Well, this doesn’t apply to all areas of the country but I’m from MA and I always tell people, if you buy a house make damn sure it has a fireplace. During the ice storm of 2008 that was our heat for 8 days without power.
Get a whole house generator on auto stand by and run it off natural gas or propane. This will let you avoid the long gas lines we’re seeing in NY and NJ. If you do this MAKE SURE you build a roof and encloser for it to keep it out of the elements.
“Well, this doesn’t apply to all areas of the country but I’m from MA and I always tell people, if you buy a house make damn sure it has a fireplace. During the ice storm of 2008 that was our heat for 8 days without power.”
That’s still excellent advice. People (rightly) look at fireplaces as decorative or novelties, but they are valid for survival in climates that get cold. So, if given a choice, get a house with a fireplace. If no fireplace, maybe look into adding one.
That's the ticket. I haven't bought one yet, but I priced a 7.5 KWH stand-by generator at about $2,500 last year. There would be installation costs, of course, but a generator of that capacity would run my furnace, the lights, water heater, TV's, computers, and refrigerator.
I probably wouldn't use the electric range or oven, but the microwave would do.
“Get a whole house generator on auto stand by and run it off natural gas or propane. This will let you avoid the long gas lines we’re seeing in NY and NJ. If you do this MAKE SURE you build a roof and encloser for it to keep it out of the elements.”
Also excellent advice, although the generator isn’t the best way to heat a place (due to low efficiency), but it will work fine if natural gas is available (a bit expensive, but much cheaper than the alternatives). If propane though, it will deplete the tank pretty quickly.
What you really need to do is get the heat off from the generator into the house...but without the exhaust gases.
I agree. We were once without power for 4 days in 1996 I think. We live in Southeastern Pennsyvania where the temps pretty regularly go down to the single digits over night in the winter. Our direct vent gas fireplace heated our great room and the master bedroom (which is directly above the great room) sufficiently for us to stay in our home during a very cold four days. Now, whenever the power goes out in the winter, we immediately turn on the fireplace and stay sufficiently warm.
Am I the only person here who couldn't begin to afford that?