PZ: just have pots of water on the stove and the kettle going. our hot water could only fill about a 1/3 on ours but you always put the cold in first and then add the hot and use the pots and kettle to top up. put the birth pool on some blankets. we used those wool hospital style ones. then you have the plastic tablecloths on top of those. i also recommend getting a big plastic sheet from somewhere like clarks rubber and having that to lay ontop of the pool when/if you get out. as it stands in a room that is heated at 21 degrees the pool should stay warm for a good couple of hours (im thinking of my "made in water" inflatable). it will lose like 1/2 a degree every hour on average, so enough time to keep topping up. we hired ours from our midwive practice. check out midwives naturally as they might hire out even if you are not going through them as it is just one of the mws that has them and hires them out seperately ITMS.