Stay Cozy During Power Outages
Many of us rely on electricity to keep our homes and apartments warm during the cold months, but electricity can’t always be relied on.
Extreme weather and storms can easily cause power outages, and your home may be without power for hours, maybe even days.
Related Product: Wool Blankets (click to view on Amazon) are great for staying warm in emergency situations.
It’s best to be prepared for situations where you might not be able to run your electric furnace or heater.
Here are a few ways you can safely keep your home warm without electricity.
Propane Heaters (Indoor Safe)
The most effective way to keep your house warm and stop the pipes from freezing when you don’t have electricity is a propane heater.
Originally portable propane heaters were only used outdoors, but there are now a lot of good indoor safe options that are ok to use in your home.
I recommend having at least one small propane heater on hand just in case. You should also have a good supply of 1 lb propane tanks as well.
When using propane heaters indoors the most important rules to follow are; to give the heater space, and have a window cracked for ventilation.
It might seem like having a window opened slightly will let out valuable hot air, but propane heaters can be dangerous without proper ventilation.
Indoor safe propane heaters do require having some 1 lb propane tanks on hand, but they are one of the most effective ways to heat a home during a power outage.
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Kerosene Heater
If propane isn’t something you want to mess with, another great indoor safe heater that uses fuel instead of electricity is a kerosene heater (click to view on Amazon).
Much like propane heaters, kerosene heaters require ventilation. Without proper airflow heaters like these burn up all of the oxygen in a room, which is dangerous for pets and people.
Kerosene heaters are effective, but you need to have a good supply of kerosene and some extra wicks.
I recommend getting gallon jugs of kerosene from your local hardware store.
A large kerosene burner that can heat a home will require quite a bit of fuel. The version I linked to above burns 2 gallons in 12 hours.
You get a lot of heat, but you need to make sure you have a lot of fuel.
See Also: Best Freestanding Electric “Fake” Fireplace Heaters
Emergency Candles
Large emergency candles that can burn for a long time are a fast and easy way to get some heat into your home during a power outage.
They don’t put off a ton of heat, but they will be better than nothing in an emergency situation.
Candles are also a good option if you don’t have a lot of space to store fuel like propane or kerosene.
If you have to use candles as a heat source because you don’t have any other options I recommend using them in a smaller room if possible to make them more effective.
Make sure you are still giving the candles enough distance from flammable objects to be safe and always have good ventilation.
I recommend getting some of the large 3 wick emergency candles like the SE Survivor Series (click to view on Amazon). They burn a little hotter than 1 wick candles.
Liquid fuel burning candles like CandleLife Emergency Survival Candles (click to view on Amazon) are also great for light and some heat.
See Also: The Best Tabletop Indoor Fire Pit You Can Roast Smores Over
Conclusion About Emergency Heaters
Electric heaters require a lot of electricity to work, batteries and generators might not be enough to keep your home warm during a blackout.
Being prepared for a sudden winter storm isn’t difficult. Make sure you have a good supply of clean drinking water, food that’s ready to eat, and a heat source that doesn’t require electricity.
If you have a fireplace or wood stove that you never use make sure you always have a supply of dry firewood that’s ready to be burned in case of emergency and have the chimney inspected yearly to make sure it’s safe to use.
Emergency Heater FAQ
Can A Portable Propane Heater Be Used Inside?
Not all portable propane heaters can be used indoors, but most of them can. You can check the manual that came with your heater or ask the manufacturer if the heater you have is ok to use inside.
Most of the time the only things portable propane heaters require to be safely used indoors is space around and above them, and good ventilation.
Can I Make Candles Better For Heating?
There are some DIY methods out there that claim to make candles more effective for heating.
Some suggest putting bricks around candles and placing a ceramic bowl or terracotta pot above the flame.
In theory, this helps radiate and hold heat from a candle flame for longer, but candles already put out such a small amount of heat the effectiveness is about the same as burning a candle on its own.
Is it Safe to Burn Kerosene Indoors?
Yes, it’s safe to burn kerosene indoors if it’s being burned in an indoor safe heater that’s made for kerosene.
One thing to note about the fumes that come from burning kerosene is they are associated with increased health risks for things like cancer, respiratory infections, asthma, and more.
That’s why it’s recommended to use kerosene heaters in well ventilated rooms and in emergency situations only.
Have any more questions about non-electric emergency heaters? Leave a comment below.
