Survival Guide [7/8]: How to Manage Without Electricity at Home?

Posted on: 2024-11-22

We continue our 8-chapter survival guide with an article that outlines the best practices for surviving without electricity at home.

Traditionally, power outages occur due to severe weather conditions (storms, cold spells, etc.). However, even a few days without air conditioning or heating, phone, radio, or TV can be a significant challenge. To manage these power outages, there are several options to best prepare for them.

Emergency Power Supply
Let’s start with an essential point: energy needs. It’s important to always have a backup plan for electricity, whether it’s to recharge your devices, cook a meal, stay warm, or communicate and stay informed. Fortunately, there are backup solutions to ensure you’re not completely without power.

Portable solar panels and small solar generators are ideal for having electricity on demand, whether you’re in a house or an apartment. They’re not only useful for providing light, but also for communication, as they are always available whenever your phone needs charging. All you need is a bit of sunlight. You can also replace the solar generator with an external battery, as long as you have a solar panel to gather the energy—that’s the key.

Which Solar Panel to Choose?
For larger-scale needs, more powerful power stations and solar panels to accompany them are useful for temporarily powering many devices in households. Some stations are capable of charging smaller equipment like a smartphone or tablet, but also larger ones like a refrigerator, which can be very helpful if you’re without electricity for several days.

You could also consider fuel-powered generators, which don’t rely on sunlight, but require fuel storage

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    Cooking and Water
    One of the concerns during a power outage is the potential loss of food in the fridge and freezer. To maintain freshness, try to keep the fridge and freezer doors closed as much as possible. Preservation is key in an emergency situation: the less energy you use, the better you’ll be able to power your essential devices.

    Note: For a refrigerator, food can be kept for about 4 to 6 hours if you avoid opening it too often. For a freezer, food can last for approximately 24 to 48 hours in the best case. After these times, it’s advised to either discard or cook your food.

    To manage without power, try to have food on hand that doesn’t require refrigeration. This can include snacks, canned goods, starchy foods, and even compact rations, for example. Having long-shelf-life food can be a good idea to prevent rapid stock rotation.

    If you have a gas or alcohol stove, it will make things easier. If not, most freeze-dried mealscan be rehydrated with cold water. While this won’t heat the food as much as a hot meal would, it will still provide the necessary energy. It’s in these situations that you realize the importance of having quality food reserves.

    If you’re unsure which stove to choose, this article should guide you in making the right decision.

    As for compact rations, they are essential for long-term storage. NRG-5, for example, is ideal because it offers a good balance between quality, weight, and energy content.

    Regarding water, make sure to have bottled water or barrels on hand. This way, if the tap water is cut off, you’ll still be able to stay hydrated and cook

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    Lighting

    To deal with power outages and regain light (especially in the winter when night falls quickly!), you can first check that you always have a stock of candles at home. In addition to being inexpensive and easy to store and use, candles will provide a light source—more or less effective depending on how many candles you light, of course.

    While candles are great for emergencies, they are not a sustainable solution. That’s why it can be helpful to stock up on batteries and spare power sources in advance. With these, you can use your flashlights, headlamps, or even lanterns without worrying about running out of light too quickly.

    Glow sticks can also be a solution, as they are 100% self-sufficient, very bright, and provide several hours of illumination!

    Some portable power stations are also very practical, given their ability to provide energy and offer continuous lighting for several hours.

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    Heating
    If possible in your home, lighting a fire is one of the best ways to warm up quickly and easily. If that’s not an option, you can always wear your warmest clothes: socks, sweaters, and even a scarf will be very helpful in keeping you warm.

    Remember to hydrate with hot drinks and, most importantly, eat meals that provide lasting energy. This will help your body warm up more quickly, give you more energy, and allow your body to continue producing heat, even at night.

    If you have the opportunity, check your home’s insulation. It might be that your house is like a “sieve” where the cold easily enters and prevents warmth from staying in. There are programs available to help with these types of improvements, which can quickly become expensive. Many websites provide guidance on how to approach this kind of work.

    Communication
    To stay informed about the situation, make sure to have at least a small battery-powered radio to learn more about the length of the outage, its cause, and other details.

    Equip yourself with a portable battery charger if you don’t already have one, and make sure it’s always charged. With this, you can continue to use your smartphone a little longer without draining the battery. For higher power needs, like charging your laptop or any other energy-hungry devices, refer to the first point of this blog article, which discusses power stations and how they can help you keep energy on hand in all circumstances

    In Conclusion
    Electricity is undoubtedly one of the most important resources in our daily lives, and we often take it for granted, which is not always the case. That’s why it’s important to consider alternatives and be prepared in case of a widespread power outage.

    Whether it’s to continue eating, stay warm, have light, or simply charge your devices, solutions are available. Solar panels and power stations are part of these solutions and are increasingly being developed around the world. Be sure to stock up on long-lasting food, as well as accessories for lighting and heating, so that you’re not too hindered when a widespread power outage occurs.

    Read the other chapters

    [1/8] Water
    [2/8] Food
    [3/8] Cold
    [4/8] First Aid
    [5/8] Communication
    [6/8] Transportation
    [7/8] Electricity (article above)
    [8/8] Important Documents

    A Word About Lyophilise & Co 🌶

    Based in Lorient, Lyophilise & Co is the go-to reference for freeze-dried meals and high-quality outdoor gear. Whether you're a hiker, skipper, trail runner, bushcraft enthusiast, or bivouac lover, we offer a wide range of technical products tailored to all your adventures. With over 2,000 items available, we support your expeditions in France and abroad.

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    ☎ +33 (0)2 97 87 23 73
    ✉ team[at]lyophilise.com

    We also have a showroom open Monday to Friday:

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