No heat tonight: what to do and who to call
Start with safety. Then get one room warm, call the right number and decide repair or replace in the morning.
- Last checked: November 8, 2026
- Sources: Mass.gov, utilities
Last checked November 8, 2026
Stop and check for danger first
- You smell gas (rotten eggs). Leave the building. Do not turn lights or appliances on or off, do not open or close windows, and do not try to shut off the gas. Call 911 once you are outside (DPU).
- A carbon monoxide alarm sounds, or anyone has headache, nausea, dizziness or confusion. Get out of the house into fresh air, call the fire department from outside or a neighbor's, and get medical help if there are symptoms (Department of Fire Services).
- You smell oil, or oil is leaking. Call the local fire department, then MassDEP's 24-hour line at 1-888-304-1133 (MassDEP).
Tonight at a glance
The first hour, step by step
- 1Right nowCheck for dangerGas smell, CO alarm, oil leak. Leave and call if any is true.
- 2Next 15 minutesOne warm roomMove everyone into one room. Blankets over windows and outside doors at night.
- 3First hourMake the callYour oil or propane supplier, your landlord, or a heating technician.
- 4TonightHeat safelyWall-plugged space heater, never an oven, grill or generator.
- 5TomorrowRepair or replaceGet the cause in writing. Ask about aid if money is tight.
No-heat card: print it and keep it by the thermostat
The same first hour, as a list you can tick off.
- Check for dangerGas smell, a carbon monoxide alarm or an oil leak: leave and call 911 or the fire department.
- Move everyone into one roomAt night, cover windows and outside doors with extra blankets or sheets (MEMA).
- Make the callYour oil or propane supplier, your landlord, or a heating technician.
- Heat safelyA space heater plugged directly into the wall. Never an oven, grill or generator.
- Tomorrow: repair or replaceGet the cause in writing. Ask about aid if money is tight.
Massachusetts tenants are entitled to 68 degrees by day and 64 at night from September 15 to May 31. From the Aurion guide at aurionelectric.com, last checked November 8, 2026.
MEMA: "If you lose heating, move into a single room. At night, cover windows and external doors with extra blankets or sheets." Extreme cold safety tips.
Stay warm safely
Do
- Plug space heaters straight into a wall outlet. No extension cord, even a heavy-duty one.
- Keep a heater 3 feet from drapes, furniture and anything that can burn.
- Turn heaters off when you leave the room or go to bed.
- Buy heaters tested and labeled by a recognized lab such as UL.
- Keep appliance vents and exhaust pipes clear of snow and bushes.
- Test smoke and CO alarms. The law requires CO alarms on every level, and within 10 feet of bedroom doors on sleeping levels.
Never
- Never heat the home with a gas oven.
- Never use a charcoal grill, camp stove or generator indoors, or in a garage with the door open.
- Never use an unvented kerosene heater. They are illegal to sell or use in Massachusetts.
- Never leave a heater running while you sleep.
- Never use an open flame to thaw frozen pipes.
Sources: Space heater safety, Winter home heating safety, CO safety, Generator safety, Smoke and CO alarms (Department of Fire Services), and MEMA. Read November 6, 2026. If you lose heat for long, MEMA says to call 2-1-1 for warming centers or shelters, and 911 only for emergencies.
If pipes freeze
MEMA: open all faucets all the way, remove any insulation, and heat the frozen pipe with a hair dryer or wrap it with towels soaked in hot water. To prevent freezing, wrap pipes and let a trickle of warm water run. Never use an open flame.
Who to call
| If | Call | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Gas leak, any company | 911 first, from outside | 911 |
| National Grid gas | National Grid | (800) 233-5325Massachusetts DPU list |
| Eversource gasformer Columbia Gas area | Eversource Gas | (800) 525-8222Massachusetts DPU list |
| Eversource gasother Eversource gas areas | Eversource Energy | (800) 592-2000Massachusetts DPU list |
| Berkshire Gas | Berkshire Gas | 800.292.5012Berkshire Gas's own page |
| Unitil gas, Massachusetts | Unitil | 1-866-542-3547Unitil's own page |
| Liberty Utilities gas | Liberty | (800) 544-4944 or (800) 936-7000Massachusetts DPU list |
| Oil leak or spill | Fire department, then MassDEP | 1-888-304-113324 hours |
| Carbon monoxide | Fire department | 911 |
| Warming center, shelter | 2-1-1 | 2-1-1 |
| Fuel assistance, emergency repair | Cold Relief Heatline | (800) 632-8175 |
| Gas or electric shutoff threatened | Department of Public Utilities | (617) 737-2836 or 1-877-886-5066 |
Not sure who your gas company is? Look at the bill, or call 911 and say so. For gas smelled inside, the DPU page says to get out and call 911 from outside. For gas smelled outdoors, it says to call your gas company from outside the building, and 911 if you do not know which company it is (DPU). Eversource's own page tells customers to call 911 first (Eversource). Unitil says to move to a safe place, then call 911, then Unitil (Unitil).
Renting: the heat rule and what to do
The State Sanitary Code (105 CMR 410.180) says the owner must provide heat in every habitable room and every room with a toilet, shower or bathtub from September 15 through May 31:
| Time | Minimum temperature |
|---|---|
| 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM | At least 68 F |
| 11:01 PM to 6:59 AM | At least 64 F |
- The heating system cannot push any room over 78 F. A fireplace, wood or pellet stove or portable electric space heater does not count as the required heating system.
- Temperature is measured five feet above the floor, on a wall more than five feet from an exterior wall.
- A board of health may change the start or end date of the heating season, ending it no earlier than May 15 or starting it no later than September 30.
- Failure to provide the required heat is always treated as a condition that may endanger health and safety. After an inspection the owner is ordered to make a good-faith effort to correct it within 24 hours of service.
- Hot water has its own rule: 110 to 130 F at most fixtures, 110 to 120 F at a tub or shower.
If the landlord does not respond, you may ask a code enforcement officer or the local board of health to inspect (Trial Court Law Libraries). Rule text: 105 CMR 410. The carbon monoxide alarm law also puts alarms on landlords for every dwelling unit with a source of carbon monoxide.
If money is the problem
- Shutoff protection. Between November 15 and March 15, a gas or electric company may not shut off service to a residential customer who cannot pay because of financial hardship, when that service heats the home or runs the heating system, without DPU permission. If everyone in the home is 65 or older, the company needs DPU permission to shut off gas or electric service at any time of year, hardship or not. G.L. c. 164, section 124F, Attorney General.
- Oil, propane and wood have no specific legal protection. The Attorney General notes that suppliers are often willing to work with customers.
- HEAP fuel assistance and HEARTWAP emergency repair or replacement: see rebates and financing. Call the Cold Relief Heatline, (800) 632-8175.
- Oil-heated middle-income households may get a one-time emergency benefit under Executive Order 659 (October 2026). Ask your local HEAP agency.
Repair or replace: decide in the morning
Do not sign a replacement on the coldest night. Get the cause of the failure in writing, then compare. The U.S. Department of Energy says a contractor can help you determine whether a furnace or boiler is too old, worn out, inefficient or oversized, and that a newer furnace may still be oversized, which is why the heating-load calculation matters.
If you are leaning to a heat pump, a partial-home system lets you keep the old unit as backup while the new one comes in. Mass Save pays a smaller rebate for it. The comparison guide prices the options and the December 31 guide shows why dates matter. See also boiler and furnace replacement and the yearly boiler tune-up and furnace tune-up, because the Department of Fire Services recommends a yearly check before the heating season.
Where Aurion takes the project
Tell us it is urgent when you send the photos of the old unit and your panel. Aurion takes the project from the written quote to the finished job, and licensed Massachusetts technicians do the licensed work. If your problem is a gas smell, carbon monoxide or an oil leak, call the numbers above first.
Common questions
What should I do first if my heat goes out in Massachusetts?
Check for danger before anything else. If you smell gas, leave and call 911 from outside. If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds or anyone has headache, nausea, dizziness or confusion, get everyone into fresh air and call the fire department. If there is no danger, move the household into one room and keep it warm safely.
Is it safe to heat my home with the oven or a grill?
No. The Department of Fire Services says not to use a gas oven to heat your home, never to use a charcoal grill indoors, and never to run a generator inside a house, basement, crawl space or a garage with the door open.
Are space heaters safe?
Used carefully. The Department of Fire Services says to plug a space heater directly into a wall outlet, not an extension cord, to keep it 3 feet from anything that can burn, and to turn it off when you leave the room or go to bed. Unvented kerosene heaters are illegal to sell or use in Massachusetts.
How cold can my landlord let the apartment get?
From September 15 through May 31 the State Sanitary Code requires at least 68 degrees from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM and at least 64 degrees from 11:01 PM to 6:59 AM, in every habitable room and bathroom. A portable electric space heater does not count as a heating system.
My landlord will not fix the heat. Who do I call?
The local board of health or code enforcement officer, who can inspect. Under the code, failure to provide the required heat is a condition that may endanger health and safety, and after an inspection the owner is ordered to make a good-faith effort to correct it within 24 hours of service.
Can my gas or electric be shut off in winter?
Not for financial hardship between November 15 and March 15 when the service heats your home, without Department of Public Utilities permission. Oil, propane and wood have no equivalent legal protection, but suppliers often work with customers.
Is there help paying for emergency heating repairs?
Yes for income-eligible households. The HEARTWAP program pays to repair or replace defective or unsafe heating systems for HEAP-eligible households, mostly homeowners. The HEAP application is the same application. Call the Cold Relief Heatline at (800) 632-8175.
Should I repair or replace a dead furnace or boiler?
A technician has to look at it. The U.S. Department of Energy says a contractor can help you decide whether a furnace or boiler is too old, worn out, inefficient or oversized. If you are leaning toward replacement, compare the options before you sign, because the heat pump rebate drops on January 1, 2027.
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