IN LIGHT OF YESTERDAY’S POST ON blizzards and blackouts, a good suggestion from reader Tim Ameigh: “I had an electrician put a ‘pigtail’ on my furnace. Basically, he made a socket and a plug for the furnace that I can then unplug and plug into an extension cord, which I then run off my generator. Of course I live in a remote area where power outages can last for many days, but for about $150, it seems well worth it. I am assuming a generator here, I know, safely run outside.” Yeah, though I suppose you could run it for a while on a big UPS. A furnace fan doesn’t draw that much power. And even running the furnace for half an hour and re-warming the house would sure be nice if the alternative was nothing.

UPDATE: Sorry — link above was wrong before. Not sure how I managed that mixup. Fixed now.