I can't heat or cool my whole house. What do I do?
Do not try to recreate whole-house HVAC. Make one smaller area survivable and concentrate your power, insulation and supplies on the people in it.
Cold outage: build one warm room
Make a smaller room inside the room.
A camping tent can become a heat-saving sleep space indoors. A small tent pitched in the occupied room creates a smaller pocket around sleeping people. It does not create heat, but it can make bedding and body heat easier to retain. Keep all combustion heaters and open flames away from it.
Use blankets as temporary room dividers. A securely hung moving blanket or heavy curtain across an open passage can reduce the volume you are trying to keep comfortable. Never drape material over heaters, vents, fireplaces or electrical equipment.
Hot-water bottles turn stored heat into personal heat. If you have a safe way to heat water, a purpose-made hot-water bottle can warm a bed or body without continuously drawing electricity. Use warm/hot water according to the bottle instructions, close it securely and protect skin from burns.
Daylight can be free heat. On sunny winter days, open coverings on windows receiving useful sun, then close coverings again as sunlight fades. Do not sacrifice safety or privacy where that is a concern.
Cold-rated sleeping bag + insulated sleeping pad
Warm the person instead of the house. A sleeping bag traps body heat while an insulated pad reduces heat loss into a cold floor. This combination still works when you have no electricity.
Coleman Brazos sleeping bag →Klymit insulated pad →Sunbeam heated blanket
Use electricity on the body, not the room. A heated blanket can make limited backup power much more useful than trying to run a large electric space heater. Use it only according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Sunbeam heated blanket →Power it from backup power →Insulated doorway curtain + window shrink film
Reduce the space you are losing heat from. The curtain can close an open passage without construction. Window film helps cut drafts and heat loss through leaky windows.
MAGZO doorway curtain →Duck window film →Protect the house while you protect the people
Open sink-cabinet doors. In very cold weather, the American Red Cross recommends opening kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors so warmer room air can reach plumbing. Move cleaners and chemicals where children and pets cannot reach them.
Drip the vulnerable faucet. Red Cross guidance recommends letting cold water trickle from a faucet served by exposed plumbing during very cold weather. This is especially relevant to pipes along exterior walls or in poorly heated spaces.
Close the garage door. If water lines run through or beside the garage, keeping the garage closed reduces their cold exposure.
Disconnect outdoor hoses before the freeze. Drain and store hoses and follow the correct procedure for your outdoor hose bibs and irrigation system.
Know the main water shutoff before you need it. Label it and make sure an adult in the household knows how it operates. If a pipe actually breaks, shutting off water quickly can prevent a plumbing failure from becoming a major flood. Do not shut utilities off casually during an outage; follow local guidance and use a professional when appropriate.
Hot outage: build one cool zone
Use the building itself as part of the cooling system.
Shade first, ventilate second. Close blinds or curtains on sun-facing windows before the room heats up. When outdoor air later becomes cooler than indoor air, use cross-ventilation if conditions and security allow.
Move life downstairs. Upper floors often become hotter. A downstairs, basement or shaded interior room can become the household's temporary living zone.
Spend battery on people. A small rechargeable fan aimed at an occupied person usually consumes dramatically less energy than compressor-based cooling. Save the larger battery loads for the times and people who need them most.
efluky rechargeable mini fan
Put airflow directly on one person. It is small, rechargeable and uses far less stored electricity than trying to air-condition a room.
See the exact efluky fan →VENTY rechargeable telescoping fan
Airflow, light and backup phone charging in one device. It folds down, extends to standing height, oscillates and has a rechargeable battery, LED light and USB-C power-bank function.
VENTY on Amazon →FROGG TOGGS Chilly Pad
Cool the body directly. Wet it, wring it out and use it on the neck or skin. It is a simple backup when battery power is limited.
Chilly Pad on Amazon →Learn about evaporative cooling →
One small safety kit for either season
Battery smoke + carbon-monoxide alarm
Especially useful if everyone relocates into one room. Keep working alarms in the occupied area. This is additional protection, not a replacement for required installed alarms.
First Alert smoke + CO alarm →I have $0 to spend
Cold: shrink to one room, block drafts with towels, gather bedding, wear dry layers and hats, insulate underneath sleeping areas and use useful daytime sun.
Heat: block sun early, move downstairs or to the coolest shaded area, stop cooking indoors, cool skin with water, hydrate, reduce activity and use cooler night air when conditions allow.
Sources and safety notes
Reviewed September 2026. Current CDC guidance says fans can be used indoors below 90°F but may increase body temperature above 90°F. American Red Cross winter guidance recommends opening sink cabinets, dripping faucets served by exposed pipes, closing garage doors around plumbing, disconnecting outdoor hoses, and never using ovens or outdoor cooking equipment as indoor heat.
CDC: Heat and Your Health
CDC: Winter Storm Safety
American Red Cross: Preventing Frozen Pipes
CDC: Carbon Monoxide Safety