End of September. The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer. It's getting colder. It's getting sharply cold. Before going out, we already put on our jackets. And the radiators in the apartment still remain cold, although in the evenings the thermometer can drop to 5 or even 3 degrees Celsius. It's getting cool in Russian homes, and we're all starting to wonder when the heating will be turned on.
By law, heat must come into our homes if the average daily outside air temperature remains below +8 °C for five calendar days. That is, for five days in a row the average air temperature should not rise above 8 degrees. But what to do if the radiators haven’t gotten any warmer, and the apartment is already unbearably cold?
AiF.ru gives 10 tips on how to stay warm in your own home before the heating is turned on. We will try not to pretend to be “Captain Obvious” by recommending dressing warmly and turning on electric heaters. Instead, let's pay attention to less obvious things.
1. Kitchen
According to statistics, the temperature in the kitchen and bathroom is 1-3 degrees higher than the average apartment. This happens because the air in the bathroom is heated using a heated dryer. hot water, and the kitchen retains heat from hot water from the tap and after cooking in the oven and on the hob. Therefore, we advise you to move your workplace at the kitchen table and generally stay in the kitchen more often, closing the door behind you if possible.
2. Charging
One of the most unpleasant moments in a cold apartment is waking up when you have yet to crawl out from under the warm blanket. To make it easier to cope with the period of adaptation to room temperature, we recommend doing several morning exercises immediately after waking up. You can use not the most complex, but as energetic movements as possible, such as running in place and jumping - our goal is not to improve physical fitness, but to warm up. You will feel warmer while doing the exercises, and after that you will more easily adapt to room temperature and be more comfortable.
3. Air conditioning
This method is familiar to many. But believe me, many people forget about it, believing that the air conditioner can only cool the air in the room. No. If the temperature in the apartment does not exceed 20 degrees, and you turn on the air conditioner so that it operates at 25-27 degrees, the device will operate in heating mode and raise the temperature in the room.
4. Sun
Some experts advise closing curtains as tightly as possible during cold weather so that the heat does not escape and the cold does not penetrate inside. Perhaps this is the way to go. But if there is a moment during the day when your window is directly hit sun rays, then it is best to open the curtains as wide as possible to celestial body warmed the room, and windows should not let the cold in, preferably already insulated. But that's another story.
5. Shower
A shower will make it easier to bear the coolness in your own apartment. But don't think that the universal answer is a hot shower. No. In the morning, on the contrary, cool water procedures or a contrast shower are useful; it is better to finish it with a cold stream. This will slightly lower your body temperature and you will begin to warm up after you get out of the shower. This will give the impression that you are in a warm apartment. This feeling will last long enough and will help you acclimatize.
A hot shower, or even a bath, should be taken in the evening, right before bed. The main thing is that after the water procedures you do not have anything planned. Immediately after the bath, you need to run to bed and wrap yourself in a blanket. You will fall asleep with a feeling of warmth and comfort.
6. Cooking
If earlier we advised using the kitchen not for its intended purpose, but as a workplace and even partly as a living room, now we suggest standing at the stove and preferably cooking something hot. When cooking using the hob or oven released large number heat, which in any case will remain in the apartment, slightly increasing the temperature. And you yourself will become warmer while cooking. The same applies to the meal itself - while eating hot food, you warm up not only from the outside, but also from the inside.
The main thing is not to use burners as heating means. This is not environmentally friendly and unsafe from the point of view of fires.
7. Electric heating pads
Such a device as an electric heating pad has long been known to Russians. We often use heating pads when we are sick. But they can also come in handy in cold weather. You just need to put a heating pad under the sheets before bed, or under a blanket when you want to sit on the couch, and it will warm you up even on the coldest day.
Recently, electronic blankets have gained particular popularity; they consume minimal electricity, but are so pleasant to wrap yourself in during the cold season.
8. Light
Until recently, this advice would have been one of the most relevant, because in every apartment there was simply a huge number of fairly powerful incandescent lamps. Today, with the popularity of energy-saving light bulbs, heat-producing lamps are a thing of the past, but they have not disappeared completely. If you still use incandescent lamps or have antique-style decorative lamps in your interior with a beautifully curved luminous thick filament, turn them on - they provide not only light, but also warmth.
9. Foot bath
If you plan to sit on the sofa in front of the TV, we recommend boiling the kettle before doing so. It is useful not only for brewing tea, which also warms. Using boiling water and a regular basin, you can create a wonderful hot foot bath. This will warm both you and the room. And this method is also good for health.
10. Romantic dinner
Finally, we recommend ending the day with a romantic candlelight dinner. Not only will your soul become warmer, because candles are an excellent and inexpensive source of heat that will warm you up like a fireplace. The main thing is do not leave candles unattended, this is a fire hazard.
Useful tips
Before you start learning all the secrets of keeping heat in the house, you should pay attention to how heat escapes from our home (percentage of all losses in a normal panel house):
* Walls and doors - 42%
* Ventilation - 30%
* Windows - 16%
* Basements - 5%
* Roof - 7%
How to keep your home warm
1. In the morning, open the curtains and/or blinds to allow sunlight into the house. Glass in a window allows light to pass in, but not back out. In the house, light accumulates, bouncing off walls and furniture, and eventually turns into heat.
2. Use thick (blackout) curtains at night to prevent heat from escaping through the windows. Without sunlight windows become your enemy. Create thick wallpaper to prevent heat from escaping.
* You can simply use a thick blanket to which a rod or stick is attached to maintain the shape.
Measure your window and find something solid, such as a stiff rod or strong stick, that you can then wrap the curtain around. You can also use an old curtain rod (if you have one).
*You can also use two pieces of thick fabric. There are instructions for this:
2.1 Prepare two pieces of thick fabric. Place both pieces of fabric one on top of the other with a pattern facing each other. Secure everything with pins and cut it so that the end result is a few centimeters larger than the dimensions of the window.
2.2 Sew all layers on three sides. On the last 4th side, sew a third of the entire length from each end (it turns out that there will be one unstitched third left in the middle). Use the unstitched part to turn the fabrics inside out.
2.3 Insert a rod into the hole and secure it with a stitch, and sew the fabric to the end.
* If the curtains are long and cover the radiators, then attach loops to the bottom edge of the curtain, and sew buttons in the middle of the curtain. This way you can string loops onto buttons, raising the curtains above the radiator.
3. Seal old window frames to prevent heat leakage. You don't have to spend a lot - inexpensive sealant can be found at any hardware store. It will also take you very little time.
4. If you have any bubble wrap left over from products that were wrapped in it, cut it to the size you need. It is worth noting that this film can be purchased separately. Spray a little water on the window and press the film against the window with bubbles - the water will serve as glue for the film, and there will be no stains left later. This way you can reduce heat loss by 50%.
How to make the floor warmer
5. Cover the floors with carpets. There is nothing more unpleasant than standing barefoot on a cold floor in the morning. In addition to feeling great, rugs also provide an extra layer of insulation that keeps cold air from rising up from the floor, which means your feet will thank you.
6. Use a sealant (cotton wool or foam, for example) to seal any cracks in the windows. After this, cover the cracks with strips of cotton fabric (the width of each strip is 4-5 cm). This will prevent heat from escaping from your home.
7. It is advisable to have thick, massive doors in your house that will keep you a lot of heat. You can also upholster an old front door with leatherette filled with foam padding.
It is advisable to plaster all cracks polyurethane foam. If you decide to install new door, then see if you can save the old one, because... two entrance doors create an air gap between themselves, and it insulates heat.
How to keep your home warm
8. Attach a sheet of foil behind the radiator and it will reflect heat back into the room with little heat escaping through the wall. It is worth noting that the gap between the foil and the battery must be at least 3 cm.
9. If for one reason or another you cannot attach a metal foil screen, try insulating the house from the outside. Order insulation of the end wall (as a rule, this is done with special slabs).
10. Shower with open door(if possible). The heat and moist air created by bathing will raise the air temperature throughout the house.
11. Dry things in the house. Just like swimming with the door open, this method increases air humidity, and you will feel more pleasant and comfortable.
Do-it-yourself home insulation
12. Rearrange the furniture
Can't afford to insulate your outside walls? Then try rearranging the furniture. For example, place near the coldest wall large closet. But note that the sofa should not be placed near the radiator, because you will disrupt air exchange.
13. If you have cracked windows, be sure to replace them.
14. If you decide to bake something, leave the kitchen door open so that the heat of the oven and/or stove spreads throughout the house.
15. Last but not least, you can purchase a heater.
How to choose a heater
There are a few things you should know before purchasing a heater.
First you need to decide what you need it for. Based on this, you should choose how powerful the heater is needed. Find out the area of the room (room). Regular apartment with ceilings of 2.75 - 2.8 m requires a heater with a capacity of at least 1 kW for every 10 sq. m.
A big plus will be the presence of a temperature and power regulator in the heater. There are several types of heaters:
15.1 Oil heater
How it works:
Inside such a heater there are 2 or 3 heating elements that are used to heat mineral oil. This oil has quite high temperature boiling and when it heats up, heat is transferred over the entire metal surface of the apparatus.
With the help of such a heater, the air heats up quite quickly, and the oil heater does not dry out the air. It can be equipped with a thermostat, with which the heater turns off when the temperature reaches a set level.
15.2 Convector
How it works:
Cold air is passed through the heating element and heated, and then exits through the grilles located in the upper part of the device. An additional heat source is the convector body, which also heats up. But you should place the heater away from furniture, because... a warm case can ruin it.
Convectors can be mounted to the wall or placed on special legs. The device is quite safe, because its heating element is hidden inside the housing. If the convector has a thermostat, it can operate continuously.
The only negative is that the heater warms the room slowly. It should be used to maintain the desired temperature.
15.3 Heat fan
How it works:
Inside this heater there is a thin spiral that gets very hot. The heat created by heating the coil is distributed throughout the room using a fan.
The air in the room heats up quite quickly, and the device itself is easy to carry, because it's pretty light. Typically, a heat fan is used in offices.
But it is worth noting that the device dries out the air, which in turn is harmful to health. It is not advisable to use a heat fan where there is an asthmatic person. Another disadvantage of such a device is the constant noise during its operation.
15.4 Infrared heater (quartz emitter)
How it works:
This device, unlike others, heats the objects around it, not the air. Further heating of the room occurs thanks to the heat emanating from heated floors, walls and furniture. This allows you to save electricity, because the device itself may not work, but the room continues to be warm.
If savings come first, then you should choose just such a heater. But you should know that infrared quartz emitters are the most expensive and require a specialist to install them.
The question of how to warm a room comes up more often than we would like these days. The reasons may be different: cold early autumn, cold houses, heating off, etc. To solve this problem, there are two main ways:
- apply the so-called “folk tricks”;
- usage heating devices.
Today there is a considerable selection of heating devices, let's look at several types and compare them with each other according to the following parameters:
- operating principle;
- advantages and disadvantages of use;
- price.
The most popular and effective heating devices will be considered, such as:
- convector
- fan heater or heat gun;
- oil heater.
- Convector.
This device appeared on store shelves relatively recently, but is quickly gaining momentum and winning its fans.
Convectors come in several types:
- Water;
- Electrical;
- Gas.
The basic principle of heat generation for any of them is the continuous circulation of air masses through the convector body, usually from bottom to top, since cold air is much heavier than warm air.
But still, there are differences between them, everything depends on the room in which they plan to use it, for how long and how often. Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of each of them separately.
Advantages of a water convector:
- has a fairly low heating temperature, but at the same time maintains heating at a good level, heats up quickly and can significantly reduce energy costs;
- the weight of the convector is relatively small, which allows it to be mounted on walls and partitions made of plasterboard;
- the convector blocks the penetration of air from the street into the room; if it is fixed under the windows, something like a thermal curtain is formed.
Flaws:
- The distribution of air mass flows is uneven, drafts may form;
- constant circulation of dust in the room;
- a water convector does not allow the use of artificial ventilation in the room, since all the heated air initially goes up and, accordingly, it will simply go outside;
- They do not heat rooms with high ceilings well, since all the heated air accumulates at the top.
Advantages of an electric convector:
- silent operation of the device;
- ease of use and installation;
- Efficiency reaches 95%;
- heating speed;
- price.
Flaws:
- Efficiency drops noticeably over time;
- high energy consumption;
- cannot heat large rooms;
- dries the air.
Advantages of gas convectors:
- safety in use;
- made from environmentally friendly materials.
Flaws:
- for installation of this device it is necessary to invite employees of gas companies.
Prices for convectors vary from 2000 rubles. up to 50,000 rub. The most economical in price are electric convectors, the most expensive ones are water ones.
In general, the choice of convectors in stores is very diverse; with the help of them you can heat either a room or an entire house. The choice always remains with the consumer.
- Fan heater or heat gun
This equipment is equipped with a heating element onto which air coming from a fan blows, thereby creating streams of warm air masses.
There are three types of fan heaters: heating elements, spiral and ceramic, but the principle of operation does not change.
The obvious advantages of these heaters are:
- room heating rate;
- the temperature can be adjusted using a thermostat;
- low cost.
Flaws:
- any of the listed fan heaters will dry the air;
- when various small particles enter the device, it may emit bad smell or harmful substances may be released;
- noisy;
- air currents will lift all the dust from the surfaces of the room;
- There may be sudden temperature changes between the ceiling and floor.
On average, the price of heat fans varies from 800 rubles. up to 20,000 rub.
Heat fans are suitable for short-term use. This is one of the economical ways to warm a room.
- Oil heater
It is a sealed housing with a heater installed inside and filled with special liquid oil. When the oil heats up, the heater body heats up, and due to self-convection, the air in the room also begins to heat up.
Its undoubted advantages are:
- affordable price;
- long service life;
- economical energy consumption;
- does not dry out the air;
- safety as it has no exposed heating elements.
Flaws:
- slow heating of the room;
- massiveness.
The price of an oil heater varies from 1,500 to 12,000 rubles.
Overall very good price/quality ratio.
Infrared heaters
These devices will be described in a separate chapter, as they are very different from previous heating devices. They do not heat the air in the room at all and do not interact with it in any way, but heat objects, including the floor and walls. Due to the fact that the wavelength of infrared radiation is quite long, they can warm up large rooms. Thanks to the heating of ceilings and walls, you can both warm the room and keep it warm for some time without using a heater.
The advantages of such a heater are as follows:
- instant heating;
- does not dry out the air;
- do not burn oxygen;
- durable;
- silent;
- create the effect of “warm floors”;
- compatible with any ventilation systems.
Flaws:
- spot heating;
- the problem of people being exposed to infrared rays;
- high cost.
Such heaters are more used for small office or office premises, less often for home. Cost of quality infrared heaters quite high, and several copies are needed to heat large rooms.
The price varies from 2,000 to 18,000 rubles.
Thermal curtain or preventive method of insulating a room
The principle of operation of any thermal curtain is to create a powerful air flow that does not allow cold air from the street to penetrate into the room. Those. a kind of air damper is created between the street air and the warm room air. Heating the room is not the main purpose of this device.
Advantages of a thermal curtain:
- ease of use;
- Economical use;
- It is mounted either above a window or above a doorway, which saves space in the room.
Flaws:
- does not heat the air in the room;
- complexity of installation.
The price of a thermal curtain depends on its size, flow power and the type of heating element.
This option is suitable only in case of early preparation for winter or cold weather.
Simplified insulation methods
Of course, when we are faced with the question of how to warm a room, we need to take into account all the parameters: room dimensions, heat losses, heating system, ceiling height, etc. Based on this and financial capabilities, you can choose best option for yourself.
But if you don’t have the opportunity to approach the issue radically, there are always old, effective “grandmother’s” methods:
- it is necessary to carefully insulate the windows and balcony doors, especially if you have old wooden frames. This is very important, since flows of cold air will constantly penetrate into the room, no matter how you insulate it from the inside. To do this, you need to purchase cotton wool, foam rubber, padding polyester or special putty from the store;
- if the room is constantly cold, it would be advisable to insulate the walls either outside or inside. This requires certain material costs;
- hang heavy curtains in a dark shade and make sure they are open during the day to let as much sunlight in as possible, and closed tightly in the evening. Dense fabric will prevent the penetration of cold air;
- insulate the floors or install thick fleecy carpets;
- turn on the incandescent lamps. An ordinary light bulb transmits 95% of its energy in the form of heat;
- Close off unused rooms, this will reduce the area of the room that needs to be heated and create another barrier to cold air entering the room.
Based on all of the above, we can conclude that there are quite a lot of options for heating a room. Everyone chooses the one that is more acceptable in price and quality.
The off-season is the most inconvenient and uncomfortable period for us. Just recently, the sun was warming outside, and with great pleasure we hurried to hide in the coolness of our apartments. With the onset of autumn, the situation changes radically. I don't want to rush home anymore. Despite the fact that it is chilly and slushy outside, there is no particular desire to return to a cold, uncomfortable apartment. Until the heating is turned on, we, residents of city apartments, can only dream of comfort. How to heat your own apartment without heating becomes a “fixed” idea, with which we rush around until hot water begins to gurgle in the home radiators.
As the heating season approaches, most of us can endure the current situation while trying to find different ways to stay warm in our own homes. It's another matter when in the house small child and allowing a sharp decline in the off-season is critically impossible. The saddest situation is for those apartment owners who do not have heating in their house for technical reasons, and the imminent onset of winter does not bode well. But there is no need to despair. We live in an age of modern technology and great opportunities. Today, there are many options to heat your cold home in the absence of heating. Anyone can solve this problem if they show ingenuity and determination.
It’s cold in the apartment - looking for a solution to the problem
The natural reaction of a normal person to cold is to find a way to warm up. Even though we live in apartment buildings and sometimes we do not have the technical capabilities to fully express our imagination in this matter; we have plenty of strength and means at our disposal. Don't panic. The accumulated practical experience will tell you ways to solve the problem. Moreover, today there is enough wide choice technical means for heating residential premises.
The most acceptable options for heating an apartment are as follows:
- electric household heating appliances;
- autonomous gas heating.
Of the listed options, the first two are the simplest and quickly produce results. It is enough to show a little ingenuity, skill and invest a certain amount of money. The last third option, which involves installing a gas boiler for autonomous heating, is associated with formal difficulties. It is quite difficult to obtain permission to install a gas boiler in an apartment when the house is connected to a centralized heating system. It will take a long time to solve the problem, so with the onset of winter, such an undertaking will have to be postponed until later.
When the situation with rapid cooling of an apartment due to a decrease in ambient air temperature repeats from year to year, prudent owners should think about how to increase the thermal efficiency of their home. To ensure that the apartment does not cool down so quickly and retains the heat accumulated over the summer longer, it is necessary to take care of insulating the apartment.
For reference: It's been calculated for a long time! Basic measures to insulate a city apartment: sealing cracks in window openings, installing seals on windows, vents and doors can immediately increase the thermal efficiency of your apartment by 15-20%.
Having enough funds, you can think about radical insulation of the apartment. Sealing and insulating interpanel seams, creating outside panels of your apartment, fur coats made of polystyrene foam or mineral wool will provide a noticeable effect.
Measures to insulate your apartment will provide you with reliable protection during the cold season from hypothermia in your living space. The money invested will pay off, from a moral and psychological point of view, already at the first frost on the street.
There is electricity in the house - this is a real way to salvation. Many of us, if not the majority, resort to the help of electric household heaters precisely in the off-season, when the radiators are still cold and we have to wait a long time for the official onset of the heating season.
Important! When using home heating electrical appliances intensively, it is necessary to have appropriate wiring. The internal electrical network must be designed for increased load, which increases significantly when electric heating devices are turned on. Install a residual current circuit breaker that will monitor the condition of your wiring and prevent short circuits in the network.
We use electricity. What are the possibilities
Along with insulating the apartment, it doesn’t hurt to think about the possibility of equipping the apartment with a constant source of heat in your home. Stationary apartment heating systems using electricity are the most affordable way to avoid dependence on centralized heating. It is appropriate here to talk about warm floors, thanks to which heating your apartment will no longer be a constant problem for you. Electricity is almost always available, so you should try to use this opportunity. Now in the fall or spring, when the radiators are not yet turned on, a warm floor will solve all your heating problems.
Warm floors are becoming fashionable and common today. With such a heating system, you are not afraid of cold central heating radiators. The required power is calculated based on the area of the room and the specific heat flux for the corresponding type of room.
When using an electric heated floor, it is important to remember the following: the electric cable must cover up to 70% of the floor in the heated room.
For main rooms, the power of the heated floor should be at least 160-180 W per m2. For auxiliary premises this figure is 120-140 W per 1 m 2. When installing an electric floor, it is necessary to take into account the effective heating area (excluding the area occupied by furniture).
For example: To heat a kitchen in a city apartment on the 2nd-7th floor, you will need a heated floor power of 2100W. It is calculated as follows:
15x140= 2100W, where
- 15 sq. m. effective heated kitchen area;
- 140 W specific thermal power for heating the kitchen.
Properly done electrical wiring in the house and appropriate calculations when installing heated floors will allow you to create a comfortable temperature inside the living quarters. The economic effect in this case will be quite noticeable when compared with the costs of operating household electric heating appliances.
A similar power calculation scheme is used when using all electric heaters.
Emergency heating methods
If you are planning to heat the living space in an apartment using electricity, you should carefully select heating devices.
We have already dealt with electric heated floors, and this method is more suitable for a complete solution to the problem. On the other hand, it is necessary to use household electric heating devices as a temporary source of heat during the cold period. Each electrical appliance has its own optimal power, designed to effectively heat a certain space. Today, the following types of heaters using electricity are used in the domestic sphere.
- convectors;
- infrared thermal panels;
- oil radiators;
- heat fans.
In each individual case, the scope of use of the device is determined. Each room has its own specific type of electric heating. True, any home can be equipped with convectors. The only condition is to correctly and competently install the devices in the premises.
Important! There is one factor that few people take into account when choosing heaters. We are talking about the height of the ceilings. In standard new apartments, the average ceiling height does not exceed 2300-2400 mm. In old houses there are rooms with a ceiling height of 2.5-3 m. When choosing a heater, it is necessary to take into account the power at the rate of +25% for every 500 mm exceeding the established norm.
Convectors are highly efficient and quite economical to operate. Due to the circulation of air flows, the air in the room warms up faster. Most devices are equipped with an automation system that regulates the mode of switching on and off the devices depending on the installed temperature regime indoors.
Infrared heaters are available in models with an average of 1.5-2 kW of power. Carbon heaters, as one of the types of infrared heat sources, have two or three times less power, creating a similar thermal effect. It is best to equip such heaters with thermostatic sensors.
Heat fans, which are widely available for sale today, are designed for the fastest possible effect. Small size and affordable cost are the main reasons for their popularity. At the same time, all the advantages are offset by high electricity consumption and fairly high noise levels.
As a successful alternative to stationary sources of electric heating, oil radiators can be used. The simplicity of the design and their durability are attractive in terms of choosing such heat sources for heating residential premises. The only drawback that is typical for such heating devices is long heating time and heavy weight.
Using for heating a residential apartment due to the lack of centralized heating electrical appliances and equipment, you can quickly and effectively solve your problems. In any situation there is always a way out.
Heating a room with an appliance that is not designed for this purpose can be deadly. Short circuits in houses, electricity, gas leaks - these are far from full list problems that may arise and lead to great difficulties.
Experts say: owners of gas stoves need to be especially careful. It just seems that an open fire heats better. In fact, it significantly spoils the air, making the situation even worse.
What to consider
Heating a room with an oven is quite easy. However, it is worth considering that if you open an electric oven, your stove will immediately start working harder, because. it will have to heat a much larger surface than the one for which it is designed. And this leads to increased energy consumption, faster wear of the furnace, and the likelihood of a short circuit. After all, if the wiring is old and weak, it simply may not withstand such abuse.
Putting something in an open oven to cook (so that the oven supposedly works as intended) is not an option. After all, she does not have enough power to perform her direct duties.
As for gas stoves, the situation is even more serious. After all, such furnaces emit nitrogen dioxide into the atmosphere, and quite high level. And this is a rather dangerous carcinogen, leading to very unexpected consequences. For example, it can worsen asthma in children prone to this disease. Preschool children are especially affected.
If the ventilation system in the house also does not work well, you risk getting serious poisoning with the help of such heating of the premises.
And no amount of ventilation will help and you can’t heat the room with an oven. Moreover, opening the window and turning on the gas oven does not provide the required level of heating. And as a result, you poison yourself more than you insulate your room.
What to do
The only sensible option that can be offered to those who like to warm themselves by the stove is the purchase of an air conditioner or heater. Electrical appliances create a comfortable room temperature in a matter of minutes. Moreover, they are completely safe for humans and do not cause the development of serious diseases such as asthma or other respiratory problems.
If possible, it is better to make a fireplace in the room. Let it be small, but real. Firewood does not emit toxic substances when burned, as a result of which the room is heated and does not cause harm to health.
And be sure to contact your housing office to resolve the issue with the room temperature. Perhaps your housing office will reconsider the conditions for supplying heat if the whole house is suffering just like you.