The National Fire Protection Association suggests these tips for home heating safety:

• Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from heating equipment, such as the furnace, fireplace, wood stove or portable heater.
• Only use heating equipment that is labeled by a recognized testing laboratory.
• Never use your oven for heating.
• Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
• Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected annually by a qualified professional.
• Turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to sleep.
• For fuel-burning space heaters, always use the proper fuel as specified by the manufacturer.
• Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to prevent sparks from flying into the room and burn only dry, seasoned wood. Allow ashes to cool before disposing in a metal container, which is kept a safe distance from the home.
• For wood-burning stoves, install chimney connectors and chimneys following manufacturer’s instructions or have a professional do the installation.
• Make sure all fuel-burning equipment is vented to the outside to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Install and maintain carbon monoxide (CO) alarms to avoid the risk of CO poisoning.
• If you smell gas in your gas heater, do not attempt to light the appliance. Turn off all the controls and open doors and windows. Call a gas service person immediately.
• Test smoke alarms at least monthly.

From Kentucky.gov

* During the day, to keep heat out of your apartment, keep window shades or blinds down and closed. It’s even helpful to keep the windows themselves closed to keep hot air from blowing into your apartment.

* In the evening and early morning, open windows to allow cooler air in.