How to Stay Warm During a Power Outage: A Winter Safety Guide

Key facts

• Heat one room, not the house. Close off unneeded rooms, stuff towels or rags under doors, and cover windows at night (CDC).
• Never heat with a gas oven or stovetop, and never bring a charcoal grill, camp stove or generator into a home, basement or garage. All of them can cause carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning (Ready.gov, CDC).
• Generators stay outside, more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents (CDC). Keep battery-operated or battery-backup CO alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas (CPSC).
• Space heaters need 3 feet of clearance from anything that can burn (USFA), and shouldn't run while you sleep (CPSC).
• Hypothermia is an emergency. If someone's body temperature is below 95°F, get medical help immediately (CDC).
• Protect the pipes: let taps drip, open the cabinets under sinks, and never thaw a frozen pipe with a torch (CDC).
• If you can't keep your home warm, go to friends or a community location with power (CDC, Ready.gov).

Set up one warm room

Pick one room for everyone, ideally with a door you can close. The CDC's advice for holding heat: close off unneeded rooms, stuff towels or rags in the cracks under doors, and close drapes or cover windows with blankets at night (CDC). The EPA adds: open drapes and shades during the day to help warm the indoor air, and close them at night (EPA).

If you're burning anything in the room, don't seal it completely. Some gas heaters, such as vent-less gas fireplaces, need some ventilation (CDC), and the EPA says it may be necessary to open a window slightly for fresh air (EPA).

Dress as if you were going outside. Wear several loose layers, a hat, and mittens, which are warmer than gloves. Wool, silk or polypropylene next to the skin holds more body heat than cotton (CDC). Stay dry, and take off a layer before you start to sweat. Blankets and sleeping bags count as a heat source in their own right (CDC).

Eat and drink. Food gives your body the energy to make heat, and cold air is dry, so drink water (NWS). The CDC recommends warm, sweet drinks or broth, and no alcohol or caffeine, which make the body lose heat faster (CDC).

How long will your house stay warm?

There's no standard figure, and federal guidance doesn't give one. It depends on how well the house is insulated and sealed (Ready.gov), how cold and windy it is, and what heat you have. The EPA notes that without electricity, controlling the indoor temperature "may be difficult or impossible" (EPA). So go by the thermometer and the people in the house, not the clock:

• Keep a thermometer in your warm room. The CDC tells adults over 65 to check their home's temperature often in extremely cold weather (CDC).
• Hypothermia doesn't need freezing temperatures. It can occur above 40°F if someone is chilled from rain, sweat or cold water, and the CDC says its victims are often older adults with inadequate heating and babies sleeping in cold bedrooms (CDC).
• Plan around the restoration estimate. Check your utility's estimate and the size of the outage on our live outage map. If it looks likely to run into a cold night, decide early whether you're staying.
• Refuel early. If you heat with oil, propane or wood, refuel before you run out, because fuel carriers may not reach you for days after a winter storm (NWS).

Safe and unsafe ways to heat your home

Anything that burns fuel makes carbon monoxide, which you can't see or smell, and fuel burned indoors for heat or cooking during an outage can let it build up to poisonous levels (CDC).

Heat source	Indoors?	Conditions
Layers, blankets, sleeping bags	Yes	Your first line of defense
Fireplace, wood stove or gas log fireplace	Yes, with care	Vented to the outside, screened, 3 feet clear of anything that can burn; vent-less gas units need some ventilation
Electric space heater on generator power	Yes, with care	3 feet of clearance, automatic shut-off, off while you sleep
Kerosene heater, or propane heater designed for indoor use	Only with care	Legal where you live, ventilated, the right fuel, never where people sleep
Gas oven or stovetop	No	Carbon monoxide, fire and burn risk
Charcoal grill, hibachi, camp stove, flameless chemical heater	No	Never indoors
Portable generator	No	Outdoors only, more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents

Sources: CDC, CDC, CPSC, EPA, USFA, Ready.gov.

Charcoal and camping gear. Burning charcoal gives off CO whether it looks red, gray, black or white (CDC). CPSC's only exception for camping equipment indoors is gear specifically designed for an enclosed space, with instructions for using it there (CPSC).

Kerosene and propane heaters. Check with your local fire department that kerosene heaters are legal where you live, ventilate properly, and use only the fuel the heater is designed for (CDC). Never run an unvented fuel-burning heater in a room where people are sleeping (CPSC), or a gas-burning heater in a poorly vented or closed room (EPA). If you smell gas at a gas heater, don't light it. Leave and call the fire department or gas company (NFPA).

Fireplaces and wood stoves. Use them only if they're vented to the outside, and don't burn paper (CDC). Open the damper before lighting the fire and never close it, or go to bed, while the ashes are still warm. Burn dry, seasoned wood, never use gasoline, lighter fluid or charcoal, and keep a screen in front of the fire (EPA). Put cooled ashes in a metal container away from the house (NFPA). Debris can block a chimney and let CO build up inside, so the CDC recommends a yearly check (CDC).

Generators, space heaters and CO alarms

A generator can run a space heater or a furnace blower, but it has to stay outdoors: never in a home or garage, even with the doors open, and more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents (CDC), with the exhaust pointed away from the house (CPSC). A public utility's worksheet lists a space heater at 1,500 watts and a one-third horsepower furnace blower at 700 running watts plus 1,400 to start (EWEB). Our generator sizing guide shows how to add up your load. A furnace that's wired into the house can run from a generator only through a properly rated transfer switch installed by a qualified electrician (NFPA); our generator safety guide explains why a wall-outlet hookup is so dangerous.

Space heaters. The CDC advises against plugging space heaters into extension cords, but a generator that's safely outside can only reach one by cord. In that case, use a heavy-duty, outdoor-rated cord, as the CDC advises for generators. Choose a heater with automatic shut-off, keep it 3 feet from drapes, furniture and bedding, never cover it, and never leave children alone near it (CDC). When it runs on house power, use a wall outlet rather than a power strip, and turn the heater off when you go to sleep (CPSC). Portable heaters caused 3% of home heating fires in 2017 to 2019 but 41% of the fatal ones (USFA).

CO alarms. CPSC recommends battery-operated or battery-backup alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas, ideally interconnected so they all sound together (CPSC). The most common CO symptoms are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion, and people who are asleep can die before they notice any (CDC). If an alarm sounds or anyone feels ill, don't look for the source. Get everyone outside, call 911, count heads, and stay out until responders say it's safe (CPSC). After heavy snow, clear the outside vents for the furnace, dryer, stove and fireplace (NFPA).

Using your car to warm up

A running car can warm you up, but its engine is a CO source like any other.

• Never run it in a garage, even with the door open (CDC). NFPA says to move a car out of the garage right after starting it.
• Clear the tailpipe of snow (NFPA).
• Run it in short spells. For people stranded in a car in a winter storm, the CDC and the National Weather Service advise running the engine and heater for about 10 minutes per hour, with a window opened slightly (CDC, NWS).
• Stay awake while the engine runs. People who are asleep can die from CO before they notice symptoms (CDC).

Treat the car as a stopgap, not a heating plan. It can break down (CDC), and a small exhaust leak can let CO build up inside, which is why the CDC recommends having the exhaust system checked every year (CDC).

Keep your pipes from freezing

Extreme cold can freeze pipes and sometimes rupture them. When freezing temperatures are expected, the CDC advises (CDC):

• Leave all taps slightly open so they drip continuously.
• Keep the home as warm as you safely can, and open the cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks so warm air reaches the pipes.
• Never thaw a frozen pipe with a torch. Once the power is back, thaw it slowly with warm air from a hair dryer.
• If the pipes won't thaw or have broken, use bottled water or get water from a neighbor.

Dripping only helps while water is flowing, and on a well, the pump needs electricity (EWEB).

If the heat will be off for a long time in freezing weather, or you're leaving, drain the plumbing. Purdue University Extension's steps: shut off the water at the main valve or turn off the well pump, open all faucets until they drain, drain toilet tanks, wrap pipes you can't drain, and shut off and drain the water heater. With hot-water (boiler) heat, Purdue says you should probably start draining those pipes if the room falls below 40°F (Purdue Extension). Find your main shut-off valve before the next storm.

Keeping babies, older adults and pets warm

Babies. Infants under one year old should never sleep in a cold room, because they lose body heat more easily than adults. Remove pillows and other soft bedding, which raise the risk of smothering and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS); dress babies in footed pajamas, one-piece wearable blankets or sleep sacks; and if you can't keep the home warm, stay somewhere else. In an emergency, your own body heat can warm a baby; take care not to roll onto the baby if you sleep (CDC). Keep a 3-foot "kid-free zone" around open fires and space heaters (NFPA).

Older adults often make less body heat because of a slower metabolism and less activity, so check on older neighbors often (CDC). With age, the body is slower to signal cold and shivers less effectively, and some medicines and illnesses can reduce resistance to hypothermia. If you live alone, ask someone to check on you daily (NWS). Anyone who relies on powered medical equipment or refrigerated medicine needs a backup plan (Ready.gov); see our grid-down preparedness checklist.

Pets. Bring pets indoors at the first sign of a storm (Ready.gov), and make sure they have food, water and a warm place to stay (NWS). Carbon monoxide can kill pets as well as people (Ready.gov). Many public shelters and hotels don't allow pets, so plan where they can go (Ready.gov).

Hypothermia and frostbite: when to call 911

Hypothermia affects the brain, so a person may not realize it's happening (CDC). The warning signs in adults are shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness. In babies, look for bright red, cold skin and very low energy. Don't ignore shivering: it's an important first sign that the body is losing heat (CDC).

Take the person's temperature. If it's below 95°F, get medical attention immediately: call 911 (CDC, NWS). While you wait, the CDC advises:

• Move the person to a warm room and remove any wet clothing.
• Warm the center of the body first (chest, neck, head and groin), using skin-to-skin contact under loose, dry blankets or clothing.
• Give warm drinks only if the person is conscious, and no alcohol.
• If the person seems to have no pulse or isn't breathing, handle them gently, get emergency help, and start CPR.

Frostbite usually affects the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers and toes. Redness or pain can be the first sign, then white or grayish-yellow skin that feels unusually firm or waxy, and numbness. Get the person somewhere warm, check for hypothermia, and warm the area in warm, not hot, water or with body heat. Don't rub it, and don't use a heating pad, stove or fireplace, because numb skin burns easily (CDC). Have frostbite checked by a health care provider, and go to a hospital as soon as possible if the skin turns blue or gray, is very swollen or blistered, or feels hard and numb (NWS).

When to leave for a warming center

If the cold is extreme, go to a community location with power, and check with local officials about which heating locations are open near you (Ready.gov). A friend's or relative's warm home counts too (CDC). Leave, or arrange to, when:

• You can't keep your warm room warm, especially with a baby at home (CDC).
• Someone relies on powered medical equipment and has no backup power (Ready.gov).
• The only heat left to you is on the "No" list above.

If someone already shows signs of hypothermia, call 911 first. Before you go, protect the pipes, turn off heaters, and pack medicine, chargers and pet supplies. Tell someone where you're going, avoid ice-covered roads and low visibility where you can, and bring extra warm clothing and blankets (CDC). Our utility directory links to your utility's outage page, and what to do during a power outage covers the other basics, from reporting the outage to dark traffic signals.

Common mistakes to avoid

Don't	Do this instead
Heat the house with a gas oven or stovetop	Close off one room, layer up, or go to a warming location
Bring a grill, camp stove or generator inside "for a few minutes"	Keep them all outdoors; generators more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents
Sleep with a space heater or unvented fuel-burning heater running	Turn space heaters off before bed; never run unvented heaters where people sleep
Plug a space heater into a power strip	Use a wall outlet, or a heavy-duty outdoor-rated cord straight from the generator
Warm up the car in the garage	Pull it out right after starting, clear the tailpipe, and crack a window
Rub frostbitten skin or warm it by the stove	Use warm, not hot, water or body heat

The bottom line

Hold on to the heat you have: one closed-off room, layers, blankets, food and warm drinks. Add heat only in ways that can't poison you: no ovens, grills or camp stoves indoors, generators more than 20 feet from the house, fuel-burning heaters only if they're made for indoor use and properly ventilated, space heaters 3 feet from anything that can burn, and CO alarms with working batteries. Let the taps drip, or drain the plumbing if the heat will be off for long. Call 911 if someone's temperature drops below 95°F. If you can't keep the house warm, especially with a baby or an older adult at home, go to friends or a warming center.

PowerOutageTracker.com. "How to Stay Warm During a Power Outage: A Winter Safety Guide." Accessed November 13, 2026. https://poweroutagetracker.com/guides/how-to-stay-warm-during-a-power-outage