5 hot tips to warm your home this Winter

 

Cool tips to warm your house this winter

Not all of us are fortunate enough to have the warm welcoming hug of central heating or a fireplace to greet us as we come home on a cold winter day. Older homes especially suffer from inadequate insulation and poorly fitted windows and doors. Insufficient glazing, uncarpeted floors and open plan living spaces also contribute to your home feeling more like the inside of your freezer rather than the comfortable and cozy space you crave when retreating from the outside chill. 

Thankfully we have some hot tips to help turn up the heat and not your energy bill. 

1.  Rug Up

Timber floors look fantastic and in summer oh how we love trendy tiles and chic concrete but come winter they really aren’t our warmest friend. It’s time to rug up! Cover as much of your livable space in cosy, rich textured rugs.

The added benefit of covering up is that you give your floors (especially timber) a chance to have a vacation from the daily wear and tear of foot traffic.

HOT TIP – Layer up – just as you do with your clothing, think about layering your rugs with largest on the bottom and smaller rugs (up to 3) on top. This will help absorb the cold from the floor or any drafts through floor boards, making your space feel instantly warmer and more inviting.

2.  Less is more – shut the door.

Think about downsizing for winter. The smaller the space to heat, the quicker it will heat and stay warmer for. Closing off rooms you don’t use, perhaps moving your office to the living room temporarily and reducing your living areas to one central area of the house all help to make a big different. Reducing the size of the space required to heat will help keep your bills lower too.

HOT TIP - Additional heat from the oven and the dryer if used near you living area can help too.

3.  Stop the leaks

Windows with ill-fitting frames or damaged sills can also attribute to cold air leaking in to your home.
Look at having your windows professionally caulked or fitted with a window film to help prevent air leaks. Use a foam draft excluder (door snake) to stop drafts coming in from external doors.

If your budget allows it is also wise to look at replacing old widows that will fit better and have better thermal properties.

HOT TIP – to see if you have air leaks in your window frames use a lit incense stick held up to the frames to see if the smoke changes direction.

4.  Cover up!

 

A single pane of glass can lose almost 10 times as much heat as the same area of insulated walls.

So unless you already have high performance glassit's time to cover up! Invest in thermal curtains and cover your largest areas of glass, focusing on your main living area and bedrooms.

 

You may also wish to consider re-glazing windows with energy efficient glass.  If you plan on living in your home for many years, why not enjoy it. Whilst there is an initial financial outlay, the savings in energy costs and the increased comfort of your home will make a vast difference in both the enjoyment and energy savings in the future.

5.  Get moving

Don’t pack your bags or call the removalists just yet, instead aim to do some moderate exercise when you arrive home. Not only does this cost you nothing, it also comes with the added benefit of warming you up and improving your health. Raise your pulse and your temperature and help pass the time whilst your home warms up.