It's Getting So Hot In Here: Keeping Your Home Heated When The Heater Goes Out
If your heater has suddenly stopped working then you should act fast to preserve the heat you still have lingering in your home. You also want to prevent as much cold air from coming in as possible and generate more heat using a variety of methods. The information given to you here will help you achieve a warmer home while you wait for an HVAC technician (such as one from Shakley Mechanical Inc) to come out and fix the issues wrong with your heating unit.
Keep the heat in
As soon as the heat goes out, you want to act as fast as you can. Think of it as a race against the clock. Check all the windows, making sure curtains are closed and no drafts can be felt. If there is a draft, take some duct tape and tape it along the edges of the window frame to put an end to the leak. Close any interior doors that lead to unused chilly portions of the house, such as basements or wine cellars. The lower areas will be cooler than the upper areas and closing these areas off is going to keep the cool air from coming up into your living areas.
If you have uncarpeted flooring, pull out any rugs you have and cover as much of the flooring as you can. The hard flooring can put a lot of coolness into a room and fight any attempts at keeping the home as warm as possible.
Generating more heat
To get more heat into the house, you can put a pie or some cookies in the oven. Not only will having the oven on help generate more heat, but you will also have a snack to eat which will help you to feel warmer. When you pull your treat from the oven, leave the oven door open slightly so that hot air will come out in the room, heating it up. Boil some hot cocoa as well. Drinking it will cause your core body temperature to rise.
Throw blankets into the drier and spread them out on the seating areas in the rooms you and your family will be occupying. The blankets will help add heat and give you a warm seat to snuggle up in.
Hang thick blankets in the hallways that lead to areas of the house that tend to be naturally cooler. The thick blankets will help you to keep the heat where you want it. Avoid going into cold parts of the house, because it will take you a while to feel warm again.