We all worry if our monthly budgets are going to stretch as far as they need to. And with the colder months of the year almost upon us, thinking about the cost of heating our homes through the winter is a worrying thought. While most householders are being advised to install double glazing, if you rent or simply don’t have the budget to make these huge changes then you can be a little concerned about being at the mercy of your smart meter. You might be already stockpiling logs for your wood burner, or have booked a delivery with emo.ie for your winter oil but what else can you do?
Well, we’ve come up with some super simple ways that will help you keep your house warm in winter. Read on for a little inspiration.
Your curtains are key
If you don’t have any curtains then you need to invest in good pair that are fully lined and preferably thick! As most properties loose heat through the windows, curtains are the best way to retain the heat and keep it inside. But this isn’t restricted to just the windows, draughts can occur through your doors as well, so you could always invest in a curtain to hang over the front or back doors to help retain the heat.
Let the sun in
Yes, there’s less sunshine in the winter months, but on the days where the sun does shine, you need to open your curtains and let the sun shine into the rooms. Allowing the rooms to warm up naturally will stop you reaching for the thermostat! Just remember to close the curtains as soon as it begins to get dark, so you can keep this natural warmth trapped inside.
Close up those unused rooms
If you’re only in the living room on an evening, keep the doors to other “unused” rooms closed. The spare room, the office space, the utility room or conservatory. If you’re not going in there, then close the door and save the heat for the rooms you’re using.
Make use of your oven
If you’ve just taken tonight’s dinner out of the oven, why close the door? All that extra heat will go to waste if you don’t make the most of it. So, instead of closing the door, leave it open and let the room fill with it’s heat. And of course – keep the kids and pets away from it!
Your floors
You loose a lot of heat through your floors too. Especially if you have wooden floors. Get yourself a couple of cheap rugs from a discount store and have them rolled out to keep your feet nice and warm and add an extra layer on insulation onto the floor.
Remember to cover those sneaky draughts
The letterbox, underneath doors, even the cat flap and keyholes! What do all these have in common? They let heat escape! Get yourself a draught excluder, insulation tape and get creative!
Photo by Rob Wingate on Unsplash
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