The 8 Best Ways to Keep Your House Warm This Winter

Winter is coming! And while this may not be Game of Thrones, you will still want to make sure that your home is ready and prepared to keep you warm during these cold months. Here are some handy hints on the best ways to keep your home nice and cosy this winter.

Draft Excluders

A draft excluder is a tube that you place at the bottom of a door to stop hot air from escaping and cold air from entering. You can go to a store and buy on in various forms from animals to coloured patterns, and all you need to do is place it at the bottom of your door. The best place for it is on your front door or any other doors that lead directly outside as this is where you are going to lose a lot of heat. However, doors leading to your garage or anywhere else that you might lose heat are also an excellent choice. If you don’t want to spend the money (although it won’t be much) on a draft excluder, then you could always make your own. One of the easiest ways to do this is to take an old pair of jeans that you no longer want and cut the legs off. You can then stuff these legs with newspaper or even better if you have some craft stuffing, then tie up each end and place it as a draft excluder. This will work just as well as a shop bought draft excluder. You could also install a draft excluder over your letterbox on your front door, as you will likely be losing heat from there as well.

Insulation

The chances are that if you feel like your house gets cold too quickly, then you don’t have enough insulation. This could be on the inside of your roof, loft or other places in your home. You have the option of getting a professional to inspect and then insulate the problem areas, but they can get expensive. The other option you have before you is to do it yourself. You can buy a roll of insulation from a DIY shop and get to work fitting it yourself. This will cost you a fraction of what it would cost to hire a professional. However, you must remember to wear a facemask and goggles while handling and fitting the insulation, but it isn’t as big a job as you might first think. Merely increasing or improving your home’s insulation can make a massive difference to your heating bill as well as ensuring it stays warm throughout those cold, winter months.

Double Glazing

Double glazing is a life saver (and bank balance saver) when it comes to keeping your home heated. If your windows are only single glazed, then you should consider removing them and getting double glazing instead. This investment you make getting double glazing will mean that you see a massive reduction in your heating bill and an increase in the properties overall value. Your home’s energy efficiency rating will increase, you’ll do your bit for the planet, and you will be warmer all winter. Win-win-win.

Hot Water Bottles

If you are feeling cold when you go to bed, instead of cranking up the heating you might consider getting some hot water bottles. Since you are going to be nice and warm snuggled under your duvet and blankets, you aren’t likely to need to heat the entire room. Instead, a hot water bottle can help to speed up warming yourself in bed and help to keep you warm throughout the night. Hot water bottles are also great for cuddling up to while on the couch watching a movie. There are also now mini hot water bottles that you can put in your pockets, so your hands stay warm when venturing outside. They are a brilliant investment that is sure to keep you nice and toasty throughout the colder months.

Blankets

Having some blankets ready for use in winter is a must. You will likely want one to cover yourself on the sofa and for your bed, too. Having a blanket and using it means that you won’t need to have the heating on as much or at least won’t be as reliant on it to keep you warm. Instead, you could cover yourself with a nice blanket.

Curtains

Possibly one of the most surprising ways to keep your home warm is down to what curtains you have and what you do with them. Opening your curtains in the morning lets light into your home, and this will turn naturally heat your rooms. However, don’t forget to close them in the evening as you don’t want to lose this heat once it starts getting cold outside. If you feel like you are losing heat through your windows (and already have double glazing), then upgrading to heavier curtains will assist in keeping your home warm. This is because when you close your curtains, you create a situation where you are trapping the air between the window and the curtain. With heavier curtains, the cold seeps through less quickly, and the heat stays trapped better.

Cover Floorboards

When making sure that your home is ready for winter and that you aren’t losing any heat unnecessarily, don’t forget to look down. If you, then you might notice that you have floorboards. If this is the case, then you should consider getting a rug to cover them with in winter. This is because exposed floorboards contribute to hot air escaping your house and cold air invading, neither of which do you want to be happening when you are trying to keep warm. You don’t need to carpet your entire house from top to bottom, but the occasional rug can make a significant difference than you think. This is something to consider, especially if you feel a bit of draft coming from the floorboards.

Use Your Heating

Many people will try to ration their heating in winter. However, you should use if you need to. If you are not heating your house correctly in winter can lead to a myriad of issues. As well as your home feeling uncomfortably cold and not enjoyable to be around you might also start to have problems with dampness. You don’t want this, so you need to make sure that you are correctly heating and ventilating your house in the winter. It is easy to keep all your windows closed and just wrap up warm and neglect the condition of your home when it comes to paying for a heating bill. You shouldn’t be afraid actually to use your heating.