As we come into the summer months of the year, most of us stop worrying about switching the heating on and concentrate on ways to cool the house. The thing is, you can’t guarantee the temperature outside. Your day could be boiling hot but as that evening air draws in, you could find yourself shivering!
What do you do, though, if you try to get your heater going and find they don’t work? It isn’t practical, when the heating breaks down. It’s not always a boiler issue, either, as some heaters that run solely on oil can easily break down – or run out of oil! You can use a company like New Era Fuels, who can deliver domestic heating oil the very next day, but if you haven’t got the funds for that straight away, you need to know how to keep your house toasty in the meantime. This is especially important if you have little ones in the house. With our tips, you can maximise what you have at home so you are warm all year round.
- Keep the doors shut. Everyone who lives in your house will generate body heat. If you are leaving your doors open, you’re letting that heat escape! Limiting your activities to a single room – such as watching a movie together in the living room and keep the doors closed to keep the heat in.
- Work out. You may be exhausted after a long day at work, but keeping your body moving is the best way to keep warm. Jogging on the spot or going for a run around the block can get you nice and warm. Online HIIT training videos like these can also give you a burst of heat!
- Cooking can warm the house quickly. Of course, this won’t be the case if you’re relying on your oil tank that has broken down, but if your oven is electric, get cooking. The whole house can warm up and you can stand next to something warm while you’re getting dinner ready.
- Add rugs or carpet. Laminate and wooden flooring is beautiful and also practical, but it doesn’t keep the house warm. Invest in some fluffy rugs for each room and you’ll stop your natural and cooking heat from leaking through the floor.
- Most windows and bathrooms have air vents to let the steam or hot air out of the room. Shutting these while your heating is broken can stop heat from escaping outside.
- Take time to add insulation to the attic. Heat rises up through the house and out of the roof without insulation. With more, it’s going to bounce back down through the rooms and prevent you from feeling freezing.
Each of these points can help your family to stay warm when the heating breaks down. No matter what, getting your heating fixed should be your number one priority and if you are renting your home and you don’t own it, bug the landlord. Bug them over and over until the heating is fixed!