During power outages in the middle of winter the main concern is having a way to heat your home and keep your family safe.
In our area we experienced ice storms that can knock out power for days and we knew that we needed an alternative source to do just that.
Rather than install a whole house generator we opted to have a wood stove put in instead. I thought that we could always find some source of wood to burn even if we had to use the dining room table. I know that sounds extreme but if it ever came down to it we would do just that. We have a large shipment of split firewood delivered each summer and stack it in the burn so that it stays dry. This gives us peace of mind that we will be warm and cozy no matter what and we use the wood stove daily to help supplement our heat. We have a gas burning boiler which provides warmth throughout the house and that is her main heat source but it is nice to save on part of our energy cost by using the wood stove as well. The only complaint I have about using wood to heat our home is the fact that one of us has to get up in the middle of the night to put another log on the fire to keep it going. Thankfully we only have to maintain this routine if the power is out because the boiler keeps us warm throughout the night the rest of the season.
