{"id":11842,"date":"2022-01-20T19:08:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T01:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/?p=11842"},"modified":"2022-01-17T19:18:32","modified_gmt":"2022-01-18T01:18:32","slug":"5-ways-to-stay-warm-during-a-winter-power-outage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-stay-warm-during-a-winter-power-outage\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Stay Warm During a Winter Power Outage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerreports.org\/emergency-preparedness\/ways-to-stay-warm-during-winter-power-outage-a1049480018\/\" title=\"ConsumerReports.org \" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ConsumerReports.org <\/a>| By Paul Hope | Published February 18, 2021 | Updated January 5, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Never use a generator indoors or within 20 feet of your house.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every floor.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>If you use your car to stay warm or charge devices, make sure it\u2019s outside the garage.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Never use a device (such as an oven) to produce heat unless that\u2019s its intended purpose.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Indoor portable heaters should have an automatic shutoff switch in case they tip over.<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Winter storms leave thousands of Americans without power each year, but there are several steps you can take to stay warm and safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The biggest threat from a power outage, of course, is the lack of heat. But even during an extended outage, there are ways to survive the cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The danger is that some alternative heating systems pose their own threats, such as fire and carbon monoxide. But there are precautions you can take to minimize the danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are five ways to stay warm\u2014and safe\u2014during a power outage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. If You Can, Get a Generator<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even if you\u2019ve already lost power, it\u2019s not too late to look for a portable generator. Sales always spike during weather emergencies, but it\u2019s still worth trying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some major retailers have told CR that they\u2019re able to reallocate the supply of generators to affected areas in as little as a day or two. A good strategy is to show up early at a store to grab one before they\u2019re sold out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re fortunate enough to find a portable generator, use&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerreports.org\/generators\/how-to-safely-get-a-generator-up-and-running-in-a-hurry\/\">our guide to get it up and running<\/a>&nbsp;quickly and safely. Once the outage is over, hire an electrician to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerreports.org\/portable-generators\/portable-generator-needs-a-transfer-switch\/\">install a transfer switch or interlock device<\/a>&nbsp;so that the generator can power entire circuits in your home, which is both safer and more helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you can\u2019t find a portable generator at a home center or power equipment dealer, try looking for a recreational generator at places like Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods and Walmart, or even at a local RV or boat dealership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These smaller generators aren\u2019t really designed for power outages, but their output of 1,800 to 2,000 watts is still enough to power a large space heater and charge cell phones, which may be enough to get you through an outage.How to Run a Generator Safely<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Stay in a Southern-Facing Room<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerreports.org\/emergency-preparedness\/ways-to-stay-warm-during-winter-power-outage-a1049480018\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" title=\"Click here for the rest of the story...\">Click here for the rest of the story&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wanna see more great articles? <\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__list wp-block-latest-posts\"><li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/how-life-insurance-can-support-long-term-care-planning-without-replacing-it\/\">How Life Insurance Can Support Long-Term Care Planning Without Replacing It<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/what-happens-if-your-vehicle-is-totaled-understanding-the-auto-insurance-claims-process\/\">What Happens If Your Vehicle Is Totaled, Understanding the Auto Insurance Claims Process<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/why-now-is-a-smart-time-for-michigan-businesses-to-review-liability-coverage-before-spring-foot-traffic-increases\/\">Why Now Is a Smart Time for Michigan Businesses to Review Liability Coverage Before Spring Foot Traffic Increases<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/snowstorms-and-roof-damage-is-your-michigan-home-covered\/\">Snowstorms and Roof Damage: Is Your Michigan Home Covered?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/do-you-need-recreational-insurance-for-your-snowmobile-in-michigan\/\">Do You Need Recreational Insurance for Your Snowmobile in Michigan?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Winter storms leave thousands of Americans without power each year, but there are several steps you can take to stay warm and safe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11843,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[148,342,1,2],"tags":[2022,1200,2021,25,4,71,62,2019,2020],"class_list":["post-11842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-ins-blog","category-home-insurance","category-insurance","category-shield-blog","tag-carbon-monoxide-alarm","tag-consumer-reports","tag-generator","tag-healthcare","tag-home-insurance","tag-michigan","tag-shield-insurance-agency","tag-stay-warm","tag-winter-power-outage"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11842"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11844,"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11842\/revisions\/11844"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}