how to keep warm if the heating fails
Pick one room to keep warm, close the door and curtains, and dress in layers.
Cold is hardest on older people, babies and anyone unwell. The NHS suggests keeping a living room at 18°C or more.
what to do
Choose one room
The smallest room you can all use. Close its door and keep other doors shut.
Close curtains at dusk
Keep them open in the day if the sun is out, then close them to hold the heat in.
Wear layers, and a hat
Several thin layers beat one thick one. Keep hands and feet warm too.
Have hot drinks and hot food
A flask filled while you still have power keeps water hot for hours.
Keep moving
Get up and walk around every hour if you can. Sitting still makes you colder.
Use a hot-water bottle safely
Fill it with hot, not boiling, water. Replace old or worn rubber bottles.
Check on anyone at risk
Older neighbours, babies and people who are unwell feel the cold first. Knock or call.
what to have ready
Check what you already have first, then buy only what is missing.
Thermal base layers
Worn under normal clothes, they keep you warm without the heating on.
Choose one on Amazon: Thermal base layers (opens in a new tab)Hot-water bottle
With a cover. Replace it every few years.
Choose one on Amazon: Hot-water bottle (opens in a new tab)Fleece blankets
One for each person, kept in the room you would use.
Choose one on Amazon: Fleece blankets (opens in a new tab)Vacuum flask
Keeps water hot for hours for drinks and hot-water bottles.
Choose one on Amazon: Vacuum flask (opens in a new tab)
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where this comes from
- Keep warm, keep well, NHS
- Weather-health alerts, UK Health Security Agency
- Carbon monoxide poisoning, NHS
Sources checked 24 September 2026.