When power grids overload, Minnesotans are faced with blackouts and power outages. While it’s more common for cold winter storms to cause power outages (such as the record-breaking snowstorms in 2021 that left over 30,000 homeowners without power), the state is facing the risk of more summer power shortages for the foreseeable future. According to the region’s grid operator, Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), it’s projected that capacity will only continue to decline amidst growing demand through 2023 and beyond. Protecting your HVAC system and home is important to help you stay comfortable through power outages and reduce the risk of repairs. This blog will cover how to prepare your air conditioner, furnace, and home for a power outage and what to do once the power returns:

Schedule HVAC tune-ups to prepare your system for power outages

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How to Protect Your Cooling System & Home During Summer Power Outages

What You Should Do To Prepare

How to prepare for a power outage in the summer:
  • Buy battery-powered fans, portable phone chargers, flashlights, and extra candles. These will keep you cool and ready for the lack of light.
  • Have ice packs, ice, and a cooler on hand. You can move the ice packs from your freezer to a cooler with ice and water during a power outage. You can dunk towels in the cooler and cool yourself down with them. Freezing plastic water bottles is an easy and cost-effective way to make ice packs that easily fit in your cooler.
  • Turn off all the lights and close any drapes, blinds, and doors. This will help your home stay cool after you shut off the air conditioner. Remember to turn on one lightbulb so you can tell when the power is back on.
  • To protect your cooling system during a power outage, turn it off at the circuit breaker and thermostat. This prevents a power surge from occurring when the power comes back on, which can damage your air conditioner.
  • Protect your equipment and ensure it performs properly after a blackout by booking a semi-annual air conditioner or heat pump tune-up. While you can’t always predict when a power outage will happen, you can schedule air conditioner or heat pump tune-ups with a professional HVAC technician before the cooling season starts.

What To Do After A Power Outage

After a power outage, you will need to restart your air conditioner or heat pump, which is straightforward and shouldn’t take too long.

  • Wait at least 30 minutes to turn the cooling system back on. Once the power kicks back on, you should still wait to turn on your cooling system to avoid overextending your electrical system. Don’t turn your thermostat on until you’ve checked the circuit breaker.
  • Check that your cooling system circuit breaker hasn’t tripped. The circuit breaker with an “HVAC,” “air conditioner,” or “heat pump” label will be in a neutral (middle) position when it’s “tripped.” You may not have breaker labels, so check if any breakers tripped. Circuit breakers trip and shut off the flow of electricity to protect your equipment from electrical damage.
  • If you see that multiple circuit breakers have tripped, you probably have more serious electrical system damage. Contact a licensed electrician immediately.
  • To reset a tripped cooling system circuit breaker, move the switch to the “OFF” position, then back to the “ON” position. Wait 30 minutes for the breaker to reset, then turn your thermostat back on.

Your cooling system should turn on and work like usual if the power outage didn’t damage it. Otherwise, call a knowledgeable technician to look at your cooling system if:

  • Your cooling system doesn’t turn back on since it’s likely that a surge of electricity from the power returning damaged it.
  • The circuit breaker trips again—do NOT reset it. Contact an HVAC technician immediately. Your air conditioner may be overheating and drawing too much power, and the circuit breaker is tripping to prevent electrical damage or a fire.
  • Your air conditioner is blowing hot air or making odd noises.
  • It is time for your semi-annual tune-up or if you want to verify your system survived the power outage without any damage.

How to Protect Your Heating System & Home During Winter Power Outages

What You Should Do To Prepare

To keep warm and avoid damage to your home during a winter power outage:

    Gather in a room that holds heat well, close doors to unused rooms, and use warm layers and blankets. Close curtains at night to limit heat loss through windows; the DOE Energy Saver guide covers this step. If your home becomes too cold, go to a heated place. Never use an oven or outdoor fuel-burning equipment to heat the room.

What To Do After the Power Outage

Once the electrical grid comes back on, you’ll want to restore power to your heating system.

  • Keep the circuit breaker for your heating system turned off for another 30 minutes. You want to ensure the power supply won't fluctuate as other households start turning on their appliances. Leave your heating system turned off until the power stabilizes; otherwise, a power surge can damage your equipment.
  • Check that the thermostat is working. Power outages often cause digital thermostats to reset, so you should test that the display turns on and the settings are correct.
  • Check that the heating system’s circuit breaker hasn’t tripped. The breaker might have “tripped” or moved into a neutral (middle) position to shut off the flow of electricity. If it’s tripped, you can reset it by pushing the breaker to the “OFF” position and then “ON.” Wait 30 minutes so the breaker can reset itself before turning the thermostat back on.
  • If you see that multiple circuit breakers have tripped, you probably have deeper electrical system problems. Contact a licensed electrician immediately.

Call a professional, licensed HVAC technician in the following circumstances:

  • If the heating system’s circuit breaker keeps tripping, do NOT reset it again. You might overload and fry your heating system.
  • If your heating system or thermostat will not turn back on.
  • If your heating system turns back on, but you notice unusual noises or odors coming from it. Turn off the system and call a technician.
  • The power outage lasted several hours or longer. You want to verify that your furnace has no damage.

Beyond your HVAC system, check that none of your plumbing pipes have frozen or burst. Never try to thaw a frozen pipe with a torch or open flame. Instead, you can use a hair dryer to warm up the part of the pipe closest to a faucet and then work outwards. If all else fails, contact a plumber for a pipe leak repair.

For more on home electrical safety, see our guides to signs of old home wiring and a home fire safety checklist.