Eight Ways to Heat a House without Power

Winter power outages in Colorado can be dangerous. Not only is there the possibility that a blackout could damage large appliances, but there’s also the challenge of keeping your family warm while the electric company repairs the line. How do you keep the house warm without electricity?

How Long will a House Stay Warm Without Power?

Good news: heat loss doesn’t set in immediately, so you have some time to make things cozier. In the event of a blackout or broken furnace, the average home in Colorado can hold sufficient heat for 8-12 hours before it starts to cool off drastically. Try to open the outside door as little as possible and close off any unused rooms to make the interior heat last longer.

How to Keep Your House Warm

Even though your house will gradually lose heat, there are ways you can keep your family safe and minimize heat loss. Follow these tips for how to heat your house without power.

1. Light the fireplace. If your home has a gas or wood fireplace, start a fire to keep your home warm. You can also cook a meal over a fire or a gas-powered kitchen stove, and warm food will help you feel warmer. Keep any camping stoves or portable fireplaces outdoors to stay safe from fire hazards and dangerous fumes.

2. Add some layers. Prepare yourself and your family for cooler temperatures in the house by adding a base layer to insulate and an extra sweater on top. Keep your ears and toes covered to maintain your body temperature. Layer up before you get cold, so you can maintain heat instead of trying to warm back up.

3. Gather the family. Choose a room in the house to bring everyone together, including your pets. Body heat adds to the room’s warmth. This also minimizes the need to warm several rooms of the house.

4. Make the most of sunshine. Opening the drapes during the day allows the warmth of the sun to pass through the windows. Close them in the evening to keep accumulated warmth from leaking out through the windows.

5. Seal off cracks. Identify drafty spots and block the airflow with a blanket or towel. You can also consider taping around the windows to prevent heat leakage.

6. Exercise. Simply exercising for 5 minutes can raise your internal temperature. Encourage the kids to move with active games to stay warm. Just make sure you don’t start to sweat since it will cool off your body once you stop moving.

7. Enjoy hot drinks. If you have a gas or wood stove, heat up some hot tea, coffee, cocoa, or a steaming bowl of soup to warm your insides. If the power outage isn’t widespread, go to a restaurant or order hot food and drinks for delivery.

8. Use a generator. If your home is equipped with a backup generator, use it to run some space heaters, and—depending on the size of the generator—you may be able to boot up the furnace. However, be careful running a heat pump on a generator. Make sure your generator has at least three times the amperage it takes to run the heat pump because the system needs triple the energy for the startup.

If you have lost power in winter and are struggling to keep yourself and your family warm, don’t risk the cold. Seek out a local warming shelter or stay in a hotel or with friends who have working heat.

When to Use Emergency Heat

The emergency heat setting on your furnace is not meant for blackouts or to supplement your regular heater during extremely cold weather. Instead, emergency heat for your home is meant to take over should your regular furnace break or freeze. Expect the energy costs to skyrocket when you switch on your emergency heat. If mechanical failure is causing your heating problems, it’s best to have your regular furnace repaired as quickly as you can.

Does Gas Heat Work Without Power?

Not normally. The backup gas heater connects electronically to your thermostat, switches, and blowers despite heating through gas power. That means you can only use gas-powered backup emergency heat during a power outage if you have a generator to power it and your regular heater is damaged.

Keep Your Home Cozy in Loveland, CO

Losing power for any length of time during the winter can be concerning—especially if your furnace won’t start up after the power comes back. You can tap into emergency heat if your system has the option, but the energy costs will stack up quickly.

Our One-Hour Heating and Air Conditioning professionals servicing Loveland, CO can bring warmth back to your home without delay by repairing or replacing your heating system. To get started, call (970) 822-0413 or book an appointment online.