It’s every homeowner’s worst fear during the often unpredictable Colorado winter. You come home from work, but instead of stepping into a nice, warm house, it’s like you’re walking into an igloo. You immediately run to check the thermostat, hitting the little button multiple times to crank the heat up over 70 degrees. Nothing. Looks like it’s time to call Premier Heating & Air for some emergency furnace repair. But in the meantime, how on earth are you going to stay warm? We’ve got a few ideas…

The first thing you’ve got to do is block the cold air from getting into your home in the first place. Just like a ship on the ocean, you’ve have to plug the leaks if you’re going to stay afloat! Or warm, in this case. Check the areas around doors and windows, where improper sealing is likely to be letting your warm air escape, and vice versa. If you can, put draft dodgers on the floor at the base of any exterior doors. It doesn’t have to be fancy, even a rolled up bath towel will work.

Once you’re sealed up as tightly as possible, it’s time to open all the curtains and blinds. Light is heat, and while this may be bad news in the summertime, it’s a great advantage in the sunny Colorado winters. Letting light in while the windows are closed creates an effect that’s similar to a greenhouse, where light comes in but can’t get back out, so it bounces around inside your house as heat.

Finally, start cooking! Both your stove and oven are big heat generators that don’t depend on the furnace to keep them going. Bake some banana bread and heat up the tea kettle. Even making something in the slow cooker can help to increase both the temperature and humidity in your home.

Premier Heating & Air is here to assist with all of your emergency furnace repair needs, but hopefully these tricks will keep you from getting too cold in the meantime!