Heat!

I know the weather is going to be warming up soon. (As is it snowing) However, it's better to post this now than, say, in July...

One cold winter morning in the middle of January, the power in a large area surrounding our house went out. We grabbed our flashlights and began getting ready for the day.  Soon the sun came up and light was no longer an issue.  We did, however, have a bigger problem.  Heat.

We turn our furnace down at night to save on utilities, and we like sleeping when it is a little colder.  Our house had not yet warmed up for the day before the power went out the temperature inside was determined to match the temperature outside.  Within an hour our house was 50 degrees and steadily losing heat.  We took hot showers, and bundled up in warm clothing, and while my husband went off to work, my daughter and I stayed bundled in blankets.  I began to think of all the things we could do to stay warm as the power company was unsure when the power would return and within another hour or so we'd be able to use our apartment as an icebox.

If you find yourself in a cold house, shrink it and lower your ceiling. Not literally, but find a way to trap the heat. Seal off one room and heat just that. Having lower ceilings (even artificial ones like a blanket or tent) also makes a room easier to heat.  I have learned things can get toasty in a blanket fort real quick.  I thought about setting up the tent in our living room. My toddler would have loved that. Then again the most logical solution would have been to go visit my parents who lived about 20 minutes away.

It actually wasn't the fear or freezing to death that caused me to pause at how unprepared we were. It was the fact that it was breakfast time and, living on scratch as we do, we didn't exactly have pop-tarts laying around the house. We probably ate cold cereal to fill our bellies, but what if the power (which came on about an hour and a half later) had been out for days? No stove, toaster, microwave.

We have a mini barbecue; we also only had half of a small bottle of propane left.  This month we decided to focus on heat and means of cooking food as our preparedness goal.

Propane- if we had to barbecue all of our food, at least we'd eat. If it got desperate we'd build a fire with some of the dead trees laying around and cook dutch oven.

I found some interesting ways to heat/cook, although I have not tried them- I'd be very aware of CO2 levels in the house if you were to do these indoors.

Heater with flower pots and tea lights- This is a popular method circulating the internet with plenty of critics to go with it. Who knows how efficient it would be- the youtube video I saw was of a very small room.  I'd think I'd try something else first. Such as...

Toilet Paper and Rubbing Alcohol heater in a can. All it is is this- place a roll of toilet paper (cardboard removed) in a can just large enough for it (some have used a quart size paint can with lid others have used a tomato can).  Fill with alcohol and light.  It will create a flame (duh) so keep away from kids and clumsy adults.  One woman stuck her heater in the sink.  (She also placed a baking rack over the sink to turn it into a stove)  I like this heater because cover it with a #10 can and you have a stove as well.  One man claimed he could bring 2 cups of water to a boil in 3 minutes.  Elevation plays a factor in boiling water so I'd guess it would take us longer.  Once the flame begins to burn the toilet paper use a lid to snuff it out.  You can then refill with rubbing alcohol and burn it again.  The average time I have found this last for was 4-6 hours.
I like the idea of heat and a way to cook at the same time.  That is the reason in a emergency situation I would try this method first...Or just go to Grandma's house.

A few of the Toilet Paper and Alchohol Stove websites I checked out:
http://www.iwillprepare.com/cooking_files/Alcohol_Stove_In_A_Paint_Can.htm
http://theparsimoniousprincess.blogspot.com/2011/02/canned-heat-how-to-make-emergency.html
http://doablesurvival.blogspot.com/2012/11/emergency-heatercooker-there-are-many.html


We also stocked up on some fleece blankets.  They are cheap, lightweight and incredibly warm. One survival expert said when he uses the space blankets (The small emergency foil ones) he wraps up in a fleece blanket as well.  Not only does this add extra warmth, it soaks up all the sweat as well.  Not very breathable those foil blankets.