When the heating stops in winter, a flat can cool down to unsafe temperatures within a day or two. The goal is simple: keep body heat in, heat only one small space, and never risk fire or carbon monoxide to stay warm.
Right now
- Choose one room for everyone, ideally small, on the sunny side and away from outer walls. Kitchens and inner rooms work well.
- Close the doors to the rest of the home. Hang blankets over doorways.
- Cover windows with blankets, cardboard or curtains at night. Open them on sunny days to let the sun warm the room, then close them before dark.
- Seal draughts under doors with rolled towels.
- Dress in layers before you feel cold. It is easier to stay warm than to warm up again.
Carbon monoxide: the silent danger
More people are harmed by unsafe heating than by the cold itself.
- Never use a charcoal or gas grill, barbecue or camping stove indoors, on a closed balcony or in a garage.
- Never run a generator inside the home, cellar or garage, or next to open windows.
- Never heat a room with a gas cooker, oven or patio heater.
- Use only heaters made for indoor use, exactly as their instructions say, and keep a window slightly open.
- If anyone gets a headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion or unusual sleepiness, get everyone outside into fresh air and call the emergency number.
A battery-powered carbon monoxide alarm in the room where you sleep can save your life.
Keep body heat in
- Wear layers: a thin base layer, a warm middle layer such as wool or fleece, and a windproof outer layer.
- Cover your head, neck, hands and feet. Wear a hat and socks at night too.
- Keep clothes dry. Damp clothes lose most of their warmth; change them straight away.
- Sleep together in one room, on a mattress raised off the floor. Put blankets underneath you as well as on top.
- Wrap a thermal blanket inside your blanket or sleeping bag, not on the outside, to reflect body heat back to you.
- Fill bottles with warm water and put them in your bed, if you can safely heat water.
Eat and drink well
- Eat regularly. Your body needs fuel to make heat. Warm, high-calorie food helps most.
- Drink warm drinks, but avoid alcohol. It makes you feel warm while you lose heat faster.
- Cook outdoors only, on a safe stove or with a fire starter, away from buildings.
Light and power
- Use a headlamp instead of candles. Candles are a common cause of fires in winter outages.
- Keep batteries and a power bank warm, close to your body. Cold drains batteries fast.
Watch for hypothermia and frostbite
Warning signs of hypothermia are intense shivering, slurred speech, clumsiness, confusion and drowsiness. Babies may have bright red, cold skin and very little energy. Older people may not shiver at all.
- Move the person to the warmest place and remove wet clothes.
- Warm the body centre first: chest, neck, head and groin, with blankets and skin-to-skin contact.
- Give warm, sweet drinks if they are fully awake. No alcohol.
- Call for medical help. Severe hypothermia is an emergency.
For frostbite (white or grey, numb skin), warm the area slowly with body heat. Do not rub it and do not use direct heat.
Look after each other
Check on older neighbours, people living alone and families with babies. Share a warm room if you can. Find out whether your town opens public warming centres.
Prepare in advance
- Keep warm clothing, wool socks, hats, gloves and sleeping bags for everyone.
- Insulate windows and doors before winter.
- Store food that needs little or no cooking and water for several days.
- Fit a carbon monoxide alarm and test it.
- Service your stove or fireplace, if you have one: have the chimney checked every year and store dry fuel.
Always follow your local authorities for information on warming centres and help.