How to Keep Home Warm Without Utilities

Many people live without using utilities to keep their home warm. Some choose to go without utilities because they wish to reduce their environmental impact, and some do it by necessity because their home is too remote to be served by normal municipal utilities. Heating a home without electricity or natural gas can be done with a variety of methods that vary from simple and inexpensive to those with high start-up costs but result in a city-like standard of living.

Energy-efficient windows
Insulation
Wood stove, solar panels or wind generator
Propane heater (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  
  South-facing windows help warm a home.
  
  Build your home so that it takes as little energy as possible to heat. Design your home to take advantage of passive solar heat by installing large, energy-efficient windows on the south side of your home. Admitting direct sunlight allows the sun to help heat your home. Build an earth-sheltered home by constructing earth berms on three sides of your home. This takes advantage of the insulating properties of the ground and protects the home from harsh winter winds. If your home is already built, consider including improvements for your home's energy efficiency during future renovations.
- 2
  
  A well-insulated home is easier to heat.
  
  Install insulation in your home's outer walls and ceilings to improve the building's capacity to hold heat. Seal as many drafts and air leaks as possible during and after construction. Your home may qualify for an Energy Efficient Mortgage that will help to cover the initial costs of building an energy efficient home. Insulation can also be added to homes after construction. Blown-in insulation requires less renovating than installing traditional insulation.
- 3
  
  Modern woodstoves are more efficient than older models.
  
  Use alternative fuels to heat your home. Install one or more wood-burning fireplaces or pellet-burning stoves to heat your home. Homes can also be heated with biodiesel fuel, which is made from animal fats or plant oils and is a renewable resource. Use a geothermal system to draw heat from deep beneath the earth.
- 4
  
  Solar-generated electricity can be converted back to heat.
  
  Generate electricity to power electric baseboard heaters or space heaters by installing a wind generator or solar panels. These systems can have a high initial cost and may be best suited to homes in warmer climates that do not require heavy heating, or to homes that are used seasonally and are unoccupied during the coldest winter months.

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