Winter Warmers
A Little Help From Nature
Take advantage of the warm winter sun … leave your curtains and blinds open during the day to allow the natural sunlight to warm up your home. Once the sun goes down, close all window coverings so they act as insulators and keep in the heat generated throughout the day.
Have you ever thought that all the winter cooking can heat up a room? The heat generated from cooking can be put to good use, by leaving your oven door slightly ajar after you've finished in the kitchen – this will help to warm up your living areas and kitchen. The heat is there anyway, you might as well use it and cut down on heating costs.
Check Your Heater
We all have to use our heaters on most cold days at some point during winter, it’s a good idea to have your gas heater serviced every 1 - 2 years. It's far more beneficial, not to mention economical, to have your heating system working efficiently, it will save you hard-earned money in the long run.
Electric heaters should be also checked for damaged cords, as well as the age of the heater.
Block Those Draughts
Most of the heat loss around the home is through those small gaps around your windows and door frames, the use of draught strips or door snakes along the bottom of these areas can block off the cold air flow. A little bit of effort goes a long way and saves you money in the grand scheme of things.
Insulation
Insulating your home is essential to trap the heat in winter and keep the cool in summer. If you're living in an older property and really feel the chill in winter, it might be worth considering retrofitting insulation to your ceiling. Your heating (and cooling come summer) energy bills will thank you for it!
Little Luxuries
Ceiling fans are not only useful in summer, they’re also an asset in winter time for circulating hot air within the home. Most modern ceiling fans come with a reverse winter setting, where the fan pushes the hot air that accumulates near the ceiling downwards and into the room.
Instead of dreading the winter morning shower routine, think about adding underfloor heating, heat lamps and heated towel rails to your bathroom. There’s nothing better than warming up in a toasty dry towel after a shower to start the day off.
Dress Up to Warm Up
It is always a good idea to keep yourself warm with correct clothing and footwear, which also helps to minimise your heating costs. Socks / slippers / flannelette pyjamas / long pants / long sleeve shirts / jumpers / jackets / mittens / beanies and scarves are all good items to consider, and we cannot go past a nice rug on the couch to cuddle up in!
We hope these tips help to create a warmer and more energy efficient home this winter. The last thing to do (and definitely a mandatory and the most important) is to relax on the couch whilst enjoying some Netflix with a hot chocolate in hand!