According to LaSalle Heating and Air Conditioning, if your furnace stops working, don’t panic. Call an expert and while you’re waiting, there are things you can do to keep your home warm.
Make sure you insulate the room adequately to optimise the heat. Close the doors and if the cold becomes unbearable, stay in interior rooms like your bathrooms, closets, or in the basement. These areas have the least possible heat loss.
Temporary Wood-Burning Stove
You can install a temporary stove made of a wood-burning stove, a chimney pipe with an elbow and a piece of plywood. You can place this close to a window. Use the plywood to close any gap in the window.
Kerosene Heater
Using this provides you ample warmth as it emits heat on all sides. Just make sure you stock on enough fuel. However, if you have birds as pets, this heater is not recommended, as the birds will be exposed to the fumes.
Kotatsu
This is a Japanese traditional short wooden table. Drape a heavy blanket or futon over the table to trap the heat from the kotatsu heater, which is placed under the table.
Fireplace
Don’t forget the good old fireplace. If wood logs are not available, you can use newspaper or magazines rolled into bundles as your logs. You can also use coal, so stock up in advance.
Generators
Never use generators inside. Place them outside of the house and just connect through cables. You can run your heating appliances with a generator.
Note that these things are for temporary use only. To make your home comfortable, safe and energy-efficient, get a new furnace or have it repaired.
