How to Keep Warm Without Electricity 
For Part 1 and Tips 1 through 4 click previous page
5. Another great way to keep fingers and toes warm are these little handy pocket warmers. They fit into shoes and pockets, keeping you toasty. My sister used to flag for construction and swore by these.
6. Blankets are good, especially, can you guess it, don’t make me say it again…. Okay, wool blankets or a nice heavy quilt. And as any good homesteader and pioneer lover, there is little better in my book than a nice thick gorgeous quilt for cuddling up under. Or having on the back of your couch or even folded up on a ladder because it just looks all kind of vintage cool in your living room when you’re not using said quilt.
You'll be even warmer if you share body heat. Cuddle with your spouse or kids under a blanket while reading a story.
7. All though I really don’t like not being able to kick my feet and sprawl out (yes, I’m that kind of sleeper) the design of a mummy sleeping bag will keep you warmer as it traps body heat. This sleeping bag is rated for 0 degrees and is your best bet on cold nights when you need to hunker down.
You should never ever run an outdoor cooking stove inside a house or use charcoal to keep warm. It can be deadly. Don’t do it!
But, using one outside to boil water for hot chocolate or tea, or my favorite in the wee hours of the day (okay fine, afternoon, too) coffee is a very good idea.
8. A hot beverage will warm up your hands and your insides, by raising your core body temperature. Nothing like a bowl of hot soup and hot tea to keep a body warm. This is provided you’ve been following along in our preparedness series and have food and water on hand to heat. We purchased this little stove for under $15 and it works great for boiling water or soup.
9. This may seem obvious, but I can be almost shivering in our house and then do a 30 minute workout and be warm in the same clothes and temperature for over an hour. Some jumping jacks and high knees will warm you up in as little as five minutes.
10. Another option for heat without electricity for your home is a t-light terra cotta heaters. Now in full disclosure, I’ve never used one. As stated, our wood stove does a fine job of heating our home.
This is an interesting article on not only how to make one, but how it held up in their home when the power was out and it was below freezing outside. I have to state the obvious, please be extremely careful when using any kind of open flame in your home, even a candle like a t-light. Never ever leave it burning unattended.
Bonus 11. Last but not least, go to a friends home, neighbor, church, or red cross shelter that has heat if traveling is safe.
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I’d love to hear how you’ve helped stay warm when the power was out. Please share in the comments.
Candles. I light a few pillar candles. They really take the chill out. Always attended though.
We will probably put some of these to use in the coming weeks as we travel across Canada, probably catching some sleep in our truck. Thanks for the ideas!
Sheryl,
Stay warm!
I’ve got to day 4 and all I’ve seen is common sense ideas. True I grew up in a rural mountain area and had kinfolk who grew up before me without a lot of “extras”, but am I missing something with all these “ideas”?
As the song says, A Country Boy Can Survive!
I love that song. You probably already have a lot of these skills, the 30 day challenge starts at the beginning/basic skills and then adds on, but truthfully, all preparedness and self-sufficiency follows common sense and basic survival skills that the pioneers and our forefathers used in their every day life before modern conveniences. Many people don’t/didn’t have people to teach them the skills like you and I.
Hi Melissa, having come from a large and not wealthy family, we use to put bricks in front of the fireplace (or outside by an attended fire) until the brick was hot. Wrapped it up in newspaper and then in a towel or two. Placed it at the bottom of the bed under the blankets and it kept our feet warm until we fell asleep. Cheap and safe and very effective. Good for when you go camping as well.
Regards Frances from Sunny South Africa
Frances,
Great tip! This reminds me of Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie.
My electric went out in the middle of winter and I live near Chicago where it gets very cold. I used a cast iron dutch oven with a lid. The bigger the better, dutch ovens come in all sizes. I used an 8qt. I filled it up with water and heated it on a gas grill outside and then brought it in the house. I used bricks to elevate it and lit candles under it and sometimes I used oil & candle wicks . I remembered a place where I used to live had cast iron radiator heat and it was really warm. It’s not going to heat the whole house but will heat a room.
If you are at home and can’t travel to a safer/heated location pick the smallest room in your home that you and your family can be comfortable in such as one of the small bedrooms hang blankets over all entrances (windows doors heater vents etc) a small room is easier to heat and keep heated with candles and body heat while the blankets will help minimize the loss of heat from the room and the entrance of cold air from outside
i follow ur page ,and just wanted to ask if you have scottish roots as i detect phases at times.emailing you from SCOTLAND.CHEERS
Nelson,
Not that I know of… but a lot of Appalachian roots come from the highlands, so that might be part of it. My grandfather’s last name was Connor, I think it’s Irish, but it could be Scottish, I need to do some genealogy.
Just turned 56 year old, we had no electricity for heating in a tin roof farm house.
No AC, only wood stove in the living room & gas stove for cooking, later a electric cooking stove.
We used 1,6 & 8, but if I had to repeat that, I would have a Thermal mass rocket stove in my home stead. Matter of fact, I will have one when I retire & move back on the same farm. 19.5 acres are not much but I can feed up to 20 people with grain,wood,timber,
fruit & vegetables as well as meat. If run right you can even make a small profit.
How wonderful you still have your same farm!! We’re at 14.96 acres so with your additional 5 acres you will certainly be able to be very self-sufficient. Congrats!
Our last ice storm we expected little snow & got 2″ ice. Lost power for 2 days, but got buy on lanterns & fireplace. Glad we had h2o & lots of food.Had stocked up on lamp fuel on sale, after Christmas.Put the tent up in the living room. Good blankets, comforter & sleeping bags.Had 4 ricks of wood from the last tree downed by a spring tornado. God provides.Got to catch up on my reading list too! The only thing was paper for the 5-gallon bucket. But live & learn. It could have been a lot worse. I did check on my neighbors too. They had a good stock of garage sale candles for heat. The clay pot trick works & is safe if watched.
Tip for staying warm without electricity:
If your home has natural gas central heating, place a “T” with a shutoff valve in the gas supply line where service runs to your central unit. Have on hand the necessary hardware for a hose-connection from the inserted valve at “T” that is long enough to run out into the dwelling to a central location where it can be connected to a ventless space heater (like a Dearborn). When electricity fails, turn off gas service to the central unit and connect space heater that will provide supplemental/temporary heat until electrical service is restored. Store the emergency heater and hose-hardware until needed. (Most homes have enough normal ventilation for use of the ventless space heater but be sensitive to the possibility of potentially-lethal, carbon-binoxide gas.)
Excellent suggestion. But, obviously, must be executed in advance.
I have a tent that I have set up in a larger room for sorting in during power outages. Just being in the tent alone is warmer. Add the layering of clothing as stated in the article, etc… It made a noc without electricity very comfortable.
I like to learn them in the future and keep my name on mail list thank you
You mentioned wood stoves and propane, but left out the best solution of all, kerosene.
The Amish and many off gridders have used kerosene instead of electricity for many years. Heating, cooking, lighting, refrigeration, and even endless hot water are easily accomplished with kerosene, plus most kerosene appliances can also be powered using diesel.
Kerosene is far safer than propane, and far easier than wood. Unlike pressurized fuel appliances, wicked kerosene appliances have very few moving parts so both repair and maintenance are very minimal, and reliability is second to none.
Dollar for dollar, kerosene is just about as good as it gets.
Stan, my dad loves kerosene, it’s how he grew up with kerosene lanterns. Thanks for bringing this one up!
Your plans are right on when I moved from country to city the one thing I had to have was a good well installed wood burning stove and my newly acquired wife went along with my wishes and we use it to supplement our gas heat and were very happy to have heat one January night when the contractors working on a bridge cut the main gas line for our neighborhood and repairs took 24 hours at-15 degrees C.
As a camping fan from south Florida, I camped during college at every break. So, I learned quickly to place a thick padding of leaves between me and the ground and there are mats you can place on beds or floors to reflect more of your body warmth into your bed. Many of us down here find memory foam unbearably hot here to sleep on. One last trick. I find that retiring a bit early and doing some busy work or reading or playing a game takes my mind off the cold bed. Then, I pull the covers to my shoulders with my nose barely out of the covers or, my old, non-mummy sleeping bag. When I breathe out, the warm air goes into the top of the bag or covers, warming me up all night. When I breathe in, I get cold air but breathing out pushes the warm air under the covers. Years ago, I got used to sleeping with an old down pillow over my ear (I sleep on my side) to muffle any noise as I am very sensitive to it, which really keeps me warm also.
Thank you for all the good articles , sorry I have been busy with changing Churches of late. but, I am back and I see you are your normal caring full of ideas self, Ha Ha so as it is late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family God otinue to bless your work and ministry
Pastor Amos
Love what I was reading thx so much I to am a country girl love the outdoors also I’m am a follower of Jesus can’t live without him in my life I and my husband live in beautiful Colorado,we are so blessed and grateful for what he has done in our lives thx for sharing what you have to others. Cindy in Colorado
I used my oil lamps when power went out for a week and outside temps were in the 40s.
EXTREME WINTERS: Best of all is to have sun-facing sealed glass veranda with door into house having slit top & bottom to circulate solar-heated air through house – that keeps house warm hours after winter sunset. 3 layers of packing cardboard on floors (or upside-down carpets) + clear plastic shower curtain across windows to still allow sun in + furniture & book cases beside outer walls. Retire to one small room. Window about 1mm permanently open to avoid condensation. Slow ceiling fan. Wood stove but preferably single-stick Helixtove + fume hood. Long socks on your hands & forearms + feet socks in bed – beanie on head all the time. Hot water in 2-litre plastic jugs + meals + TV + radio + music + books + computer + coffee all in bed; + dachshund or whatever dog that pulls your bike can warm your bed end. Visitors leaning against floor bean bags in a circle all under a big doona with big hot water bottle in middle. Wellington gumboots (wash feet by water-filling boots & walking around for a few minutes) for outside always – but hell who wants to live like that in freezing cold when they can have our mostly sunny cloudless days & where bananas ripen in midwinter & no winter heating costs?
Pacific sail cruising & van around Europe we used kerosene wick stove & bright lamp but on cheap diesel – vastly cheaper than candles.
Hindus gather some cottonwool into a little pointed 2-3cm high heap part-immersed in most any type of oil (cooking, waste engine, diesel…) as below. They light the tip that, depending on oil level, can be bright or so microscopic that a small oil quantity lasts hours. My scheme was to place 3-4 such wicks in an oil trough backed by a mirror for brilliant free light + heat, vertically-adjustable upside-down uncorked oil bottle to maintain level as shown. The cotton life appears indefinite:
♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ Ω /
Thank you Melissa for your ideas I’ll put them to use tempatures dropped dramatically here in southern Indiana and although I live right in town the ower company and I don’t get along so I’m tuffing it out.
Link to sleeping bag is not a 0 degree bag, but 20+. Link to stove is $20, not $10.
Unfortunately Amazon changes prices and items often, I’ll see about finding replacements and thanks for the heads up
Your advice is good, albeit in most cases pretty obvious. Below are a few considerations that come to mind:
7. The sleeping bag you recommend is rated for 20F degrees, not 0F degrees. At 0F degrees it might provide sufficient warmth to keep you alive, but you won’t be remotely comfortable.
8. The stove you recommend, the Icetek Sports Ultralight Portable Outdoor Backpacking Camping Stove, is fine as long as you have a propane canister available — and the temperature is high enough to vaporize the propane. A better choice, in my opinion, is this extremely efficient stove that,regardless of outside temperature, requires only small wood sticks to produce as much heat as the stove you recommend:
https://www.amazon.com/d/Camping-Backpacking-Stoves/kampMATE-WoodFlame-Lightweight-Backpacking-Stainless/B01BPUEGNK/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1543454509&sr=8-20&keywords=camping+stoves+backpacking
The advantage of this stove is that you won’t run out of heat unless you run out of small sticks (as opposed to running out of propane.)
Bonus 11: In a short-term power outage of less than a couple of days, relying on the good will of a neighbor might be an option — but it won’t take long for you to wear out your welcome. It’s far better to be prepared in your own right with a heat source, along with enough food and water to sustain you and your family for a longer-term outage, (Note that prudence and self-preservation suggests that you not let your neighbors know that you are better prepared for long-term deprivation than they are.)
So, I would suggest that, in addition to warm clothing, you should keep readily available in long-term storage 30 days worth of food and water for each member of your family (as a bare minimum).
To reemphasize: that’s a minimum
All gooodinfo, but you left out down comforters. Everyone should invest in one!..
Or a buffalo hide!
Thank u for ideas that will help me if I am caught unexpectly I cold situations .?? Adele
We lost power for about 5 hours this last January, on a pretty cold day here in Wisconsin. The kids and I were already sick with colds, no less. But we put a large pot of water on the gas stove, and used a lighter to get it going (no electric ignition with the power out, but the gas was flowing fine). The stove heated the water, and that heat mass then radiated into the house for a couple of hours. Between that and the blankets, we were fine, but I did see several folks in the community (via facebook on my phone) were getting pretty cold and had no idea what to do.
Use can also use wool, lol.
I was living alone with my dogs during a winter power outage. Fortunately I had a good quality down comforter, plus blankets. It was a medium weight from Scandia Down, great feather loft, which is what traps the heat and keeps you warm. The dogs and I hunkered down together and it was pretty toasty. Since you do have your head under all that, it’s a good idea to come up for air and re-oxygenate your undercover area once in a while.
One of my favorite ways to stay warm without electric is having my pets sleep with me. Right now I only have one cat, but he is a major heater! When I had three, I would awaken feeling unbearably hot on the coldest night.