We all know how it feels to constantly sit on the couch bundled up in thick sweaters and fleece blankets. Cold toes and chilly fingers the moment the blanket shifts even a little. All this effort to avoid a sky-high energy bill at the end of the year.
As the temperature outside drops and winter approaches, how do we tackle this challenge?
Fortunately, I have 8 tips for you to make it through these cold times more comfortably.
1. Properly Insulate Your Home
Look into options to keep all the warmth inside your home before the cold sets in. Floor insulation, roof insulation, and cavity wall insulation are the most effective. You can request a quote online, and someone will assess what is needed and the associated costs.
2. Draft Strips
Attach draft strips under every door and check carefully for any spots where the cold might still escape. Ensure your house remains well-ventilated, though, as occasional opening of windows for fresh air is necessary to prevent stagnation and a quick return to cold conditions.
3. Close All Doors
Both upstairs and downstairs. It's a common habit to leave a door open, maybe for a wandering cat or simply out of irritation at having to constantly open a door to enter. However, this seemingly small act can result in a significant loss of heat.
4. Curtains
Heat often escapes through windows. While most people now have double glazing, which helps a lot, warmth can still dissipate through windows, and cold can seep in. Close your curtains slightly more than usual, especially considering it gets light late and dark early.
5. Radiator Fan
These are small fans that you attach beneath your radiators. You can purchase them online or at your local hardware store. These fans ensure that warm air is circulated more quickly throughout your home. While they may not be the most economical upfront, they prove beneficial in the long run. Your heater stays on, the warmth doesn't dissipate immediately, and you don't feel cold so quickly indoors.
6. Radiator Foil
Attach this foil behind the radiators against the wall. It reflects the heat from the back, ensuring that all the warmth generated goes into the room, and nothing is absorbed by the walls. This is a little-known problem that, if your walls aren't well-insulated, can cause significant issues. Your heater remains on, and your radiators become scorching hot, but half the warmth you produce goes straight into the wall and outwards. What a waste!
7. Smart Thermostat
Easily installable at home and equipped with WiFi and an app. You can set from your phone how warm it should be when you're at home and even when you're away. Very convenient! This way, it doesn't keep heating up when you're not home.
8. Smart Radiator Knobs
Perhaps you still have an old-fashioned rotary knob thermostat at home, and if luck is on your side, it's situated in a drafty place, like the door in between rooms or at the bottom of the stairs. These thermostats often don't measure the correct temperature inside the house and keep the heater running because they don't know the exact temperature. Combined with the smart thermostat and smart radiator knobs, you can save up to 30% on energy. Attach the radiator knobs to each radiator, allowing you to determine how warm you want each room. This way, your thermostat knows exactly which rooms are cold and which aren't. The heater doesn't unnecessarily keep running, and you have everything under control.
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