Maintenance procedure · Written to ASD-STE100 Issue 9 · Formatted to ANSI Z535

Choose a Safe Way to Heat Your Home During a Power Cut

The devices that must never heat an indoor space, the ones that are safe once you check a few things, and where to stop and call someone — generator placement and storm prep are covered on their own pages
ApplicabilityHomes and apartments during a power outage, from the first hour to the last
Task time57 min to 1 hr 12 min editorial estimate, not a measurement
PersonnelOne
Revisionv1 · 2026-08-03
BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.

Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.

Summary

When the power goes out in cold weather, the choice of how to stay warm is the one that can go wrong fastest. Carbon monoxide poisoning and house fires both climb every winter a storm knocks the power out. This page is a short, sourced list: a carbon monoxide alarm to check first, the handful of devices that must never heat an indoor space no matter how cold it gets, how to tell whether you even have electricity to work with, and what is left once you do not. Every rule on it traces to CDC or CPSC, named next to the rule it supports.

This page does not repeat two things covered elsewhere on this site. It does not give the outdoor placement for a portable generator, which is on the generator placement page, and it does not give the full pre-storm checklist, which is on the storm readiness page. It starts from the moment the lights are already out and you are choosing how to keep the house warm, and it stops at the point where a heating system needs a qualified technician.

Necessary equipment

ItemNote
Carbon monoxide alarmInstall a battery-powered alarm before you rely on any heater.
Flashlight optionalUse a flashlight instead of a candle for light.
Manual for your heater optionalThe manual gives the vent and the clearance instructions of the maker.
Extra batteries materialInstall fresh batteries in the alarm and in each flashlight.
Extra blankets and warm clothing materialAdd extra layers and blankets before you rely on any heater.

Make sure your carbon monoxide alarm is working

Estimated 18 min to 32 min

NOTEA working alarm gives you a warning if a choice here goes wrong.
Replacement age for your carbon monoxide alarm
Unverified — do not rely on this value
CONSULT THE MANUAL FOR YOUR ALARM

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

  1. Find each carbon monoxide alarm in your home.
    2m
  2. Press the test button on each alarm.
    • CPSC says the test button checks the circuit, not the sensor.
    <1m
  3. Install a new battery-powered alarm if you find none.
    • CDC and CPSC both call for a battery-operated alarm on each floor.
    15m

Remove the devices that must never heat an indoor space

Estimated 5 min

NOTEEach of these devices can fill a closed room with carbon monoxide.
  1. List every heat source you own or can borrow.
    3m
WARNING

NEVER OPERATE A GENERATOR IN A HOME, IN A BASEMENT OR IN A GARAGE.
Carbon monoxide is in the exhaust. Carbon monoxide has no color and no smell. It can kill you in minutes.

  1. Remove a generator from the list for indoor use.
    <1m
WARNING

NEVER USE A CAMP STOVE, A CHARCOAL GRILL OR A GAS GRILL IN A HOME.
These devices burn gas or charcoal and release carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide can kill you without warning.

  1. Remove a camp stove, a charcoal grill and a gas grill from the list.
    • CDC never allows a charcoal grill, a hibachi, a lantern or a camp stove inside a home.
    <1m
WARNING

NEVER USE A GAS RANGE OR A GAS OVEN TO HEAT A ROOM.
This use of the range or the oven can fill the home with carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide can kill you without warning.

  1. Remove a gas range or a gas oven from the list for heat.
    <1m
WARNING

NEVER LEAVE A VEHICLE ENGINE RUNNING IN A CLOSED OR PARTLY CLOSED GARAGE.
The exhaust can fill the garage with carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide can enter the home and kill you.

  1. Remove a vehicle from the list for an attached or enclosed garage.
    <1m

Decide whether you have electric power available

Estimated 3 min

NOTEThis page does not give the outdoor setup for a generator. Read the generator placement page for that instruction.
Watts a battery power station can safely supply to a heater
Unverified — do not rely on this value
CONSULT THE MANUAL FOR YOUR BATTERY POWER STATION

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

Watt rating of the heater you plan to run
Unverified — do not rely on this value
CONSULT THE LABEL ON YOUR HEATER

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

  1. Decide whether a generator, a battery power station or no source will supply power.
    1m
  2. Compare the watt rating of the heater to the rating of the power source.
    • Each maker prints this rating on a label on its own device.
    2m

Use an electric heater safely

Estimated 4 min

NOTEUse these steps only after a generator or a power station runs.
Distance from a portable electric heater to anything that can burn
Manufacturer or standard verified
3 ft

Source: Reducing Fire Hazards for Portable Electric Heaters · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-03

  1. Examine the cord and the plug of the heater before each use.
    1m
WARNING

NEVER POWER A HEATER WITH A POWER STRIP OR AN EXTENSION CORD.
This use can overload the circuit. An overloaded circuit can start a fire.

  1. Plug the heater directly into a wall outlet.
    <1m
  2. Place the heater on a flat and stable surface.
    1m
WARNING

KEEP THE HEATER AT LEAST 3 FT FROM MATERIAL THAT CAN BURN.
Beds, curtains and paper can catch fire near the heater. CPSC once counted about 1200 heater fires a year.

  1. Keep the heater at least 3 ft from material that can burn.
    1m
WARNING

NEVER LEAVE THE HEATER RUNNING WHILE YOU SLEEP OR LEAVE THE ROOM.
An unattended heater can tip over or run too hot. Either fault can start a fire.

  1. Set the heater to off before you sleep or leave the room.
    <1m

Use a heater only if its label names it for indoor use

Estimated 12 min

NOTEA heater must have an indoor rating, or it stays outside like a camp stove.
Vent and clearance instructions for a portable combustion heater
Unverified — do not rely on this value
CONSULT THE MANUAL FOR YOUR HEATER

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

WARNING

NEVER LIGHT A HEATER WITH NO INDOOR RATING ON ITS LABEL.
An unrated heater can fill the room with carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide can kill you without warning.

  1. Make sure the label on the heater names it for indoor use.
    1m
  2. Read the manufacturer's instructions for that model before you light it.
    • Follow the vent and the clearance instructions exactly as printed there.
    5m
  3. Call your local fire department to ask if a kerosene heater is legal there.
    • CDC names this check for a kerosene heater and for no other heater on this page.
    5m
  4. Keep the carbon monoxide alarm on while the heater runs.
    <1m

Add extra layers as the fallback

Estimated 11 min

NOTEExtra layers and blankets carry no risk. This step carries no hazard of its own.
WARNING

GET MEDICAL HELP AT ONCE FOR ANY SIGN OF HYPOTHERMIA.
CDC names shivering, confusion and slurred speech as signs. Hypothermia can injure or kill a person with no warning anyone notices.

  1. Add extra layers and blankets before you rely on any heater.
    2m
  2. Pick one small room for the household.
    • Close its door to hold the heat in that room.
    3m
  3. Block gaps at the bottom of each door with a towel or a blanket.
    5m
  4. Watch each other for shivering, confusion or slurred speech.
    1m

Watch for carbon monoxide poisoning

Estimated 5 min

NOTEA symptom can appear even when a heater seems to work fine.
  1. Learn the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning before you need them.
    • CDC names a headache and dizziness and weakness as early signs.
    • CDC also names nausea and vomiting and confusion as signs.
    2m
WARNING

IF ANYONE SHOWS A SYMPTOM OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING, GET THEM TO FRESH AIR AT ONCE.
Do not stop to find the source of the gas. Carbon monoxide can kill you before you notice it.

  1. Get to fresh air at once if anyone shows a symptom.
    <1m
  2. Call 911 or the poison control center from outside the home.
    • The number for poison control is 1-800-222-1222 nationwide.
    1m
  3. Count each person once everyone is outside.
    <1m
WARNING

NEVER RETURN TO THE HOME BEFORE RESPONDERS GIVE PERMISSION.
You can lose consciousness and die if you return too soon.

  1. Wait for responders to say the home is safe before you return.
    1m

Terminology

This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.

power outage
Also called: power cut, blackout, power failure, power is out, the lights went out
carbon monoxide poisoning
Also called: CO poisoning, generator fumes, exhaust fumes, the invisible killer, silent killer
portable space heater
Also called: electric heater, space heater, portable heater
kerosene heater
Also called: paraffin heater, oil heater, kerosene heater indoors
hypothermia
Also called: freezing to death, too cold in the house, power out and freezing
battery power station
Also called: portable power station, solar generator, battery backup

When to use a professional

Call a qualified technician to service a furnace, a boiler or a gas fireplace every year. CDC gives this as the standard for a heating system that burns gas, oil or wood. Call a heating technician if a permanent heating system will not start when the power returns. This page does not diagnose that system.

Call your local fire department before you use a kerosene heater. CDC says a kerosene heater is not legal in every area.

Call 911 if you ever hear the carbon monoxide alarm. Leave the home and stay outside until responders say it is safe to return. Call 911 or your poison control center for any symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning. Get to fresh air first. Get some medical help for any sign of hypothermia.

Common questions

Can I use a gas stove or oven to heat my house during a power outage?

No. CDC has a page dedicated to this exact question, and its title says it plainly: do not heat your home with a gas oven. Doing so raises your risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, a gas you cannot see or smell. A gas range and a gas oven are built to cook food for a short time, not to run for hours as a room heater. If your range still lights during an outage, use it only to cook, then turn it off.

Is it safe to run a charcoal grill or a camp stove inside the house?

No, never, under any circumstance. CDC's power outage guidance says never to use a charcoal grill, a hibachi, a lantern or a portable camping stove inside a home, a tent or a camper. CDC's winter storm guidance repeats the same rule for gas grills. All of these burn something and release carbon monoxide into a space that was never built to clear it.

Can I use a kerosene heater indoors during a power cut?

Only if the label on your unit rates it for indoor use, and only if you follow its manual exactly. CDC lists a kerosene heater alongside a portable space heater as one of its named alternatives for a power outage, with one added condition it gives for no other device on this page: check with your local fire department first, because these heaters are not legal everywhere. CPSC's own kerosene heater guidance calls for burning only water-clear 1-K grade kerosene, filling the tank outdoors after the heater has cooled, and running the heater with the room door open and a window cracked for fresh air. If you cannot find the manual for your unit, or its label carries no indoor rating, treat it the same as a camp stove and leave it outside.

How do I stay warm with no generator, no battery power and no heater that is safe indoors?

Layer clothing, add blankets, and close off one small room instead of heating the whole house. CDC's hypothermia guidance lists shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, slurred speech and drowsiness as warning signs, and it says to get medical attention right away if anyone shows them. Hypothermia can develop indoors, not only outdoors, once a home has been cold for long enough. This page gives no safe number of hours or degrees for that, because CDC does not publish one for a private home.

How do I know my carbon monoxide alarm is working?

Press its test button, which CPSC says checks the alarm's circuit rather than the accuracy of its sensor. Follow the testing instructions printed on the unit or in its manual. CPSC also says every alarm has a recommended replacement age set by its manufacturer, and that newer alarms carry an end-of-life signal telling you when that age has been reached.

What do I do if the carbon monoxide alarm sounds?

Get everyone outside to fresh air immediately, without stopping to find the source. Call 911 or your fire department from outside the home, or from a neighbor's home. Do a head count once everyone is out. Do not go back inside until emergency responders say it is safe. CPSC is explicit that you could lose consciousness and die if you stay inside or return too soon.

Sources

Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.

  1. Tier 1Safety Guidelines: During & After a Winter StormCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  2. Tier 1What to Do to Protect Yourself During a Power OutageCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  3. Tier 1Millions in Path of Winter Storms this Week; CPSC Issues Safety Tips to Help Families Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and FiresU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  4. Tier 1Carbon Monoxide Fact SheetU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  5. Tier 1Don't Heat Your Home with a Gas OvenCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · accessed 2026-08-03 · re-verification due 2027-01-30
  6. Tier 1Reducing Fire Hazards for Portable Electric HeatersU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission · accessed 2026-08-03 · re-verification due 2027-01-30
  7. Tier 1CPSC Stresses Kerosene Heater SafetyU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission · accessed 2026-08-03 · re-verification due 2027-01-30
  8. Tier 1Recognizing HypothermiaCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · accessed 2026-08-03 · re-verification due 2027-01-30

Revision history

Current version 1 · updated 2026-08-03 · next review due 2027-08-03

  1. v1 · 2026-08-03First draft. The indoor-heating-method decision and its short list of nevers, built from CDC and CPSC guidance already registered in data/sources.json (cdc-winter-storm-safety, cdc-power-outage-protect-yourself, cpsc-winter-storm-co-and-fire-safety-tips, cpsc-carbon-monoxide-fact-sheet) plus four new tier-1 CDC and CPSC documents read and registered on 2026-08-03 (gas-oven heating, portable electric heater fire hazards, kerosene heater safety, and hypothermia recognition). Generator outdoor placement and the full pre-storm checklist are deliberately not repeated here; the record links to position-a-portable-generator and storm-readiness-checklist instead. No safety-critical value is printed without a tier-1 trace; battery power station and heater watt ratings, carbon monoxide alarm replacement age, and combustion-heater vent and clearance instructions all route to the reader's own equipment documentation.

Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.

Comments and corrections

Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.

Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.

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