Heating without electricity: Alternative heating systems

It's winter, cold, and suddenly the power goes out. Whether you heat with gas, oil, or a heat pump, electricity is needed for every heating system. Sooner or later, the cold will make itself felt indoors. Finding an alternative heating system in a hurry is almost impossible. This article will show you what options are available for heating without electricity, why preparation is worthwhile, and which alternatives are the best.

When winter arrives, heating is essential for warm indoor temperatures. Until recently, the most common solution was to turn up the radiators. The energy crisis and potential blackout scenarios have brought electricity-free heating alternatives into greater focus. Why should you consider this option?

• Save electricity costs
  The best way to save energy costs is to use less electricity. Easier said than done, especially in winter. Electric heaters can help with this.

• Blackout or power outage in winter
  If you don't want to freeze during short or long power outages, you should get an emergency heater as a preventative measure.

• Room has no heating or only insufficient heating
  Especially in older apartments, not every room has heating, or the heating systems are very outdated. Additional heaters can provide a solution.

• Energy supply bottlenecks from the supplier & due to PV system
  Supply bottlenecks in the gas or oil sectors or a lack of sunlight can lead to cold radiators. To make you more independent of external factors, other alternative solutions are needed.

Heating with heat pumps, electric radiators, district heating, oil, gas, and infrared heaters doesn't work without electricity. Here's how to heat without electricity:

• tiled stoves
  
• Gas heater
  
• Ethanol fireplace
  
• kerosene heater
  
• Tealight heater

Not every alternative is suitable for every household . For example, some are only feasible in houses, while others are only suitable for small spaces. Which one best suits your situation is explained in more detail below.

If you are one of the lucky ones who already has a Swedish or tiled stove in your house, then heating without electricity is easy.

It's crucial to have enough fuel in the form of wood and pellets at home . Preparation is key here: Firewood is in high demand, especially in the winter months, and quickly sells out. Pellets are also enjoying increasing demand. Massive shortages can occur, especially in an emergency. The best thing to do is stock up on firewood in the summer—long before the rest of the population starts thinking about cold temperatures.

Small fireplace

Do you own a house but don't yet have a tiled stove? Alternatively, you could consider installing a small fireplace in the living room . These are usually easier to install, take up less space, and produce a lot of heat. However, they are less durable and need to be heated more often. A tiled stove, on the other hand, retains the heat it produces for significantly longer.

For most people living in apartments, both alternatives are either impossible or difficult to implement . Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to generate heat, such as a gas heater.

Safety notice

• Regular maintenance of the chimney by the chimney sweep is required.
• The fireplace must be placed on a non-flammable surface. Use floor protection for combustible floors (e.g., parquet or carpet).

Conclusion for tiled stoves & fireplaces:

• Suitable for houses
• Cannot be installed in the short term, long-term planning
• Good indoor climate, long heat storage
• Supply bottlenecks & increased wood or pellet prices
• Expensive purchase

A gas heater is one of the most efficient ways to quickly heat up in an emergency. The necessary glass cylinders or cartridges are easy to obtain.

A gas heater can comfortably heat even large rooms. Furthermore, the gas heater is versatile, for example, for camping trips or garden sheds.

An ethanol fireplace not only generates heat but also creates a blazing flame effect similar to a traditional fireplace. It is therefore also popular for its aesthetic appeal.

Since the ethanol fireplace doesn't require a chimney , it's mobile and can be easily transported from point A to point B. As the name suggests, it's heated with ethanol or, optionally, with a special fuel gel. One of the major advantages is that it doesn't produce soot or have an unpleasant odor . One of the disadvantages is that the fire risk is relatively high compared to other non-electric heating options.

Safety notice

• Flammable objects must not be placed near the ethanol fireplace. There is a risk of fire!
• Ethanol is highly flammable, so be careful when refilling.
• If you have children or pets in your household, an ethanol fireplace is not recommended. Even the slightest carelessness can lead to a dangerous situation.

Conclusion for ethanol fireplaces

• Suitable for houses & apartments
• Ethanol must be procured in advance, medium-term planning
• Not suitable as the sole heat source
• No need for a flue (no soot or smell), portable emergency stove
• Not suitable for households with children & pets

Well-insulated and not too large rooms can be easily heated with a kerosene heater.

As the name suggests, these stoves are heated with kerosene. Be especially careful to choose a type that's as odorless as possible. When purchasing, consider the following:

• a corresponding GS certification
• appropriate safety features (e.g. a tip-over protection device that automatically switches off the burner if the stove falls over)

Safety instructions

Important! Never refill kerosene while the stove is still lit or hot .

Conclusion for kerosene heaters

• Suitable for houses & apartments
• Stove & petroleum must be purchased in advance, medium-term planning
• Portable emergency stove
• Not suitable for large rooms, emits less heat
• More expensive to purchase

A creative way to warm up a smaller room without electricity is with a tealight heater (also called a terracotta heater, prepper heater, or Egloo heater). Unlike other heating alternatives, you can easily build one yourself.

Why does this table heater work? The terracotta pots act as heat storage . They prevent the heat from rising to the ceiling. This keeps the area around the heater nice and warm.

Of course, the heating power of such a small terracotta stove can hardly compete with that of the other options mentioned. However, this heating alternative isn't just about the heating power itself, but also about the cozy ambiance of flickering candlelight .

DIY emergency oven

For the DIY tealight heater, two differently sized terracotta flowerpots are screwed onto an upside-down clay trivet using a threaded rod, a few nuts, a spacer, and large washers. All you have to do is place several tealights underneath and light them ( video tutorial ). Your homemade heater is complete!

Safety notice

Important! Keep at least 5 cm of space between tea lights. Otherwise, there's a risk of a wax fire (comparable to a grease fire on the stove).

Conclusion for tealight heater

• Suitable for houses & apartments
• Tea lights as fuel are usually available in every household, short-term heating alternative
• Emits less heat than alternatives
• Can be made by yourself

• Motor power : Ideally 1200 watts for demanding projects
• Cutting depth and angle : Adjustable cutting depth up to 55 mm and angle adjustment ideally in the range of 0 to 45 degrees for versatile applications
• Cutting height adjustment : Make sure there is a cutting height adjustment for precise and easy adjustments
• Saw blade size : Common sizes are 165 mm or 190 mm, ideal with 24 or 60 teeth
• Guide rail : Ideal for precise, straight cuts and especially helpful for longer cuts; however, not absolutely necessary for rough cuts, freehand cuts or smaller workpieces

If your heating has broken down, or isn't available in every room, you don't have to freeze. Here's how to warm up a room even without heating:

Dress warmer

The more you wear, the less body heat you lose. Layering your body in layers has a particularly insulating effect.

Avoid heat loss

Lay down rugs and seal your windows to minimize heat loss. If you have blinds or thick curtains, close them.

Place candles

Even though candles don't give off much heat, they are better than no heat source at all.

Heating alternatives

Look for heating options other than traditional gas or oil heating. Combined with the other tips, this will also help save fuel.

Important: Limit yourself to one room. It's almost impossible to heat an entire apartment with one heater, let alone an entire house.

A prolonged power outage has more impact than just a heating failure. The oven will also stay cold, the lights will be off, and the TV will be silent. Here are some things you should be prepared for in an emergency:

1. Light without electricity: Provide enough electricity-free light sources.
2. Cooking without electricity: To be able to prepare hot food without electricity, you should have non-electric cooking options such as a gas stove at hand.
3. Hot water without electricity: To ensure that showering is not impossible, hot water should be available even in the event of a power outage.
4. Refrigerator during a power outage: Refrigerator cooling stops working five hours after a power outage. Alternative ways to cool food without electricity are needed.
5. Photovoltaics during a power outage: Renewable energy sources don't always provide electricity by default. Storage is required.
6. Communication without electricity: Stay informed with a battery-powered radio.