How to Prepare Your Home for a Power Outage in Sub Zero Temperatures

You'll need to retain heat in the home during a cold-weather power outage.

Power outages occur all over the country but pose a particular set of problems when they occur in freezing temperatures. If this situation occurs, you will need to consider how to keep your house sufficiently warm and what supplies to get to keep your family safe. It is up to you to make sure you have all the necessary equipment and a set plan in place to safely ride out a power outage in freezing weather.

Things You'll Need

• Thick blankets
• Warm clothing
• Flashlights
• Batteries

Instructions

1. Keep extra blankets in your home to hang over all the windows during the power outage. Windows are one of the main escape routes of heat. Covering up every window with a blanket will help retain the heat that is already trapped in the home. The blanket you use must be thick enough to insulate heat.

2. Check the caulking on all your windows to make sure they are no gaps. Any gaps in the caulking will allow heat to escape and cold air to enter. Every bit of heat is precious during a power outage in freezing weather. It will be to your benefit to seal up even the smallest cracks, holes or gaps in any caulking around your windows.

3. Stockpile enough wood for several days to use as a fuel. Without electricity, you will be left without any light or heat. You can easily burn wood in your chimney to provide light at night and warmth throughout the day. Just make sure that the chimney flume is completely open so the smoke has a place to escape.

4. Store warm clothes in an area that is readily accessible like a bedroom or a linen closet. Without any lights, you need to make sure that all your essential equipment is in a place that you can get to easily. This is especially true with warm clothes because, even though you may take all the precautions possible to keep your house warm, it will still get very cold.

5. Keep a supply of canned food and other food items that do not need to be heated in the kitchen. You should be able to find something that is ready to eat without any preparation during a power outage in freezing weather. Snack foods like granola bars and nuts work perfectly for this situation.

6. Keep flashlights and extra batteries in every closet in the house. You'll never know where you'll be when the power goes out. It could be the dead of night, when everyone is in separate rooms in the house. Everyone should know that if they go to the closest closet in the house, there will be a flashlight waiting for them.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your water running at a moderate drip to keep your pipes from freezing over.

References

• Tufts University Public Safety: Winter Power Outage Tips - Emergency Prepardness
• NYC.gov: NYC Hazards: Power Outages