Save Energy This Winter

Whether it's saving money on bills, or trying to reduce our impact on the environment, there are lots of good reasons to resist turning on our central heating until we absolutely have to. Here are ten simple, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly ways to stay warm this winter without cranking up the dial on our thermostat.

Layer up.

It may seem like a no brainer, but strategically choosing and layering your clothes can have an enormous effect on your body temperature. A thermal base layer will trap heat next to your body, and keep it there. Knitted jumpers trap air too, but using them as your top layer can be less effective as the air can still escape; throwing a dressing gown or micro fleece over the top will make sure the warm air has nowhere to go, and will keep you feeling toasty for longer. Most of our heat is lost through our feet, hands, and our head, so making sure you have socks, slippers, gloves, and a hat will massively reduce the amount of heat you're losing.

Get outside.

Getting out and exercising in the fresh air increases your heart rate, pumping blood around your body faster, and helping to keep you warm. Gardening, walking, running, jogging, cycling, or rowing are all well known outdoor pursuits, but you could get creative and try mountain boarding, bouldering, parkour, zorbing, or paint balling if you fancy something a little unusual! Once you get back inside, you will certainly feel the benefit from having been out in the cold fresh air.

Get moving.

When we sit still for long periods of time, whether it is watching television, reading a book, or working at our screen, our heart rate slows down, and our extremities begin to feel cold, as heat is lost and not replaced. Even if you can't get outside, there are still lots of ways to get moving and feel warm again. Investing in a non-electronic treadmill, a mini indoor trampoline, or a door-frame fitted exercise bar such as Gorilla Gym or Yoga Trapeze can be a good solution, but there's no need to splash out on expensive equipment; an hour doing the house work can get your pulse pumping, or put some music on, and try some zumba or step aerobics (just use the first step of your stairs to avoid having to spend money).

Fit draft excluders.

The cracks below interior doors can let the cold air in, and a surprising amount of heat out. Draft excluders come in a variety of forms to suit your home, including brush style ones, which fit below the door, and adhesive foam strips, which seal the sides. All are reasonably priced and enormously effective, but if you really can't or don't want to spend money, there are other solutions. Upcycled draft excluders are easy to make yourself by cutting an old pair of tights or leggings into two tubes, stuffing each tube with polyester stuffing, clean rags, or newspaper, and securing the end with string, yarn, or an elastic band. The result is two long bolster-shaped cushions, which can be laid up against the front of your interior doors to keep out the cold air.

Fit glazing film over windows.

Triple or double glazed windows are the best solution for keeping heat in, but if you don't already have them, you can 'fake' their effect through the winter months for a ridiculously cheap price by coating your windows with double glazing film—readily available online or from your local DIY store. The film is laid over the window, and then a hair dryer is used to expand and adhere it to the glass. This method is particularly good if you have minor cracks in your glass, which you cannot afford to fix.

Hand door curtains.

Years ago, many houses had heavy curtains hanging over their interior doors, and although the trend has died out, it's a wonderful eco-friendly way to keep your house cosy through the colder months. Telescopic tension-based poles can be purchased, which mean there's no need to drill holes or fiddle with complicated fixings, and the curtains can be easily taken down again in spring. Making sure that your window curtains are double lined, or hanging net curtains behind your regular ones can also help.

Use hot water bottles.

Hot water bottles don't just have to be for bed time! Whether you're snuggling up under blankets on the sofa, or sitting working at the PC, a hot water bottle or two can give you all the warmth you need without having to heat up the entire house.

Fill up with warm food and drinks.

It may sound obvious, but you can make yourself feel a lot warmer for longer by heating from the inside as well as out. Eating a hot bowl of porridge for breakfast, warming soup for lunch, and tasty stew for dinner with hot mugs of tea or cocoa in between should help keep you toasty all day long. If you'd rather not keep boiling the kettle, or switching on the hob though, try filling a thermos with hot tea or soup in the morning to keep you going all day long. You can also make sure that no heat from your oven goes to waste by opening the door once the food has been removed and the oven is switched off, and letting the residual heat warm up the room (just take care if you have young children or pets in the house).

Make a blanket box.

Keep an eye out through the year for warm winter blankets in charity shops or end-of-season sales. If you're crafty, you could knit or crochet your own, but this can work out more expensive unless you use your own home-made, recycled T-Shirt Yarn (there are plenty of tutorials for this online). Add the blankets to a large basket or box (even a sturdy cardboard box will do),and place it near your sofa or armchair, so that everyone can help themselves when the room gets a little chilly. Shawls, slippers, gloves, hats, or hot water bottles could also be added to the box, keeping everything organised, and within easy reach for everyone.

Cuddle up!

It's true what they say, that sharing bodily warmth is a perfect way to keep warm and fight the winter blues, so bundle on the sofa with family, friends, pets, plenty of warm blankets, and a mug of hot cocoa, and cuddle up warm for an hour or so with movies, stories, or board games; sometimes the cheapest and simplest solutions are the most effective!