M.D. Creekmore: "Surviving a Winter Power Outage – How to Stay Warm"

M.D. Creekmore has a timely article on "Surviving a Winter Power Outage – How to Stay Warm". (H/t Instapundit). He discusses various options for keeping warm, from wearing warm clothing at home, to preparing an "emergency igloo" under your dining room table or in a small room, to looking at heating alternatives like wood or propane.

     I have just a few point to add to his article. First, I highly recommend that you get hold of a copy of Cody Lundin's book, When All Hell Breaks Loose, which I consider to be one of the best--perhaps the best--book on surviving a natural disaster, grid down, situation. He has an excellent discussion of staying warm and heating, including tips for those that haven't had the space and/or money to invest in other preparations. Amazon has the book available new for just over $18, but there are used copies available for much less.

    Second, for those that don't have the option of outfitting their house with a propane system and/or wood heating, another option to look at is kerosene heaters. Back in my university days, my wife and I lived for a few years in Moscow, Idaho, in an apartment that used electrical baseboard heating. As poor college students, we didn't really have the money to run the baseboard heating all of the time, at least not high enough to maintain comfortable temperatures. Hearkening back to the time I lived in Japan, where much of the heating during the winter was with kerosene heaters, my wife and I purchased a larger kerosene heater (the round ones designed to set up in the middle of room), found a local source for kerosene where we could get it from a pump (much cheaper than purchasing in sealed containers), and used it for our primary heating source during the winters. With a ceiling fan set at low to circulate the air, it did a very good job of keeping our townhouse style apartment warm.

    We kept the heater even after moving, and have used it for emergency heating on more than one occasion. Even with now having a carousel fireplace (which is almost as efficient as a good wood stove), if the power goes out, you can get the kerosene heater going temporarily while you get the fire lit and going in your fireplace/wood stove. And kerosene stores quite well, and is even available in sealed 5 gallon drums.

    Third, I would emphasize the old saying, "if your feet are cold, put on a hat." You lose a disproportionate amount of heat through your head, and so in many instances wearing a wool or insulated cap or hat can do more to help you feel comfortable than adding extra layers of sweaters or coats.

 Other Posts:

• "Building a Fire" (discussing some tips for building a fire in a fireplace)
• "Burning Mixed Wood" (using different woods at different stages of starting a fire, initial heating of a structure, and maintaining heat)