5 Products Consumer Reports Recommends For Surviving Harsh Winter Weather

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Depending on how long winter lasts where you live and how much snow you receive, it can feel like it'll never end. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a real thing, giving you the winter blues. Should a major winter storm enter the forecast, it can be almost too much to take. You might just want to call in sick and order DoorDash until the spring thaw arrives — or stop working and move someplace warm to spend the winter. However, if you don't have the option of retiring in a warm location just yet, you'll have to figure out how to manage the low temperatures, snow, and ice.

Consumer Reports put together a list of five products that will have you feeling better about not only living through the impending storm but finding a way to conquer it. The products Consumer Reports recommends for managing the next winter storm include a generator, a snow blower, a space heater, a chainsaw, as well as items to protect you from an inadvertent fire. Because Consumer Reports is a nonprofit, independent organization, it doesn't accept money or products when making its recommendations. It attempts to give consumers the information they need to protect themselves from making bad purchases while convincing companies to treat customers fairly.

If a winter storm hits, one of the biggest concerns you might have is losing electrical power. Ice storms place extra weight on tree branches and power lines, which could cause them to break, leading to power outages. Losing electricity means the food in your refrigerator or freezer could spoil. You could also lose lights, access to your water supply, and heat from your furnace (even if it runs from natural gas).

Consumer Reports suggests having a home standby or portable generator on hand to protect you from a potential power loss during a winter storm. A home-standby generator could be connected to your natural gas line, allowing it to run without interruption. A portable generator runs from  a gasoline tank you'll need to regularly refill, so you'll end up spending more than average on gasoline. It'll be worth it to keep your home warm and the lights on, though.

The Generac XT8500EFI portable generator ($1,469) has a "CR Recommended" designation. Consumer Reports gives it the strongest ratings for power delivery and quality. However, it receives a lower-than-average rating for noise generation. Thanks to its fuel-efficient engine, it should be able to run for about 11 hours on a 50% load when you fill its 8.5-gallon gas tank.

If your local weather service issues a winter storm warning in your area, you could expect 5 to 8 inches of snow in any 12-hour period. Manually shoveling that much snow can be physically challenging and can take a long time, while a snow blower can do the job potentially three to four times faster. If you have an emergency at home, you may need to be able to clear your driveway and clear a path for your car quickly during or immediately after the storm. Consumer Reports says a snow blower is a vital tool to have on hand for this purpose.

One of the highest-rated snow blowers that has a CR Recommended designation is the Ariens Deluxe 30 EFI ($2,199). This is a powerful model that can handle up to 18 inches of snow depth, ensuring you can clear even the biggest snowstorms (or a huge pile of snow that the city plow left at the end of your driveway). The Ariens model receives high ratings for removal speed, owner satisfaction, throwing distance, and handling, according to Consumer Reports. It has a below-average rating in terms of the noise it generates. The blower uses an electric start, which is helpful when the winter storm delivers extremely low temperatures that make it difficult to start motors.

In normal winter weather, one way you can save money on your electric bill is by avoiding operating space heaters for too long. Running a single space heater for 10 hours may cost you $2 in electricity. If you run a lot of them throughout your home, it will be costly. However, if you lose power during a winter storm and can't use your furnace, running a space heater from a generator is worth the extra cost to stay warm. Consumer Reports says you can still save money by using the space heater to warm up one room. Then spend most of your time there until the power comes back on and your furnace is available again.

If you want a safe and reliable space heater, the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool HP1 ($660) has a CR Recommended designation. Consumer Reports gives this Dyson space heater high ratings in categories of spot and room heating. It also has high scores for its variety of operational choices and fire prevention safety features. It receives a below-average rating in terms of noise generation. It's especially helpful when heating a room during a winter storm because it has an oscillating feature that directs the heat up to 350 degrees around the unit. It filters the air in addition to generating heat.

Winter storms that bring ice and snow could cause trees and large limbs to fall. If you have a tree blocking your driveway or sidewalks, having a chainsaw on hand can help you clear the property and drive or walk to check on neighbors. Consumer Reports says you can use a chainsaw to preemptively remove cracked limbs or dangerous branches when a winter storm is in the forecast, protecting your property.

A battery chainsaw is easier to maintain and run than a gas model, but it doesn't have the same level of power. If you have a huge tree to cut during a winter storm, you might want the gas-powered design for the extra power. If the electricity goes out during the storm, you can't charge the batteries needed to run the chainsaw without a generator, and even then, it can be a difficult process. 

One of Consumer Reports' highest-rated gas chainsaws is the Echo CS-3510 16-Inch Chainsaw ($299). It has a CR Recommended designation. Consumer Reports gives the Echo model above-average ratings for ease of use, handling, and cutting speed. It has a below-average rating for noise generation. With its 16-inch bar length, the Echo chainsaw can cut trees and limbs up to 14 inches in diameter in one pass.

If the power goes out during a winter storm, and you're running different heat sources than you normally use, the chances of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning increase. When the furnace doesn't work because of a loss of power, homeowners might choose to use standalone fuel-powered heaters and generators that require proper exhaust techniques to reduce the risk of CO poisoning. The risk of fire may also rise because of the increased use of candles during an electrical outage. Operating space heaters also increases the risk of a fire. Because of these increased risks during a power outage, Consumer Reports recommends having a working combination smoke and CO detector installed in the home.

The Siterwell GS886 ($35 for the battery model and $39 for the hardwired version) is one of Consumer Reports' highest-rated combination detectors, and it holds a CR Recommended designation. Consumer Reports gives this combination unit high ratings in the categories of detecting both high and low CO levels, smoldering fires, and fires with active flames. It has a 10-year battery built into the unit, so you don't have to remember to change the batteries. You'd just replace the detector at the end of its 10-year lifespan.