Although winter is still a ways away, it’s never too early to start planning and preparing for extreme winter weather. In some climates, winter weather often means power outages due to snow, ice, or wind. And when this happens, you may find that your home is without heat.
Another reason you might be worried about staying warm in the winter could be if your furnace goes out. So if this situation takes place and you have to make due before repairs can be made, here are three ways you can stay warm if your furnace goes out in the winter.
Get Cooking
Just because your furnace has gone out doesn’t mean that all of the other power to your house will be affected. Because of this, you can use other heat sources to get a little warmth into your home.
One great way to do this, according to Rachel Brougham, a contributor to the Family Handyman, is to do some cooking in the kitchen. By using your oven or stove, you can get some radiant heat into your home. And then, once whatever it is you’re baking is done, you can leave the oven door open so that the heat from the oven escapes into the rest of your home rather than just sitting in the oven.
Stay In A Smaller Space
When your furnace is working well, your whole house is able to get the heat it needs. But when you can’t have this heat pumped throughout your house, it’s going to be much easier for you to just worry about keeping a smaller space warm.
To do this, Beth Skwarecki, a contributor to LifeHacker.com, recommends that you close off all the rooms in the house that you’re not congregating in. Then, try to keep everyone in the same room so that their body heat will make that room warmer. And, if you have a space heater or other heat source, that smaller space will heat up much quicker, too.
Dress For The Weather Outside
To help you be prepared for if and when the temperature in your home does drop after your furnace goes out, John Kennedy, a contributor to Popular Science, shares that you should start dressing in layers as if you were to be outside.
By dressing for the weather outside when you’re inside, you will ensure that your body will stay as warm as possible. This should include wearing a hat, gloves, and warm socks. Just make sure you wear something that wicks away moisture on the layer closest to your body so you don’t get sweaty and cool off.
If your furnace goes out in winter and you have to find a way to stay warm until you can get it fixed, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you find out how you can best do this.