How to Prepare Your Home for Emergency Power Outages

Power outages often occur when you least expect them. You might be lounging in your living room after a long day at work, only for the power to suddenly go out. Research shows that over 36 million Americans are affected by power outages each year. While you can't prevent them from happening, though, you can prepare your home for emergency power outages.

Get Flashlights With Extra Batteries

You'll need some form of lighting during an emergency power outage. Without power, none of the lights in your home. Fortunately, flashlights offer a solution. You can use flashlights to find your way around your home. To prepare your home for emergency power outages, buy at least one flashlight for each family member in your home and store them in an easily accessible area with extra batteries.

Check the Windows

It's a good idea to check your home's windows when preparing it for emergency power outages. Depending on where you live, a power outage during the summer could create sweltering hot temperatures inside of your home. Your air conditioning system requires power to cool your home's air. When the power goes out, it won't be able to perform this task, resulting in hot temperatures.

Opening the windows, though, can create a cooler temperature inside of your home. If the power goes out, you can open some or all of your home's windows so that fresh air can enter it and stale air can leave it. But you'll need to check the windows to ensure they aren't stuck closed. Windows can become stuck closed over time. If the paint dries around the base of a window, for instance, it may prevent the window from opening. You should check your home's windows to make sure they can all be opened.

Invest in a Battery Charger

Another tip to prepare your home for emergency power outages is to invest in a battery charger. A battery charger is a device that, as the name suggests, is designed to charge the batteries of your devices. They are batteries themselves. If there's a power outage, you can connect your smartphone, tablet and other portable devices to the battery charger.

Consider a Generator

Of course, a generator can help you and your family weather power outages. There are natural gas, gasoline and liquid propane (LP) generators. While they burn different types of fuel, they can all provide you with power during an emergency outage.

Keep in mind that generators should only be used outdoors. Using a generator indoors -- or in any other enclosed space -- is a serious safety hazard. Generators produce carbon monoxide while running.