Heat without mains power
Most UK heating needs electricity, even when it burns gas or oil. Here is what stops in a power cut, what can keep going, and what's worth having for a cold spell.
What stops when the power goes
- Gas and oil boilers. Their controls, ignition, fan and pump all run on mains power, so the boiler stops even though the gas or oil is still there. Why your heating stops in a power cut.
- Heat pumps. They run on electricity, so they can't heat your home during a cut.
- Electric heaters, electric blankets and heated throws. They stop when the power goes. A portable power station can keep a blanket or throw going for hours, but not a heater for long.
- Storage heaters can't recharge without electricity. The heat already stored in them may keep coming out for a while, though fan-assisted models need power for the fan and controls.
What can keep going
- Layers, blankets, curtains and draught excluders. None of these needs power, and they work best in one room with the door shut.
- Hot water bottles, if you can still heat water.
- A log burner or wood stove, if it doesn't rely on a fan, electronic controls or a pump. The manual for your stove will say.
- A portable gas heater made for indoor use.
Guides
- Keeping warm for lessElectric blankets, heated throws, hot water bottles and draught-proofing, and what they cost to run.
- The best heated throwsWhat UK testers rate, and what each costs an hour at today's price cap.
- The best electric blanketsTesters' picks, and what a blanket costs to run an hour and overnight.
- The cheapest way to heat a roomEvery kind of heater, priced per hour at the current price cap.
- Portable gas heatersIndoor cabinet heaters that run on bottled gas: what they are, what they cost to run, and which to buy.
- Log burners and wood stovesHeat without electricity, the rules on what you can burn, installation and costs.
- Carbon monoxide alarmsWho must have one by law, the types, and which to buy.
Work out what fails first
Lights Out walks through your home and shows what stops in a power cut and in what order, heating included. If you'd like to keep an electric blanket going through a cut, the sizer shows which power stations can.