# Power and heat, solar etc...need suggestions & advice



## sdgmcdon (May 6, 2012)

I've gotten most of my "prepper" stuff done for a 90 day plan, food, water, defense, lights, radios, medical kits etc...what has me at a bit of a loss though is power and heating the home for my longer term plans.

I live in the Portland Oregon area, so it can get rather cold here and homes without heat feel colder than being outside in the winter.

Obviously bundling up is an immediate response, but I'm not prepping for a 2 week emergency, I'm prepping for potential changes in our way of life long term and so my level of prepping is to get us through that shift...I have a 3 level plan, 90 day supply (complete now) then 6-12 months, then 12-24 months....I figure that should be more than enough to "get us through" until we can really adapt to whatever the new reality we find ourselves in may be.

I'm considering getting a goal zero yeti kit 1250watt solar system and a portable expedition kit (150watts I think?)...original intention was to recharge batteries for lights, radios, etc but the yeti kit gives me enough to also power my fridge and I only started considering it when I found a screaming deal on both systems as a package...

I was about to pull the trigger on it when I realized, all my food is freeze dried and/or has a really long shelf life...I won't need my fridge but I will need heat. So then looked into powering heat sources with the yeti...but, can't seem to do that as space heaters use WAY too much power for the yeti.

So now I'm stuck...I am about 90% sure I will still get the portable expedition kit as it should provide enough power to recharge radio & flashlight batteries and in the meantime it won't collect dust as I can use it while camping and things like that. But now, what do I do about heat AND is there some other use I should consider getting the yeti for anyway that I'm not thinking about? Its such a good deal *if* I can use it.

I'm in a new home, with gas fireplaces (new ones, not converted to gas wood, otherwise the solution would be easy)...I'm thinking the only thing I can do is convert one or both of my gas fireplaces into wood burning but that's a significant cost to change in a one year old home! 

I've looked at propane heaters too but they have the same problem that normal home generators have, the need to store lots of fuel for them which I don't want to do (due to the dangers of it and space consideration).

Any ideas/solutions would be appreciated!


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

most of the problems with alternative energy are problems of scale. the larger your living space, the more energy it takes to heat or cool it. solar might not be the best solution in your area, however, perhaps a combination of solar and wind power might work. you can likely get a free consultation from someone in your area selling solar and wind systems, take that infor and combine it, you should be able to build a workable system for you. check craigslist for electricians or whatever part you unwilling or incapable of doing yourself to save money.

as an electrician, i love solar and wind for close proximity power generation, but im building mine for what most would consider a very small space. i dont need much room to sleep and poop in. i wanna use my land footprint for food prduction. but thats just me.


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## Tex (Oct 31, 2008)

A fireplace will send all of the heat out of the chimney. I'd look into a wood burning stove insert, if you decide to convert to wood for heat. You can also close doors to heat only part of your house. The fuel will last longer that way.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

there are a few other things to know before I try to help:

what style home is it (colonial, ranch, split level, etc)?

what type heating system do you have (boiler, forced air, etc)?

how thick are the external walls (2x4 or 2x6)?

are the *internal* walls insulated (you said the house is only a year old, so the exterior walls have to be by code)?

is there a basement?

is the plumbing/stack/vent in one general area and can it be accessed?

are the floors carpeted?

ok, that's enough for now, I have *more* but I don't want you to feel overwhelmed


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

If your home has a solidly built basement , you may want to look into a rocket mass heater, instead of explaining the theory 
http://www.permies.com/forums/f-55/stoves
Lots of info here, a good RMH has a cool exhauts vent and solves chiminy problems


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

Tex said:


> A fireplace will send all of the heat out of the chimney. I'd look into a wood burning stove insert, if you decide to convert to wood for heat. You can also close doors to heat only part of your house. The fuel will last longer that way.


Yes, most of the heat is lost out of the chimney, but sometimes you have to make do. Our townhouse came with a fireplace and when we first bought the house and were really, really broke, we closed off the upstairs (we hung blankets and plastic across the stairwell) and slept on the sofa bed to help save money. It kept us toasty (of course, we were newlyweds so we didn't mind being trapped in a few rooms together). I wish we could have afforded an insert.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I have not installed my wood stove yet, need enough cash to finish buying supplies to build the chimney, inside wall and such. My emergency plan is to vent out a window. I have the stove, pipe, cap and enough tools to manually cut wood if there is no gas for the chainsaw.

I’ll take the stove and move it inside, cut the carpet and place a layer of clay then bricks right on the sub floor. Open a top window (or break it out if need be) nail a piece of metal on the outside of the opening and cut a hole to fit the pipe through then do the same for the inside. Install the stove pipe through the window to a T fitting. Run pipe from ground level to above the peak, holding it away from the roof with long metal brackets. It won’t be pretty but it will be safe enough and it will keep us warm.


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