Shelter & Warmth
Keeping one room livable when the heat goes out
In a winter outage, the risk is not the cold itself — it is hypothermia in a house that quietly drops below 10°C overnight. The strategy is not heating the whole home, but keeping one room warm enough and everyone in it.
Close off one room, layer clothing, and add a heat source rated for indoor use. Reflective blankets are the cheapest life-safety item you can buy and belong in every bag and cupboard.
A one-room winter plan
- Seal the room from draughts and close other doors.
- One indoor-rated radiant heater for the occupied room, with a cracked window as the manual directs.
- Sleeping bags or blankets per person, plus reflective layers.
- Store propane cylinders outdoors, never in the home or an attached garage.
Only use heaters and appliances rated for indoor use, and follow their ventilation instructions exactly. Never use a barbecue, charcoal grill, camping stove or outdoor-rated propane appliance indoors.
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