In case you hadn’t noticed, it was incredibly cold last week. With temperatures reaching an average of minus 27 degrees Celsius with windchill, this weather seems to mean repayment for the warm beginning to January lulled us into a false sense of security. At temperatures that seem to freeze your nose and the tips of your ears, going inside should be a respite; and Montrealers tend to crank up the heat at home.

Energy consumption in these conditions is reaching increasingly high levels every year. Last week outstripped 2011’s record consumption level with a peak of 39,000 megawatts according to the Montreal Gazette. HydroQuebec is asking the province’s households to cut their consumption of electricity. According to an email by McGill to all students, the firm shut off the iconic logo on their building in an effort to lower this consumption, and “avoid overloading the grid, which could—” here, the email cuts off, inadvertently, but ominously.

So, how can you stay warm sustainably?  You can make changes to your apartment to make sure that the heat you do use stays in, according to several do-it-yourself (DIY) sites like ApartmentTherapy.com, WikiHow, and even Pinterest.

In your apartment:

1. Keep heat in and cold air out by sealing up your windows and doors. Your  best bet is to pick up some plastic window film or foam weather stripping from a hardware store. You can also use packaging tape or stuff a towel around leaky doors and windowsills.

2. Keep the curtains open in rooms that get a lot of sunlight, and allow the sunshine in as much as possible. Install heavy curtains (or pin up some extra blankets) in other rooms to keep the heat inside your house.

3. Keep doors closed, especially to unoccupied rooms—air circulates less.

4. Lay down rugs or carpets, or at the very least, wear slippers.

5. Clean your radiator—dustless radiators allow conduct heat more easily.

If you’re really desperate:

1. Space heaters, humidifiers, and even lightbulbs can keep your room hot, but they also expend electricity, so weigh the pros and cons before springing for one. In a moment of desperation, hair dryers also work wonders.

2. After baking anything, leave your oven door open so heat can escape; make use of the energy that you’ve already expended and paid for. Take caution with this technique if you have a cat.

3. Wear tights or long underwear underneath your clothing.

4. Put on moisturizing lotion after a warm shower, locking in some of the heat and moisture that will otherwise be stripped away by the wind within seconds.  Think of it as a second skin!

5. Buy an electric blanket to snuggle up with in bed. Fleece blankets are also a cheap way to keep warm overnight.

6. Keep your head covered. And hands. And feet. According to the old adage we’ve all heard a million times, heat escapes through extremities.

7. Shower at the McGill gym—for free!