Heating Plan

Objective   Select an effective alternate heating source for your home-base

During a power outage or extended crisis you may have to use alternate means for heat your home.  The Arab oil embargo of the 1970s proved how venerable we are to being cut off from petroleum heating fuel.  A cyber attack could create an extended electrical system blackout and an economic collapse would cut off most energy sources we now rely on.  Terrorists could easily target our national natural gas pipelines, which could interrupt flow for months.

Alternate Home Heating Methods - no electricity required

Propane Heaters
Houses designed with individual propane or natural gas wall heaters should continue to function even in the event of a power outage.  Gas central heating units require electrical power for the forced-air fan and ignition controls . Having 500 to 1000 gallons of propane on-site would allow you quite a bit of time to transition into a self-sufficient condition or weather the crisis until things returned to normal.

Fireplaces and Wood Stoves
Fireplaces are extremely inefficient.  Most of the heat goes up the chimney and the effect of this rising hot air will create an airflow that drags air from your house up the flue.  The best way to create effective use of a fireplace is to use a wood burning insert that will allow you to control the fire and radiate heat into the room. Free standing wood stoves will not only provide more radiant heat than a fireplace insert, but also give you a good cooking surface.

Passive Solar Heating
There are many easy and useful techniques for gathering the heat energy from sunlight during the day. Even if your house was not specifically design to capture solar energy, you can make low cost modifications to increase this ability. All south facing windows should allow the unrestricted flow of sunlight into your home. Take advantage of the heat in the attic.  Construct some simple passive solar air heating units.

Passive Geothermal Energy
When it comes to surviving in the cold, any means to stay out of cold weather is better than nothing.  For people who have basements, you may be able to survive extreme cold quiet nicely with only a small alternate heat source.  A few feet below the ground level, the soil temperature does not change much from summer to winter.  It's a lot easier to use an alternate heating method to warm  and keep warm the 55 degree air in a basement than 10 degree air upstairs.