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Keeping Computers (And People) Warm In Winter?

Posted by timothy on from the stock-up-on-sweaters-and-batteries dept.

Grimwiz writes "Similar to a few of you, I have some of my computers on a UPS. However, the UK press have recently been warning that power supply interruptions are likely this winter and I've been pondering about upgrading my power protection from those few machines to include a few key house components. In particular, I need to ensure that the gas-powered (but electrically controlled) central heating stays working. I have reviewed a few solutions, including Solar / Photovoltaic or purchasing a generator but they seem to be hugely more expensive than my simple UPS solution, although they do provide a much longer lasting solution than running off batteries. (A battery solution becomes quite expensive if I require more than an hours backup.) My power requirements for a quiescent house is about 4amps @ 250V, and I'd like to survive at least 8 hours. What solutions do you recommend?"

4 of 568 comments (clear)

  1. I suggest... by naturaverl · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well, 4A @ 250v = 1000 W, for 8 hrs is 8 kWh. That's a lot, and would probably be very expensive to maintain with a battery-based solution. I'd say a generator would be the way to go.

  2. Don't really need heat for 8 hours. by scattol · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's quite likely that you don't need heat if your power interruption is only going to be 8 hours. During the Quebec ice storm we were out of electricity for 7 days. The house will stay decently warm for the first 2 days. It will be chilly for the next 2 and getting cold after that. But even after 7 days the appartement was still above freezing in weather that was always a little below freezing.

    My recommendation: don't sweat 8 hours of power failiures.

    That said, if you really need electricity, say to prevent perishable from going bad your best bet is a generator essentially because it's easy to refuel and keep going for days. You also get decent power in relatively small packages.

  3. Re:I suggest by pyat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    or more generally, invest in good insulation for your house. It'll pay for itself in saved heating even if you never have a power-outage, and if you do lose power for a while, your house will stay warmer longer.

  4. furnace won't work with UPS, don't bother trying by sludg-o · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If your gas furnace's blower and exhaust fans run on electricity, which I'm pretty sure they do, you're not going to get more than a minute or two out of a UPS. Those big fans push a lot of air and draw a lot of power. If you're really worried about staying warm, get a propane space heater and a 20lb tank. It will be enough to keep a room or two warm for a couple days.