*offers you a hot water bottle filled with very warm, almost hot water*

The house has wood heating only, or is it wood+electric? My parents have a Wood+electric heating, and they need to put some wood in the fireplace every 2 days or so when it is cold. But fortunately they have a fairly well-designed chimney so the heat won't escape straight up and most of it stays within the "firewall" which is the brick and cement lining around it.