Living without heat. Let me tell you this is not the most advantageous time of year to have this problem. Whether your problem be a long term one, or something you are planning on fixing right away, here are some tried and proven strategies that can get you through that uneasy time. Sometimes we are simply waiting out the weekend so we are not charged with exorbitant fees to get the furnace fixed. Sometimes, we are unfortunate enough to have our gas turned off, however they usually will not turn off your natural gas unless the temperature is above the freeze point. Whatever your situation may be, there are some things you can do to make it more comfortable while waiting it out. Think of this as “camping”, if you keep a positive attitude it really is easier to deal with.
First and foremost, allow me to warn you about leaving portable heaters on at night, or during the day while not attended. Just don't do it. If you are wide awake, and have these heaters well away from paper products and curtains, you should be alright. If there is a Christmas tree in the room, don't even bother to heat the room. You can find another room for you and the family to hole up in. You may become really close by the time your temporary emergency is over, so have fun and try to enjoy it.
The next thing on the list to avoid is using your oven for heat. This is a killer, it truly is a very dangerous thing to do, and you cannot tell you are dying until you are most of the way there. Carbon Monoxide will be released from your oven while you are trying to get warm, so again, just don't do it.
Now that I have covered all of the don'ts, here are some things you can do to make it through with minimum discomfort. I always recommend taking all precautions while doing these as well, but the first two are obviously the most dangerous, thus I brought them to your attention first. If you have a fireplace get it going, making sure that it is clean so you don't wind up with further problems!
Cook…cook a lot! Make a nice pot of pasta every night for dinner, the humidity from the steam will help to keep your surroundings warmer. Dry air is cold air, the more moisture is added to the air, the warmer your home will feel. Bake a few batches of cookies, just to get the kitchen area warm. You and your family will appreciate the nice warm meal anyway, so make some good old fashioned home cooked meals in there!
Multitask while you are cooking, as you wont feel like cleaning when you are done cooking, it will cool off so much you will be running for the blankets. Use a humidifier in other rooms if you can get access to one. Call as many friends as you can to let you borrow safe space heaters and humidifiers. Don't be ashamed to ask for help. Borrow heating pads and electric blankets too, as many as you can get. Promise to return these items just as you borrowed them, and keep your word. People may not have the money to bail you out of your situation, but many times they have unused resources or know someone who does. You can also ask for these supplies on freecycle.org, or Craig list.
Dress in multiple layers, and don't be at all ashamed of long underwear. These things saved me one year! Realize right now that you may be sleeping in multiple layers as well. Get that electric blanket or two on the bed, but leave it set on a medium setting, as with heating pads, you never want to run the risk of burns on your skin. If you can have an extra layer of blanket between your skin and the electric blanket, it is wise to do so. It also helps to prevent burns by putting a pillowcase over the heating pad, if you are going to use one.
So what to do after supper? The house is clean right?? Turn off ALL space heaters, get you and the family into the largest bedroom with the largest bed, with a tv (which emits heat) and a few DVD's. pop some popcorn, and load into the bed with those nice electric blankets on. Watch a movie or two. Let the kids sit on the floor to do their homework. If you have an inflatable mattress, bring it in. This is camping remember? You will all have to stay in a room with each other for safety, as you don't want those heaters running all night. If you will be up for a while, use the heater while you are awake, then off for the night. The electric blankets will work just fine to keep you all toasty while you sleep, so turn off the heater when the lights go out. Make sure you close the bedroom door to prevent any heat from escaping.
Well, it's morning now…and we need showers and it's really cold in there!! Hopefully, you have gas service (in the case it's just a furnace problem) or an electric water heater. Otherwise it's a bath with water warmed over an electric stove! If you have an electric dryer, warming the towels is always a nice treat when stepping out of the shower. You can feel relatively safe with a space heater in the bathroom as long as it isn't near any water and there is no chance of electric shock.
Finally, don't be afraid or ashamed to ask for help! If your furnace is on the blink, there is usually someone who has a brother that knows someone that does furnace repair for a living. Perhaps he can cut you a deal. If your gas has been turned off, you can call and try to negotiate a payment plan to help you re-establish service, or you can call the township assistance or ask a friend to borrow some money. You may even be able to go to payday cash, which is a last resort, as you will need to return the money with interest. Don't put pride in the way of being able to live with much needed utilities.
If you do feel shame at asking for help, make it conditional….promise to pass the favor on to another unfortunate person in the future.
Stay Warm!!
