The Fix-It Playbook — Power-Outage Plan for a Cold House

The power goes out in a January storm and the furnace stops with it. What you do in the first hour matters more than anything you do after — this is the plan to have ready before it happens.

Inside: First hour of a cold-weather outage, in order · If you're using a generator: the one mistake that kills · The honest cost comparison · When to stop and call a pro · Troubleshooting · Printable cold-house outage checklist.

Doing it yourself: free — knowing your shutoff location, dripping faucets, and keeping the freezer shut cost nothing and take minutes.
Calling a pro: a portable generator runs $500–2,500 for the unit, $900–4,000 to have it professionally connected; a whole-house standby generator runs $3,000–6,000 for the unit, $6,000–11,000 fully installed.

6 pages of labeled diagrams, parts lists and real numbers — no filler, no 40-minute video. Temperatures and measurements in both Fahrenheit/Celsius and feet/meters, so it works wherever you are. Ends with a printable checklist.

Instant PDF download: print it for the garage or follow it on your phone with the parts in hand. Yours to keep, no subscription.

Need more than this one job? The Winter Safety Kit bundles all 5 winter safety guides — 24 pages — for $14.