Power Outage Preparedness in Ontario: A Home Energy Checklist

Power outage preparedness for an Ontario home means being able to stay safe, warm or cool, fed and informed for at least 72 hours without electricity, and protecting the house itself from frozen pipes and basement flooding. The essentials are a basic emergency kit, a plan for heat and food, a working sump pump backup if you have a sump, and safe backup power for anything critical.

Ontario sees outages from ice storms, windstorms, heavy snow and summer thunderstorms. The May 2022 derecho left hundreds of thousands of customers across southern Ontario without power, some for more than a week. Most outages are short, but planning for a long one costs little.

Power outage preparedness in Ontario: build a 72-hour kit

The Government of Canada recommends being ready to look after yourself for at least 72 hours in an emergency. For a power outage, your kit should include:

Water: at least 2 L per person per day for drinking, plus extra for cooking and washing. More if you rely on a well, since well pumps need electricity.
Food: non-perishable items that need no cooking, and a manual can opener.
Light: flashlights or headlamps and spare batteries. Avoid candles, which are a fire risk.
Information: a battery or crank radio, and a list of phone numbers on paper.
Phone power: charged power banks, and a car charger.
Medications and medical supplies: at least several days' worth.
Warmth: blankets, sleeping bags, warm layers and hats.
First aid kit, cash, copies of important documents.

Keep your utility's outage line and website handy. Report outages to your local distribution company (LDC), such as Hydro One, Toronto Hydro, Alectra or Hydro Ottawa, rather than 911, unless there is danger to life or a downed power line.

Caution: Stay at least 10 m (33 ft) away from downed power lines and anything they are touching, including fences and puddles. Assume every line is live. Call 911 and your LDC. The Electrical Safety Authority has more guidance at esasafe.com (opens in a new tab).

Know what still works without power

Many people are surprised by which appliances stop.

Equipment	Works in an outage?	Notes
Gas furnace	No	Needs electricity for the blower, controls and ignition
Heat pump	No	Unless backed by a battery or generator large enough to run it
Boiler (gas, hot water)	Usually no	Circulator pumps and controls need power
Gas tank water heater with standing pilot	Usually yes	Hot water keeps coming while the pilot stays lit
Power-vented or tankless gas water heater	No	Needs electricity for the fan and controls
Direct-vent gas fireplace with standing pilot	Often yes	Check the manual; many run without power. A CO alarm with battery backup is essential
Wood stove	Yes	Only if properly installed and vented
Sump pump	No	Unless it has a battery or water-powered backup
Well pump	No	Store water if you rely on a well
Grid-tied solar panels	No	Standard systems shut down for safety during outages unless designed with battery backup
Garage door opener	No	Learn how to use the manual release

Staying warm or cool without power

In a winter outage

A well-insulated home may lose only a few degrees in the first several hours, while an older, drafty house can cool much faster on a cold night.

Close off unused rooms, and gather everyone in one interior room with the fewest windows.
Close curtains and blinds at night; open them on sunny south-facing windows during the day.
Put rolled towels against drafty doors.
Dress in layers, wear hats and use sleeping bags.
Never use a barbecue, camp stove, patio heater or generator indoors or in an attached garage. These produce carbon monoxide.
Never use a gas range or oven to heat your home.

Protect the plumbing. If the outage is likely to last a long time in freezing weather and the house temperature is falling toward 0 °C, shut off the main water valve and open the lowest taps to drain the lines. If you have a boiler or hydronic heating, ask your contractor in advance what to do, since draining those systems is different. Our winter energy savings guide covers other cold-weather safety checks.

In a summer outage

Heat-related outages often coincide with heat waves. Keep blinds closed, open windows at night if it is cooler outside, drink water, and move to a cooler place, such as a municipal cooling centre or a friend's air-conditioned home, if the indoor temperature becomes unsafe. People who are elderly, very young or chronically ill are most at risk. See our heat wave energy tips.

Protect food, the basement and your appliances

Food safety

Appliance	How long food stays safe if the door stays closed
Refrigerator	About 4 hours
Full freezer	About 48 hours
Half-full freezer	About 24 hours

Keep doors closed, and use a thermometer: refrigerated food should stay at 4 °C or below. A few jugs of frozen water in the freezer extend the safe time and double as drinking water. When in doubt, throw it out.

Sump pumps

If your home has a sump pump, an outage during a spring thaw or summer storm is the worst time to lose it.

Battery backup sump pumps run for hours to a day or more depending on battery size and how often the pump cycles.
Water-powered backup pumps use municipal water pressure and need no electricity, but are not suitable for homes on wells.
A generator or home battery can run the main pump if sized for its starting surge.

Test any backup pump at least once a year, in early spring.

When the power comes back

Unplug sensitive electronics during the outage and plug them back in a few minutes after power returns, to avoid surges.
Leave one light switched on so you know when power is restored.
Turn major appliances back on gradually.
Check the furnace, heat pump and sump pump are running normally, and reset any tripped breakers.
Check freezer and fridge temperatures before eating anything.

Backup power: what size do you need?

Estimated running watts for common essentials (starting surges for motors can be two to three times higher):

Load	Running watts (estimate)	Daily energy (estimate)
Refrigerator	150–250 W	About 1–1.5 kWh
Chest freezer	100–200 W	About 0.5–1 kWh
Gas furnace blower and controls	400–800 W	About 4–8 kWh in cold weather
Sump pump (1/2 hp)	800–1,000 W	Depends on how often it runs
LED lights (5 bulbs)	About 50 W	About 0.3 kWh
Modem and router	15–25 W	About 0.5 kWh
Phones and laptop charging	20–60 W	About 0.2–0.5 kWh
Well pump	1,000–2,000 W	Depends on use

A typical "essentials" set (fridge, freezer, furnace fan, sump pump, lights, internet and phones) adds up to roughly 2,000 W running and about 10–13 kWh a day in winter. That gives you a useful benchmark:

A portable power station (1–3 kWh) can keep phones, lights, internet and a fridge going for part of a day. It will not run a furnace and sump pump for long.
A home battery of 13–16 kWh, typically costing $12,000–$20,000 installed, can run winter essentials for roughly a day, longer if paired with solar or if you trim loads.
A portable generator of 3,000–5,000 W can run essentials as long as you have fuel, connected through a transfer switch or with extension cords to individual appliances.
A standby generator with automatic transfer switch runs selected circuits or the whole house on natural gas or propane.

Size your own needs with our backup power calculator, and compare options in our guide to home backup power and home battery storage.

Caution: Never plug a generator into a wall outlet or dryer receptacle to "backfeed" the house. It can electrocute utility workers and neighbours and start fires. A transfer switch or interlock must be installed by a licensed electrical contractor with an ESA permit. Run portable generators outdoors only, well away from windows, doors and vents (many safety agencies suggest at least 6 m, or 20 ft), and make sure you have working CO alarms.

Frequently asked questions

Will my gas furnace work during a power outage?

No. Modern gas furnaces need electricity for the blower, igniter and controls. A generator or battery sized for the furnace can keep it running, but it must be connected safely through a transfer switch or a furnace-specific inlet installed by a qualified contractor.

Can my solar panels power my house during an outage?

Not on their own. Standard grid-tied solar systems shut down automatically during an outage to protect utility workers. Only systems designed with a battery and backup-capable inverter can supply power, usually to selected circuits.

How long will a battery backup last?

It depends on the battery size and what you run. As a rough guide, a 13–16 kWh battery can run a gas furnace fan, fridge, freezer, sump pump, lights and internet for about a day in winter. Cutting non-essential loads stretches that.

Should I register with my utility if I use medical equipment?

Contact your LDC to ask what support it offers, and talk to your equipment supplier about backup power options. Do not rely on power being restored quickly; have a plan to get to a location with power if needed.