How To Stay Warm During a Winter Power Outage

We all hope it doesn’t happen, but if a power outage occurs during the winter it’s very useful to know how to stay warm. So here are some good tips.  

Congregate in one room

It’s easier to heat one room than the whole house, and by having the whole family there you can collectively warm the room with your body heat. Choose a room that has good natural sunlight and a heating source if possible – preferably a wood or gas stove that can be used for heat and cooking!  

Insulate that room

You can also close up areas of heat loss by stuffing towels around door frames or window sills, etc. Heat can also escape through the floor, so piling rugs or carpets on the floor helps prevent heat loss. You can also place plastic over the windows (such as shower curtains), which still allow light through, but reduce the amount of heat escaping through the windows.  

Go camping!

In your living room, that is! By setting up a tent within your insulated room, you will concentrate the heat in an even smaller area, which will be that much warmer.  

Add some ambiance

If you have candles, light them and place them around the room. They add heat, light and a nice ambiance to the room.  

Wear warm clothes, and a hat

This one should seem obvious, but in case you didn’t know, we lose most of our body heat through our head. So by wearing a warm hat you can prevent a lot of heat loss. And the more layers of clothing the better.  

Eat before bed

The process of digestion increases your metabolism and actually makes you feel warmer. Having a bite to eat before bed can make you feel that much warmer during the night.   Our Canadian winters can be harsh, and power outages are a reality. We hope you can be prepared and be safe should one happen – but of course we hope it doesn’t!   Thanks for reading.   – ONA Team   Read more about our home insurance plans to protect your Ottawa home!