How To Heat A House Without Electricity Or Gas (Alternative Heating)

None of us realize how dependent we are on electricity and gas until we don’t have it. Experiencing a total power outage can be a scary and overwhelming experience which can have dangerous consequences. 

Knowing how to heat your house effectively without electricity or gas has numerous advantages. It’s not just in an emergency situation that you can benefit from using alternative heating either.

In fact many people switch to alternative methods when they struggle to find the ideal temperature or get their gas and electric heating working efficiently in their home. 

You never want to experience discomfort with no respite from the cold if there’s a power outage in your home. Ensuring the comfort and warmth of your loved ones is essential and it’s easy to do with alternative heating methods that don’t cost the earth. 

We’ve found some of the best alternative methods to heat your home without relying on a power source. So let’s take a look at how to make it work for you.

Close Off Rooms that You Aren’t Using

You need to live in as small a space as possible when you don’t have access to electricity and gas to heat your home. In a power outage it’s important to designate one or two rooms to keep warm and comfortable. 

Shutting off rooms that you aren’t using doesn’t necessarily save you energy but by focussing on set rooms that you do want to heat you can make sure you run your home efficiently.

The more people you have in a space the more heat you’ll create. In order to keep any heat produced by your alternative heat source within the space, you should make sure that all windows and doors are properly sealed. Look carefully for cracks around doors and windows as this is where heat can easily escape from. 

Once you have closed off rooms that you aren’t using, you can place your heat sources in the designated rooms where you’ll spend the majority of your time. 

Insulate Your Windows To Prevent Cold Air From Entering

If you’re planning in advance how to keep your home warm without gas and electricity, you can consider the material used in your windows. Double or even triple glazed windows are much more effective at keeping out cold air than single glazed windows and the energy saved helps to quickly pay back the cost of the installation. 

If you’re suddenly faced with a power outage and don’t have time to make structural changes to your windows, there are some last minute changes you can do which can make a big difference. 

Do a visual inspection of all your windows and check carefully for any cracks or gaps around them. Try to block these up as effectively as possible to stop cold air from coming in and heat escaping through them. If you don’t have many resources available to you, don’t panic – even taping up the gaps around your window will prevent a significant level of heat loss. 

Make sure that you have well fitted curtains to insulate your windows and prevent warm air escaping especially at night. If you don’t have curtains you can use blankets or towels to cover the window and immediately reduce heat loss. 

Open Curtains During The Day & Close Them At Night

Use the heat from the sun as much as possible to generate heat in your home.  One of the ways you can do this is by ensuring you open the curtains as soon as the sun has risen and is shining on your home. 

Heat from the sun can easily raise the temperature of a room by several degrees over a small amount of time so don’t block it out by having the curtains drawn during the day. 

Closing your curtains at night will help to keep in the hot air so always make sure you do this as early as needed. If the curtains are lightweight or very thin you may want to double up by placing a blanket or thick towel over the window on top of the curtains. This will help to create a further barrier against heat loss. 

Construct A Candle Heater

With some very simple materials you can construct a candle heater by following an online tutorial such as this one.

A candle heater is an excellent method of alternative heating. Although it won’t produce enough heat for an entire house, it’s a very good option to place on a table if you’re gathered to eat or to put it in a living area where people are sitting. 

With a candle heater, you will always be completely self sufficient and off grid. All you’ll need is the ability to make fire and to light the candles to produce heat.  

Keep You & Your Family Warm With Blankets

It’s one of the simplest options out there – but it works. In the event of a power outage, you need to be confident that you’ve got a good supply of blankets within easy access. 

Wrapping yourself and your family with blankets when you are sitting down or sleeping will help to keep your core body temperature safe and you won’t be as reliant on expensive or unavailable heating methods. 

You might choose to use emergency blankets which are lightweight and easy to store. These thermal blankets are specifically designed to keep you as warm as possible and you can also keep them for use in a bug out or emergency bag. 

Fire Up A Woodstove 

There are some brilliant portable camping stoves which you can use as a woodstove in your home in a power outage. They’re easy to set up and quick to light. 

You won’t be dependent on expensive fuel sources and the sturdy and stable design makes this safe to use in your home. You just need to ensure that you’re in a well ventilated area and it’s always best to set it up close to a window. 

For a more permanent option you might consider a more ornate woodstove which can become a key feature in your home. 

With a wood stove as your main heat supply you’ll be much less reliant on gas and electricity. If you live in an area where you have a good supply of kindling and wood available to you this can be very economical. 

Use A Kerosene Heater To Heat Your Rooms

For heating large rooms a kerosene heater is a good alternative heating option. Small and compact, these heaters can generate enough heat to keep a 1000 square foot room. Look for a model like this that has an adjustable flame and an automatic shut off to ensure you can adapt it safely to your preferences. 

A kerosene heater is a great emergency heating source in a power outage and you won’t need any matches or electricity to get it started. 

Invest In Battery Powered Space Heaters  

This compact Kaivancy heater has 3 heat models and is easy to move around to different locations. 

It has both Tip Over and Overheating protection meaning that it will automatically shut off when the heater tilts more than 45 degrees or when the temperature becomes too high. Putting safety first with their intuitive systems gives you the peace of mind that your home will be kept warm yet safe. 

Another option is the Dreo Space Heater which is a great mid range option. The design is slick and there’s a 70 degree oscillation to evenly distribute the heat throughout your space. 

This space heater also has an adjustable digital thermostat, clear and easy to read LED display, and touch control. You can quickly customize the temperature to your preferences. The filter is also detachable and easy to clean so that you and your loved ones always breathe the cleanest air possible. 

If you’re keen to get completely off grid, a propane heater could be a good investment. It can easily warm a 300 square foot space. 

This type of propane heater is specially designed for maximum energy efficiency and reduces its temperature when it reaches the desired heat. It can run for up to 5 hours on low and 2 hours on high. Try to use propane heaters only in a well ventilated space. 

Conclusion 

You don’t have to put up with being cold and uncomfortable in a power outage. Get prepared in advance and you’ll be able to efficiently generate alternative heating in a number of different ways. 

In the long term, using alternative heating methods can be more economical and more environmentally friendly. We always want you to feel that you can survive any emergency situation and be prepared so that you can keep yourself and your loved ones safe and warm.