What else can go wrong?

[Catherine]

My furnace is not a boiler, it is actually gas that produces hot air which is forced through out the house by a strong fan. There are heating ducts in every room on every floor. There are four floors. The heat was on when I left at 7:30am. The house was cold when I got home at 6:00pm. My guess was 4-5 hours. The walls were cold to the touch and the floor was freezing cold.
The repair man said it was the generator. 
I hope it wasn't too expensive, but my landlord pays the bill. By law he had to have it repaired that night. He would not be able to leave it. In Canada plumbing freezes and pipes burst if it gets too cold. If that happens walls and ceilings get ruined by the flood.

Most times when I have a heating failure it is because the electricity is out. The furnace won't run without electricity.
I have one heater and I had it near the canaries. I will get a second heater so I can have one near the guinea pigs.
I can't use a gas heater in the house. My place isn't vented for it. If it is a power outage the heaters won't work of course, but I do still need to have them.

The house has a gas water heater that runs even if the power is out. I can produce heat by filling water bottles. I just heated the lizard tanks. The snake heat lights were still on. I have enough bottles to fill the snake tanks if I have to. I also have blankets to cover tanks so they stay warm. Sadly my lizard tanks were cold when I got home. I managed to raise the temperature by ten degree Centigrade before the furnace was repaired.

If the power was going to be out or the furnace off for a long time I have many more bottles in storage. I also would put the snakes in small travel containers and use water bottles to heat them. I could put one bottle per container, stack them and cover them with a blanket. I would only try to keep one room warm. I could even use the closet because it would be easier to keep an enclosed space warm.

Loss of heat is a real danger for me. We had a major power outage 9 years ago. It was -20C outside and the house got down to 9C. I was less prepared so I evacuated to a neighbour who had power and heat. I didn't have enough travel containers and I had candles not flashlights. I had to catch lizards by candle light.

I am better prepared, but I can see a second heater would be good. I also need a battery operated radio. If the power is out I want to be able to hear the news. If I ever have to evacuate in the winter again I will drain the plumbing and turn the water off. I also know how to shut off the gas and electricity just in case.

It feels so good to be warm.