Ensuring Your Home is Warm for The Winter

A poorly insulated home is not efficient. It can cause an increase in your energy bills and make you very uncomfortable. Especially with increased heating bills you will want to ensure your home is as energy efficient as possible. It is interesting to think that years ago people used many ways to stay warm at no cost. Today, thanks to many innovations and research we can keep our homes warm and energy efficient at the same time.

Here are twelve easy tips to make sure your home is warm:

1. Use your curtains

The sun's heat is free, so maximize it! Open the curtains and allow the natural light in during the day to make full use of this free heat. When darkness comes, close the curtains, which work as another layer of insulation and keep your rooms warm. You can also ensure you do not have any gaps or leaks so that the cold air stays out and the warm air stays in, this also aids in reducing condensation.

2. Move your sofa

It may feel good to have your preferred seat in front of the radiator; however, it is taking in heat that may be warming your house. When you move it away from the radiator, hot air can circulate freely. The same applies to your drying clothes or drapes; ensure they are away from the radiator to enable you to get the most from your source of heat.

3. Maximize your insulation

With regards to heat; about 25 percent is lost through the roof. This may be easily decreased when you install 25cm of insulation all through your attic. It is also worth observing what is happening in your walls since about a third of an uninsulated home's heat is lost this way. Though it is not as inexpensive to install as loft insulation, cavity wall insulation can save you a lot of heating bills. It is also good consulting with your energy provider to find out if they have any insulation programs running, which may at times mean free or inexpensive installation. Using a reputable roofing company to update old worn out shingles and roofing materials can also help to maintain heat in your home.

4. Keep drapes shut at night

At sunset close down those drapes to offer a barrier to loss of heat. Most people have invested in thicker winter drapes, which switch out with light and well-ventilated summer drapes around this time of year. The thick drapes material will help contain the heat inside and helps prevent heat from escaping through your home’s cold windows. Having high-quality windows and doors will also help.

5. Hot Water Tank

In case you have a hot water tank, ensure it’s properly insulated. This will help to keep the water warmer for a longer time, and cut down heating costs. Insulating an uninsulated water tank can help you save a lot of money; however, even simply upgrading it will help to make savings.

6. You should seal any leaks

Exposed piping, windows and doors are known for cold air leaks. When you buy low cost insulation spray foam or caulking, you can stop warm air from escaping your home.

7. Layer up your floors

or If you have rugs in your office spaces, bedrooms, or other parts of your house that you do not use all that often you may want to think of moving them to the common parts of your home. Using carpets and rugs to layer your floor will help to maintain a room's warmth and temperature. If you are looking for backyard or frontyard flooring, composite decking is the best floor option for the winter season. It is durable, fade, stain, scratch, and mold resists.

8. Keep yourself warm

The key to staying comfortable and warm without spending too much on heating expenses is by dressing properly. To stay extra warm on those extra frigid cold nights layer clothing, put on warm socks, and purchase the best warm pair of sandals to keep your feet warm. Rather than turning on the furnace or thermostat to stay warm, you should adjust what you are dressed in to warm yourself up. This also applies to sleep. Rather than using extra energy to heat your room, you can try layering blankets to stay comfortable and warm while you sleep.

9. Use your oven

The winter season is a good time to use your oven frequently. Baking and cooking is an amazing way to distribute heat throughout your home. Preparing meals with your oven not only feed your loved ones with scrumptious meals but helps heat up your living room in the process as well.

10. Allow natural light in during the day

As soon as the sun is up, you should capture as plenty of that free heat as possible. The sun is still warm even on cold days. So before you start your day, it is advisable that you open up those drapes and allow the light to shine in. If there are specific areas of your house that do not get sunlight, no need to open those drapes. Simply do so where sunlight streams in for a good part of the day.

11. Make use of the sun's power

The sun is extremely powerful and simply opening up the drapes in all rooms gives you a free source of heat. Make it a habit of leaving the drapes open on chilly sunny days to help in raising your home's temperature without forcing your heating source.

12. Upgrade the boiler

If your boiler is over ten years old, it might be time for you to replace it with a brand new, a more efficient model. Based on your old boiler model and home, you might save a lot of money with a new A-rated condensing boiler that uses less power to generate the same amount of heat. Also, if it is new, you are unlikely to have any problems going into the cold months. An additional benefit to any of the upgrades we’ve mentioned is the increased real estate value of your home. We hope our suggestions help you have a toasty warm and enjoyable winter season!