A practical plan for warmth during a winter outage.
Choose a suitable living area, reduce heat loss and prepare the clothing, bedding and approved equipment your household needs.
One room can make winter planning more manageable. Whether it remains safe depends on the home, the equipment, the weather and the people inside.
On this page
- Start with the people and the home
- Choose a warm-core room
- Reduce heat loss without blocking safety systems
- Plan around an appropriate heating source
- Alarms, fire safety and clearances
- Fuel storage belongs in the plan
- Calculate operating time for the actual home
- Clothing and bedding reduce heating demand
- Watch moisture and room conditions
- Protect the rest of the property
- Know when to leave
- Before-winter system check
Start with the people and the home
Review who lives in the home, their mobility and health needs, the normal heating system and how that system behaves without electricity. Some gas furnaces and fireplaces still need electrical power.
Identify a backup place to stay and a way to get there before a dangerous temperature develops. Planning for warmth includes knowing when to relocate.
Choose a warm-core room
The warm core is a selected area for sleeping, sitting and daily activities during an outage. A smaller room with fewer outside walls may be easier to manage, but it also needs safe exits, enough space and suitable ventilation.
- Check access for everyone, including mobility aids and pets.
- Keep exit routes and doors clear.
- Allow the clearances required by any approved heating equipment.
- Consider flooding, moisture and escape routes before choosing a basement.
- Keep bulk supplies, fuel and waste out of the occupied area.
Reduce heat loss without blocking safety systems
Close off unused areas where practical, reduce ordinary drafts and use appropriate window insulation. Add rugs, insulated sleeping pads and bedding to limit contact with cold floors.
Keep curtains, blankets and coverings clear of heaters. Never obstruct combustion air, permanent ventilation, smoke or CO alarms, or an emergency exit.
A room can be more efficient without being sealed airtight. Equipment ventilation requirements always come first.
Reduce heat loss without blocking safety systems — equipment examples
Equipment illustrations are provided as examples. Some retailer links may be affiliate links and may support this site at no extra cost to you. Check current availability, instructions and suitability for use in Canada before purchasing.
Plan around an appropriate heating source
Start with any existing, properly installed fireplace, wood stove or approved backup system. Have it maintained by an appropriate professional and confirm how it operates during a power failure.
For a wood-burning system, include dry suitable fuel, safe storage, ash handling and chimney maintenance. For another fuel system, confirm its power needs, fuel supply and servicing requirements.
Do not assume a portable propane heater sold online is approved for use in a Canadian home. Have the actual appliance and proposed arrangement checked by a qualified heating professional or local fire service. Outdoor heaters, camping stoves and barbecues stay outdoors.
Alarms, fire safety and clearances
Have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms with appropriate battery backup. Follow their placement, testing and replacement instructions. Keep a suitable extinguisher accessible and learn when it is safe to use one.
Check the heating appliance's installation, surface, spacing and ventilation requirements. A tile, tray or sheet of board does not override its required clearances.
If a CO alarm activates, leave with everyone immediately. Call 911 from outside. Return only after emergency responders or a qualified professional say it is safe.
Alarms, fire safety and clearances — equipment examples
Equipment illustrations are provided as examples. Some retailer links may be affiliate links and may support this site at no extra cost to you. Check current availability, instructions and suitability for use in Canada before purchasing.
Fuel storage belongs in the plan
Confirm the type of fuel, the storage arrangement and permitted quantities with the appropriate supplier or authority. Storage and transport rules depend on the fuel, container and property.
Propane cylinders are stored upright outdoors, protected from damage and ignition sources. They do not belong in a house, basement or garage. An emergency does not make indoor fuel storage a suitable staging method.
Use approved, serviceable containers and have refilling handled appropriately. Never refill disposable cylinders or improvise hoses, fittings or adapters.
Calculate operating time for the actual home
A heater's output rating does not tell you how long a home will remain warm. Outside temperature, insulation, air leakage, room size and the operating schedule all matter.
Use the manufacturer's consumption figures and professional advice to estimate fuel needs. Add realistic reserve and check the practical storage requirements before purchasing.
A 30-day supply plan cannot promise 30 days of safe indoor temperature. Identify the conditions under which the household must use its alternative accommodation plan.
Clothing and bedding reduce heating demand
Prepare warm layers, dry socks, hats, insulated footwear, appropriate sleeping bags or bedding, and insulation under sleeping surfaces. Keep each person's supplies easy to reach.
Children, older adults and people with health conditions may need extra support. Check individual requirements rather than assuming the same bedding arrangement works for everyone.
Clothing and bedding reduce heating demand — equipment examples
Equipment illustrations are provided as examples. Some retailer links may be affiliate links and may support this site at no extra cost to you. Check current availability, instructions and suitability for use in Canada before purchasing.
Watch moisture and room conditions
Use a room thermometer and, where helpful, a humidity monitor. Watch for condensation, damp bedding and moisture on windows.
Maintain the ventilation required by the equipment and building. Avoid adding unnecessary moisture by drying large loads of laundry in the occupied room. Ordinary temperature and humidity readings do not replace a working CO alarm.
Watch moisture and room conditions — equipment examples
Equipment illustrations are provided as examples. Some retailer links may be affiliate links and may support this site at no extra cost to you. Check current availability, instructions and suitability for use in Canada before purchasing.
Protect the rest of the property
Cold rooms can develop frozen plumbing and other damage. Ask a plumber or appropriate service professional how to protect your particular home and how to shut off or drain systems safely if required.
Keep safe access to essential shutoffs and doors. Do not enter flooded spaces, touch wet electrical equipment or attempt repairs to regulated heating or fuel systems yourself.
Know when to leave
Act on evacuation instructions, fire or CO alarms, unsafe temperatures, medical concerns or a failing heating arrangement. Do not wait for the chosen supplies to run out before considering relocation.
Keep the departure bag, health information, vehicle arrangements and destination plan ready. Tell a trusted contact where you are going when it is safe to do so.
Before-winter system check
- Review heating-system service records and the appliance instructions.
- Test alarms and check batteries, expiry and replacement dates.
- Check fuel condition, storage and supplier arrangements.
- Lay out bedding and verify clearances and exits.
- Test lighting and communications in the selected living area.
- Review plumbing protection and the alternative accommodation plan.
- Replace supplies used in any test or outage.