We’d like to dispel one of the most common misconceptions about furnaces that we still hear: a gas furnace can provide heat in the event of a power outage. This appears to make sense on the surface. A gas furnace generates heat by burning natural gas, which is then circulated through the ventilation system. In this regard, it’s similar to an old-fashioned stove: there’s no need for electricity, just plain old heat from a different power source.
This, however, is not the case. Your gas furnace will not operate if it does not have access to electricity.
Is it possible to utilize propane heat without electricity?
We receive calls from consumers who have fuel but no heat when there is a power outage. Unfortunately, as much as we would like to, we are unable to assist you in regaining your heat in this case.
That’s because heating systems require power to operate, regardless of whether you use heating oil, natural gas, propane, or, of course, electricity. (Only a few very old heating systems can function without electricity.)
Is it true that propane furnaces utilize electricity?
A propane furnace is mostly fueled by propane gas; the fan and igniter are the only pieces that utilize electricity. The ratio of burned fuel to fuel transformed into heat, as measured by Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, determines a propane furnace’s efficiency rate (AFUE). Old furnaces have an AFUE of 55 percent or less, low-efficiency furnaces have an AFUE of 56 percent to 70 percent, and highly efficient furnaces have an AFUE of 90 percent or more.
How can I use a gas furnace if I don’t have access to electricity?
For your family’s health and safety, the most crucial safety advise we offer is to keep the heat on. The best method to achieve this is to get HVAC professionals to connect the furnace to a generator, which will ensure that it will function when you need it!
During a power outage, you can acquire a portable generator that can connect to one or two appliances in your home via extension cables. However, a whole-house automated standby generator that repowers your complete home is highly recommended! Inquire with us about how to obtain one of these systems for your home.
Contact Bartels Heating & Cooling today to schedule generator services or furnace repair in West Chester, OH.
How will I be able to heat my home if I don’t have access to electricity?
During power outages, kerosene heaters can be an excellent alternative source of heat. You can also utilize it if you want to save money on your bills.
When using a kerosene heater, it’s critical to observe all of the heating safety precautions. Choose a ventless option to reduce the production of hazardous fumes. To be safe, place your kerosene heater near the window and slightly open it. This will assist to prevent harmful gases from accumulating inside your home.
The Best Ways to Heat a House
Let’s have a look at the best ways to keep your home warm when the power is on before we get started. If your house’s electricity goes out, this will help you maintain as much heat as possible. Being prepared will offer you a sense of security.
Close Off Rooms that You Don’t Use
You can prevent heat from escaping through unoccupied spaces by shutting off bedrooms and other rooms that aren’t in use. When doors are left open, cold air has a larger chance of getting inside, so closing the doors to unused rooms helps keep drafts out of the rest of your house.
Open Your Curtains During the Day
When sunshine enters your home through windows or curtains, it automatically warms the space. Consider placing blinds or curtains on your windows if you don’t already have them. If the electricity goes out after the sun has been shining brightly all day, closing the blinds or curtains (or both!) will act as insulation, keeping the heat in your house. In the winter, thermal curtains can assist regulate the temperature and slow the loss of heat.
Use Fans to Circulate Warm Air Upward
You may not need to install any alternative heat sources for power outages if your property already has ceiling insulation. However, if you’re worried about how effectively your ceilings are insulated, operating a ceiling fan in reverse on cold days and nights might help. Warm air rises to the top of a room before being forced down the walls and eventually to the bottom, which is how this alternate heating source works. This steady heating of a room is aided by the recycling of warmer air. Consuming this ceiling fan heating method to keep your home warm during the winter can help you save money by providing more heat without using much energy.
Install Storm Windows
Storm windows help to limit air flow in and out of existing windows, making them alternative heat sources. As a result, the indoor heat is retained, which is especially useful during a power outage. Storm windows have the added benefit of potentially lowering your heating and cooling expenditures during the remainder of the year due to their energy efficiency.
Preparing Your Home for Winter
Would you and your household be prepared for a long period of time if the electricity went out in your entire house right now? Here are some tips for preparing your home for the next winter months.
Insulate Your Windows
This isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when considering alternate heat sources, but it can be effective if done correctly. By stopping drafts and preventing cold air from entering, plastic wrap can be used to cover windows. This idea can be an excellent alternative heat source, power outage or not, as long as you don’t tear holes in the plastic film or leave the windows open during the colder months.
Other types of window insulation, such as foam or caulk, can be used to seal cracks and prevent warm air from escaping.
Keep Your Water Heater Well-Maintained
Keeping your water heater in good working order will help it serve as an alternative heat source in the event of a power outage, and most water heaters should be able to keep stored water hot for a long period.
After several years of operation, all home appliances tend to become less efficient due to their regular use. Regular maintenance, at least once a year, is the best method to ensure that your water heater is up to the task. This usually entails removing any sediment that has accumulated inside over time, followed by flushing out any scale or rust build-up with vinegar or similar cleaning chemical.
Insulate Your Pipes
Consider insulating your home’s water pipes. When the temperature drops below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, this can help you avoid having to deal with frozen pipes.
Pipe insulation sleeves, which are inexpensive and available at any hardware shop, can be used to insulate your plumbing in only a few minutes. It’s also simple to use these sleeves: simply slip one around an exposed pipe and fasten it with tape or a zip tie. Most pipe insulation sleeves, on the other hand, fit over pipes so snugly that you won’t need to secure them.
Even with insulated pipes, it’s a good idea to leave your cupboards open to let the heat in and to turn on your taps on a regular basis to ensure a consistent flow of water. This allows your water to continue to flow, preventing it from freezing in your pipes.
Consider Purchasing a Gas Generator
Although this is one of the more expensive alternative heating sources on this list, if you live in a region where winter storms and extended power outages are typical, it may be worth investigating.
A gas generator can supply enough electricity to operate your furnace and other electric appliances in your home. This other heat source will also suffice to keep your home warm until the power is restored. If you opt to purchase a gas generator, be sure it has a high enough wattage output to supply enough power to all of your electrical gadgets. Of course, having a gas generator means you’ll need to make sure you have enough gasoline to power it.
Emergency Items to Have for a Power Outage
While it may seem self-evident, you should invest in a variety of alternate heat sources, such as kerosene heaters, as well as illumination sources, such as emergency candles, flashlights, and lanterns.
Finally, having alternative food sources ready in case power outages last more than a day or two is a smart idea. Stock up on canned or packaged foods that can be kept for a long time without refrigeration.
Food preparation, like alternate heating, necessitates some creative cooking methods other than your stove and microwave. Alternative heat sources such as camp stoves, wood burning stoves, or grills can be used to boil water without power if necessary.
Although this may appear to be an extreme case, you never know how long you’ll be without electricity.
Act Fast
When the electricity goes out, you should take immediate steps to maintain as much heat as possible inside your home. Close any open windows and doors, for example. Close your window blinds and drapes to prevent heat from escaping. Also, make sure you have any emergency supplies, such as flashlights and candles, in case you need them after dark.
Get Your Fireplace Going
Firewood or another solid fuel source is an efficient way to keep your home warm at a low cost and with little effort on your part. If you’re fortunate enough to own a fireplace, it will make heating your home much easier and safer during a power outage. Fireplaces employ natural convection to spread evenly heated air, acting as a heater without the usage of power.
Try and Centralize Heat to a Single Room in the House
To keep the heat localized in one section of the house, close off all other rooms save the one where you’ll be staying. Staying in one room, similar to the last recommendation for keeping your house warm in general, can assist keep the heat in one location.
Break out Your Non-Electric Heaters
Combustion heaters are an excellent way to heat your home without using electricity. Combustion heaters are non-electric indoor heaters that run on propane rather than electricity.
Kerosene radiant heaters should suffice if you require heat without the use of electricity or gas. Keep in mind that these kerosene heaters require a lot of petroleum to operate.
Remember that Water Heater We Talked About?
Water is a final alternative heat source that is often disregarded. Warming pots of water on an alternative heating source, such as a propane stove, or simply letting a hot shower run in the bathroom, produces heated steam with a longer half-life than traditional heating techniques. If you can trap and store the steam, it will last much longer as an alternate energy source for keeping warm during blackouts.
Final Thoughts
Make alternate heat sources as accessible as feasible in case of an emergency to stay warm during a power outage. It’s wise to plan ahead of time for a power loss in the winter. Prepare for emergencies to be warm and safe.
Check out more advice on heating and keeping your home during the winter to protect your home from frequent winter troubles. Also, have a look at our home warranty options, which include heating equipment to ensure that you and your home are not left in the cold.
AHS assumes no responsibility for your use of any and all information given herein, and expressly disclaims all liability.
Which is less expensive to operate: a gas or an electric furnace?
It’s a proven fact! Propane heat is more cost-effective and efficient than electricity. Almost anything that can run on electricity can run on propane in your home, restaurant, or business. However, the cost of a propane-fueled home is cheaper than that of an electric-heated home.
Is heat functional when the electricity is out?
This is a critical question this winter! The answer will be different for each person, depending on the type of heating system they have. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the most important systems and how they’ll be affected by power outages.
- Steam Heat (NO)-Steam heat uses only gas to heat your home, therefore you won’t lose heat if the power goes out.
- Forced Air Heating (YES)- If the power goes out, you will lose heat with this sort of heating system. Electricity is required to operate this conventional furnace and ductwork setup.
- Water Heater- In most cases, if the electricity goes off, your water heater will continue to function. That will not be the case if you have a high-efficiency water heater. A motor is used in these water heaters, which necessitates the use of energy.
What is the operation of a propane furnace?
- The blower in the furnace pushes hot air into the ductwork, where it is distributed throughout the house.
- The colder, denser air is sucked back into the furnace via the return ducts as the warm air fills each room, repeating the process.
Is it possible to use a generator to power my gas furnace?
Paul Schnackenberg, the founder of Gen-Tran Corporation, designed an electrical device called a transfer switch about 20 years ago. It enables homes to securely operate many electrical circuits, such as a heater or well pump, using a portable generator. The transfer switch is connected to the appliances and circuits you think you’ll want running during a blackout, and it’s located near the main electrical panel.
When the electricity goes out, you just start the generator and connect it to the transfer switch with an extension cord. Better yet, you may get rid of the cord entirely by mounting a power outlet box ($52) on the house’s outside and connecting the generator to it.
Once the generator is going, simply flip the switches on the transfer switch to select the appliances and circuits you want to utilize. Because the transfer switch is often linked into more circuits than the generator can handle all at once, it’s critical to keep track of what’s being powered. Overloading the circuits can also shorten the life of an appliance and cause the motor to burn out. Read the owner’s manual that came with the generator carefully. Some manufacturers recommend that the unit be used at no more than 80% of its maximum capacity.
The transfer switch must also be matched to the generator. Gen-Tran, for example, produces many transfer switches, each with a maximum wattage capacity. The six-circuit switch (Model 20216, around $260) is the company’s most popular product, built for use with a 5,000W generator. Gen-Tran makes a 10-circuit switch (Model 302110, approximately $390) that runs off a 7,500W generator for a residence that requires more capacity.
Although a transfer switch is reasonably simple to install, we strongly advise that you hire a certified electrician for your safety. It will only take around an hour to complete a normal installation. Because we had to install a power inlet box, our job was a little more difficult. The electrician worked for about three hours and charged $400. Even so, it’s a wise purchase that will pay off the next time the power goes out.
The graph below shows how many watts are required to run various household appliances. The number of watts required to start motorized appliances is also provided. When using a generator for emergency electricity, be sure that all of the appliances’ total running and starting watts are equal.
However, the total number of watts connected to the transfer switch (both running and starting) can surpass this limit; you simply won’t be able to utilize all of the appliances at the same time. Using a 5,000W generator to power a 3,000W electric water heater, for example, leaves you with barely enough power to run your coffeemaker. Remember that when the compressor goes on, an 800W refrigerator will demand an additional 2,300 watts.
When the power goes out, what happens to the gas furnace?
An electricity outage means the furnace won’t work for the vast majority of houses that heat with natural gas. During an outage, the furnace’s safety feature prevents it from turning on. Attempting to rig the furnace for heating is not recommended, as it may jeopardize one’s health and safety. If you’re concerned about the likelihood of an electrical outage, have an HVAC expert and an electrician connect the furnace to a generator that can power the electrical components of the furnace. Only an experienced, licensed, and certified service staff should perform this.