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It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it sure is cold. In some places, it’s so cold that an extended power outage could be deadly. Hopefully you’ve prepared your home for winter and have several ways to heat your home without power, but there is one way to heat your home that doesn’t require any fuel or firewood: a solar furnace.
TheGulley made a video showing off a solar furnace he built for less than $50. He used some lumber, a 3 by 5 foot sheet of plastic, two window panes, an ABS pipe, and a dryer hose painted black. The video goes into more detail.
A solar furnace could keep a single room nice and warm on a sunny day, but it won’t do you any good on a cloudy day. It also won’t lower your heating bill by very much, although it should save you enough to pay for itself by the time winter is over.
The main advantage is that you won’t have to use as many heating supplies if the power goes out. Just be sure to put it on the south side of your house. Watch the video below for step by step instructions.
So How do you prevent cold air from coming in when the sun goes down and the temps drop into the teens or lower??