Stay Warm in a Winter Power Outage

A winter power outage can cause problems on several fronts, from exposing a home’s occupants to hypothermia, to frozen pipes and defrosted or spoiled food from the refrigerator. In our region, we should always be prepared for winter power outages, which can be caused by the following:

• ice on power lines
• trees falling on power lines
• high winds downing power lines
• excess power demand on the grid during bad weather
• failure of outdated utility infrastructure
• failure of homeowner’s equipment

You can never know how long the power will be out, so it pays to have a contingency plan. Here are some suggestions for your winter preparations.

Winter Survival Tips

1. If you have a fireplace, woodstove or other form of alternative heat, make sure you have several days’ supply of fuel.
2. Stock up on ice or dry ice to keep perishables cold. Depending on outdoor temperatures, you might put food in a cooler and place it outdoors to keep it cold.
3. Have plenty of warm blankets. Plan to dress in warm layers.
4. Fill up your gas tank prior to the storm, in case you have to evacuate your home and stay with a friend or in a motel.
5. Avoid using kerosene- or propane-powered heaters unless they are properly vented to avoid carbon monoxide fumes.
6. You can cook outdoors on a camp stove or grill, but make sure fumes from gas, wood, propane or charcoal don’t enter the house.
7. Create a first aid kit, with all necessary medicines in good stock.
8. Stock up on non-perishable, easily prepared foods before the storm.
9. Protect vulnerable interior pipes by allowing the faucets to drip. Wrap pipes in insulation or newspaper 1/4-inch thick. A pipe sleeve can also help.
10. Consider having a backup generator installed. Do not run generators indoors. An electrician should wire the generator into the home to ensure it’s done safely. How many lights/appliances you want to power will determine how powerful an appliance you should buy.

For more information on surviving a power outage, contact C.R. Wolfe Heating and Air Conditioning. We serve Middletown and the surrounding area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Middletown, New York about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about home safety and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 845-367-4482. 

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