[ACS_Solver]

It's cold here in Scandinavia. Nighttime temperatures are below freezing for half a year in a good chunk of the land. Winters are in general cold for a significant part of the population, three days without heating would be a serious danger if you don't know how to keep your home (relatively) warm in an emergency. When outside temperatures are around -15C, a house with no power can easily get cold enough to risk hypothermia. And in the winter, -30C is perfectly ordinary.

[blub]

I struggle to think of a way of keeping an entire house or apartment warm without power.

Is there an actual solution recommended by the respective governments for this or was the problem reformulated into keeping one or more persons warm instead?

[LinuxBender]

Home design helps. I'm in a very old earth bermed home and even if the temperature outside is -25F (-31.3C) the coldest it gets if I don't have the heat on is about 42F (5.5C) and that's just because my windows are really old and the door weather strip is decomposing. If I throw a few logs in the wood stove it can get too hot. I doubt there are many earth bermed apartments however. I would probably just put on my snow pants, jacket, hat. Snow rated clothing make a big difference. That is what I would stock up on along with other layers underneath. If I had to sleep outside I would add a tarp, a lot of rocks and some paracord. Not saying it would be fun.

[fn-mote]

> If I had to sleep outside I would add a tarp […]

Outside you need to add something to insulate you from heat loss to the ground or it is colder than you would want.

Instead of rocks (I’m sure that was a joke), add closed cell insulation, like polystyrene. Five cm of that beneath you, and you will sleep warm and toasty.

[LinuxBender]

Instead of rocks (I’m sure that was a joke)

Not a joke at all. If the tarp is big enough, fold it into a half tent and put rocks at each end, then cover them in snow to create a mini-wall and hold the tarp in place from wind. The tarp itself needs to point up-wind to block it. It will block the wind and new snow. If wearing the right snow clothing the only killer is wind. The snow below the tarp will be fine, again if wearing the right snow clothing. Adding layers above the tarp is great if it's an option. I was just basing that on what can be easily carried in a ruck-sack as I assume the only people sleeping outside can't afford lodging. That insulation roll can be rolled up and attached under the ruck-sack if it is small enough and/or flexible enough.

[Edit] For completeness sake, if they are homeless and do not have good snow clothing then the first thing they should be doing is begging, borrowing or stealing their way onto a train heading towards the equator.

[ACS_Solver]

You can't keep it warm but you can conserve heat as much as possible. You're supposed to add extra insulation by covering the windows with blankets, pick a space in the house where everyone will be and additionally insulate that main space from the rest of the house, use candles as it's safe to.

Our houses are generally quite well insulated due to the climate. Government preparedness info says a modern house (~15 years old) can go four full days in -20C weather before inside temperatures drop to 5C. A typical 70s row house would drop to that after 48 hours but a 70s brick house can drop that low after just 24 hours. So depending on your house and location, the specific plan for a 3-day outage can range from "you'll be fine as long as you have blankets" to "you need a fireplace or other heater with fuel for at least a few hours a day".

[b112]

In Canada, things called "storms" sometimes knock out power lines. The result is no power!

I've been without power for days in the cold, and have been compelled to put on my coat... inside! Most Canadians do this, rather than trying to keep an entire house warm at -40C.

It's really a non issue.

Worried?

* Buy a few large candles. Just one provides a lot of warmth if you cup your hands around it.

* Eat more. You need 2x your calories when it is cold. Food means life in the cold.

[askonomm]

I figure we'd all just go to the country side, where people still have houses with chimneys that use wood for heat, and hope we fit.

[tim333]

I don't know about houses but I've camped a while in those temperatures and with heavy down sleeping bags, suits and insulated boots it's fine. I never really felt cold.

[sixtyj]

We have winter sleeping bags for the whole family. Although we don’t live in Northern Europe it is good to have them at home.