergency situation where there is no heat, the chances of sweating is minimal. The reality is you will most likely be closer to freezing.

So long term prepping with wool, especially where it gets cold often or you have to work outside-absolutely.

But someplace where it gets snow bag enough to shut off power once every 5 years, anything will help.

I wrote this in response to someone from Atlanta having a power outage and no heat. Atlanta barely even has snow plows because they just don't get snow that sticks but very occasionally. Almost any amount of snow can shut down the city.

In that type of situation people will be layering up whatever they have and whatever fits. And having specialized wool or silk long johns in a warm climate is IMO, a waste of money. Even though Kentucky is better prepared for winter but still on the warmer side, I choose to invest because I worked in an unheated building and rarely felt warm due to my Hashimotoes.

[u/EnergyLantern → u/Cute-Consequence-184]

That isn't true. When you wear two layers, you are going to have some perspiration and when I shovel snow or use a snow blower, I get sweaty. If you are working or outside for hours, you will begin to get cold because the clothing will be a radiator radiating cold because its wet.

If it wasn't true, then why does winter clothing have material that wicks?

The Science of Sweat: Why Some People Perspire More | Henry Ford Health - Detroit, MI

Why Do I Sweat When I'm Cold? 5 Reasons You're Perspiring While You Shiver, According To Doctors