How to keep warm without power, safely

The carbon monoxide rule comes first

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas with no colour or smell. The NHS says it can make you seriously ill, and the UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) say it can kill. UKHSA warns that in cold weather people may use faulty or unsuitable appliances to heat their homes, which raises the risk of CO poisoning.

Never use these indoors, in a garage, in a porch or in a tent:

• barbecues (charcoal or gas) and camping stoves (NHS, CMOs)
• petrol or diesel generators or other fuel-driven engines (CMOs, HSENI)
• a car engine running in a garage (NHS)

The CMOs also say: don't light a fire indoors unless you have a proper heating appliance or a fireplace with a working chimney, and don't burn old furniture, pallets, fence panels, rubbish, petrol, diesel or lighter fluid.

Signs of CO poisoning

The NHS lists headache, dizziness, feeling or being sick, weakness, tiredness and confusion, chest and muscle pain, and shortness of breath. Symptoms often ease when you go outside and get worse indoors.

If you suspect CO: stop using the appliance, go outside, and get medical advice. Call 999 if someone is struggling to breathe, confused, weak, has chest pain or has collapsed. Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 if you think a gas appliance is leaking CO (NHS).

Fit a CO alarm in every room with something that burns gas, oil, coal or wood (NHS). HSENI advises battery-powered alarms, which keep working in a power cut.

Step 1: Pick one warm room

The CMOs' advice for a cold power cut:

• Gather everyone in one room to share warmth.
• Close the windows and doors of rooms you're not using.
• Put a towel or sheet along the bottom of the door to stop draughts.
• Close curtains and blinds when it gets dark. If you have no curtains, hang blankets or sheets over the windows.

Choose a room on the sheltered side of the house with the fewest outside walls and windows, if you can.

Step 2: Dress for it

• Several thin layers keep you warmer than one thick one (UKHSA, CMOs).
• Add a hat, thick socks and slippers.
• Use blankets, duvets and sleeping bags. Be Ready lists blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothing in its emergency kit, and says homes can get cold quickly when the heating goes off.
• UKHSA says keep bedroom windows closed at night.

Step 3: Keep your body warm

• Raise your feet when sitting: the CMOs say air near the floor is colder.
• Get up and move about at least once an hour, or stretch your arms and legs if moving is hard (CMOs, UKHSA).
• Eat regular meals and have hot drinks if you can heat water safely. If you cook on a gas hob, the NHS says don't use oversized pans that cover more than one ring.

Step 4: Heaters that don't need mains power

• Portable gas heaters: only one approved for indoor use, in a well-ventilated room, following the instructions carefully (CMOs).
• Wood burners and open fires: keep the room ventilated, follow the instructions, and only burn the right fuel (CMOs).
• Never leave a fire or portable heater unattended, and keep a fire extinguisher nearby (CMOs).
• Generators stay outdoors, at least 6 metres (20 feet) away, with the exhaust facing away from windows and doors (CMOs). HSENI says don't run one near open doors or windows, and fans won't stop CO building up.

Step 5: Look after the people most at risk

UKHSA says older people, young children, pregnant women, people with long-term health conditions and people who live alone are most at risk from cold. Check on neighbours and relatives, and offer blankets, clothes or a warm drink (Be Ready).

Signs of hypothermia

The NHS lists shivering; pale, cold, dry skin; lips that look blue or grey; slurred speech; slow breathing; and tiredness or confusion. A baby may be cold to touch, floppy, unusually quiet and sleepy, and may refuse to feed.

Call 999 or go to A&E if you think someone has hypothermia. Don't drive yourself. While you wait, the NHS says:

1. Move them indoors or somewhere sheltered.
2. Remove wet clothing and wrap them in a blanket, sleeping bag or dry towel, with their head covered.
3. If they're fully awake, give a warm, non-alcoholic drink and something sugary.
4. Stay with them and keep them talking.

Don't put them in a hot bath, use a hot-water bottle or heat lamp, rub their arms and legs, or give them alcohol (NHS).

Before the next cold snap

• Fit battery-powered CO alarms and check smoke alarms.
• Put blankets, sleeping bags, hats and a torch where you can find them in the dark.
• If someone at home relies on powered medical equipment, join the Priority Services Register (Be Ready).
• Save 105, the number to report a power cut (03457 643643 in Northern Ireland).

Related guides

• Keeping warm without heating: what works, what's safe, and where to get help
• Carbon monoxide at home: signs, alarms and what to do
• Winter power cut checklist for UK homes
• Cold-Health Alerts: what UKHSA's yellow, amber and red alerts mean

Free tools

• Power cuts near me
• Priority Services Register checker

We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.

More from the blog