How to keep your house warm in winter without electricity

Preventing operation failures of electrical appliances that generate heat inside the house or that generate too much demand is important as winter approaches. You must have a plan B and make sure to keep your home warm. for that reason, we will give you some tips on how to keep the house warm in winter without electricity. Let’s dive in.

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Keep your house warm without power

Winter is one of the most beautiful times of the year if you like the cold. But it can have scenarios straight out of a Netflix series. Some of those scenarios could be running out of electricity due to a snowstorm, windstorm, landslides, or power failures, even an increase in your electric bill can cause you to reduce your electricity consumption.

In addition to keeping your home warm, you can help keep your body warm by layering your clothes, preparing a meal or tea, layering blankets, and fabrics, etc. this way you can generate some heat around you, and combine it with the hacks below, you can tell the story later.

Hacks for keeping the house warm

Before the beginning of winter, make a thorough inspection of your home:

• Look for cracks in walls and repair them.
• Check the windows for missing glass, and that the curtains are in good condition.
• Verify that the electrical connections are up to date and that there are no hot spots or any element that could cause a short circuit.
• Check your electrical appliances that are not damaged or very old (they demand more electricity) and repair or replace them.

A room is considered warm when it is between 18-23°C. With this in mind, you should ideally have thermostats in visible places where you can check the temperature. Now some survival hacks:

Insulating

Invest when building or remodeling in insulating walls, it is the most expensive but efficient solution to having a warm room, since it retains the heat inside.

Furniture

Something as simple as moving a piece of furniture can generate a temperature change in the room. For example, relocating furniture from the outside walls to the inside walls will keep it away from the outside and these items will eventually heat up.

Repair furniture: Yes, repairing furniture can help you create a warmer climate. In homes, there are drafts. If there is a piece of furniture with a dent or crack near a draft, it can keep the area cool. Be sure to have it checked in the winterization process before winter arrives.

You can put a shelf above the heater or radiator. This causes the heat emitted by the radiator to concentrate under this shelf and keep the place much cooler for a shorter and longer period. It also serves as a decoration for the room.

Purging radiators

Check the operation of your radiator, so that it does not have cold spots, you will know this when it suddenly expels cold air, then you must purge it.

Read more: How to insulate exposed water pipes

Terracotta heaters

Buy some terracotta lamps that you can put a candle in or use with kerosene. The clay keeps and retains heat, heating a whole room.

Seal cracks in walls and windows

If you can not repair the cracks or new ones appear, you can cover them with a kind of longitudinal cushion made of fabrics that do not allow the full passage of cold air and can be adjusted on the doors.

Seal your chimney

Chimneys are air ducts. When not in operation, it must be closed. In addition, when it is in use, it becomes the focal point of the room, in this case, it must be partially opened so as not to overheat the room and allow the passage of a flow of ventilation air.

Add rugs

The floor is one of the areas of greatest heat loss, not being insulated, if you do not have a system of insulation in the floor (as part of the construction) the most economical way to do it is installing carpets, also a very elegant option. You have infinite options, models, and materials. Remember to clean them very well because they are a source of dust.

Put curtains

Curtains are a great option as a barrier against cold wind. A considerable amount of heat is lost through windows. However, the curtains must be thick and of a fabric that can effectively insulate the cold.

Backup generator

Invest in a gasoline or diesel generator that can power key appliances in the house or that can generate a stable temperature. As a source of carbon monoxide, it should be located at least 20 feet away from the house and with the exhaust pipe pointing away from the house to avoid poisoning.

Don’t lose body heat

Keeping the house warm in winter without electricity involves not only housing but also your body composition. Use layers of clothing, from neoprene to wool fabrics, gloves, thick socks, blankets as blankets, whatever is necessary so that you do not lose body heat. Place yourself near a heat source in case you feel your extremities cold because the human body concentrates heat in the trunk to keep the organs warm.

Review your habits

Is it necessary to turn on the heating as soon as the temperatures drop, or is it just a habit? Check your heating habits, to what extent you can stand to be without it, is it a considerable increase in the electricity bill or try lowering the temperature. At least 10% is an energy saving.

The cheapest way to heat a house without electricity

There are options for keeping the heat in a house, but these two options will always be the most economical. Keep in mind that both produce carbon monoxide. You will need to install a fire alarm or a carbon monoxide detector, opening a source of ventilation (a door, a window, or a small crack, if there is one, will do the trick) may work.

Wood stoves

In the old days, the stoves for cooking were made of wood (wood) and the kitchen was like the steam chamber of the titanic. You can use this system, for cooking or as an option to keep a room warm. You can build in a part of the kitchen, if possible, a small wood stove; when you light it, it will heat the room. If you cannot do so, the fireplace can use to heat the room.

Kerosene lamps and heaters

Kerosene lamps have the particularity that they last a long time on and keep the heat. It is an economical option because kerosene is a much more economical fuel than gasoline

Don’t forget that keeping your home warm is the most important thing in winter. We hope that our tips on how to keep your house warm in winter without electricity works for you and your family.

Written by Vanessa Gallanti. December 5, 2022

Enthusiast about planning, project management, construction materials and technology, and construction. A civil engineer from Los Andes University and a content writer for Kukun.