20 Heating Sources That Don't Need Electricity (Alaskans Stockpile Them Now)

If an ice storm takes your power for nine days, your gas furnace quits the first night. It's not the storm that gets you. It's the backup heat you never thought to set aside. Here are the 20 heat sources that don't need a single watt, the ones Alaskans keep on hand every winter. I was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, and I spent 66 winters there, most of them fixing oil furnaces. I'm not a doctor and I'm not your installer. The 20, counting down: 20. One room, closed down tight: towels under the doors, drapes shut at night 19. The sun through your south windows: curtains open on a clear day, closed when the clouds come 18. Food and a warm, sweet drink: broth, not coffee, and never the nightcap 17. Layers and a hat, indoors: pull-on, not buttons 16. A sleeping bag bought by the comfort number, not the big one 15. A small tent on top of your bed, and nothing burns inside it 14. Hand and body warmers: read the rules on the package 13. A good vacuum bottle: fill it hot once, drink it at three in the morning 12. A rubber hot water bottle: never boiling, always in a cover 11. Candles and tea lights: for light, never for heat 10. A grill or a camp stove: outside only, carry the hot water in 9. Your gas water heater, if it has a standing pilot 8. The open fireplace: one room at a time 7. A fireplace insert: a fall project, not a January one 6. A non-electric kerosene heater, where it's legal 5. The Mr. Heater Little Buddy: never while you sleep 4. The Big Buddy: the one that can warm a real room 3. A vent-free gas heater, put in by a licensed gas fitter 2. The wood stove, if you can feed it 1. The gas fireplace or wall heater with a standing pilot, probably already in your wall Safety, said plainly: never use a generator, a grill, a camp stove or anything like it inside your home, in a basement, in a garage or near a window. Every flame indoors gets fresh air and a battery carbon monoxide detector near every place you sleep. Nothing burns while you sleep. Hand warmers and hot water bottles never go against bare skin or in bed. If you're on a daily medicine, are diabetic or have poor circulation, ask your own doctor. Check your state and your city before you buy any heater that burns indoors. Which of these 20 is already in your house right now? Drop the number in the comments. I read them. #poweroutage #winterstorm #emergencyheat #icestorm #winterprep #seniorsafety #alaska #heatingwithoutelectricity #emergencypreparedness #stayingwarm