Blog

Pexels - CCO Licence

At this time of year, many of us naturally start to think about keeping our homes warm. Temperatures start to drop as winter rolls in and that can not only make our families feel uncomfortable but can also cost us a lot of money in terms of our utility bills too.

The good news is, there are lots of simple things you can do to help keep your home warm this winter as you will see below…

1. Move furniture away from heat sources

One of the simplest things you can do to increase the amount of warmth in your home this winter is to ensure that your furniture, whether it be your couch or a chest of drawers, are kept away from any heat sources like radiators and forced hot air vents. This may sound obvious, but so many people overlook the fact that they are limiting the amount of heat that can get around the room when they are focusing on their interior decor, and it’s amazing how much of a difference it can actually make.

2. Throw down a few rugs

Rugs are something we know adds style and texture to any room, but did you know they can also add warmth to the space too? If you have wooden or tiled floors especially, putting a large rug in each room will help to keep the floors warmer, which means no more frostbitten feet (well it sometimes feels like that) when you step out of bed or off the couch, in the depths of winter.

3. Hang heavy curtains

In a similar vein, replacing your thin summer curtains with heavy-duty velvet ones, for example, will really help to keep the warmth in your home too. The curtain material will act as an insulator keeping the heat in and the cold out, which means you’re much less likely to experience a chill as you watch the world go by through the window while you’re relaxing in your favorite chair.

4. Close the dampers

Many homes feature ductwork that includes dampers. These are small openings which can be either opened or closed in order to better manage the rotation of airflow around your home and avoid problems like damp and old. In the cool winter months, adjusting them so that the optimum level of airflow is permitted around the home without causing a draft, is a must.

5. Place foil behind radiators

If you live in a home that has radiators as one of its main sources of heat - this is very common in older homes - one of the best tricks you can bust out to keep your home warm this winter is to stick some aluminum foil on the wall behind each of your radiator heaters. Why do this? Because the foil will reflect the heat back into the room where you and your family will benefit from it, instead of simply heating up the wall and little else. If you do this, not only will you be warmer, but you may also be able to turn the thermostat down and benefit from lower energy bills as a result, too.

6. Install a fireplace plug

A lot of homeowners who are lucky enough to have a fireplace find that they are often losing a lot of heat up the chimney flue and through the dampers, which means that they need to buy more logs, or whatever fuel they use and that they never feel as warm as they potentially could. 

One thing you can do if you find yourself in this situation is to install a fireplace plug that will safely seal the flue and keep as much heat as possible inside the home where it can do some good.

7. Keep the furnace filter clean

If you have a furnace in your home, I cannot overstate just how important it is for you to keep it as clean as possible. If you don’t clean it regularly, then when you come to use your heating system, you will probably find that it does not work as efficiently as it should, and that could leave your family feeling cold.

8. Rearrange your furniture

I mentioned earlier the benefits of moving your furniture away from heating sources such as radiators, but it is also a really good idea to rearrange your furniture with a view to positioning your chairs and couches in the place that will get the most heat, such as in front of the fireplace. As long as you do so in a way that doesn’t affect the airflow, moving your furniture is a no-cost solution that will help you to maximize your warmth levels in the winter months.

9. Open the curtains

If you’re one of those people who doesn’t always open all of the curtains and blinds in every room each morning, then this winter, you might want to think about changing that. Why? Because this will let more sunlight in (if you are lucky enough to see the sun this winter) and that will help to naturally warm up your home without any additional costs.

10. Shut the curtains

Of course, once the sun goes down, you are going to want to close those very same curtains and blinds. Why? Because this will help to keep all the heat you’ve built up over the course of the day inside where it will work for you, rather than letting it escape into the cool night air where it won’t do you any food at all.

11. Install a duct booster fan

If you have a forced-air heating system in your home, then it’s a really good idea to look into installing a duct booster fan, which will help to increase the flow of air getting through your ducts, This will help to keep your home warm in the winter, and cooler than ever in the summer, which means you will never have to worry about feeling uncomfortable due to the heat or cold, in your home ever again. Duct boosters come in a wide range of sizes so no matter what kind of system you have, it is highly likely that you will find a model that fits.

12. Buy draft excluders

Draft excluders may be as low-key as they come, but you know what? They really work to keep gusts of cold air from penetrating your home, If you place them over all doors and windows, you will be able to keep a lot more hot air in, not to mention cool air out, and your home will feel far cozier for it. If you’re up for a project, you can even knit your own.

13. Open the oven door

Okay, so opening the oven door when you aren’t using it won’t do a thing, and opening it while you’re cooking your winter roast will mean that you don’t get any dinner. However, if you leave the door of your oven open once you have finished cooking, all of that lovely hot air that has built up inside will be released into your home where it can help keep you all feeling toasty, instead of being trapped inside where it is pretty much wasted. If you cook every day, you will be surprised by just how much of a difference this can make.

14. Service your heating system

Every year, before winter truly sets in, you should take the time to call in a heating professional who can service your system to ensure it is not only working but working as efficiently as possible for maximum heat.

15. Upgrade your windows

If your windows are old, something that can really help to keep your home warm and improve your energy efficiency is a brand new window installation. If you install double or triple-glazed windows with a high level of insulation, your bills will be lower and you will feel much more comfortable in your home, guaranteed. 

16. Bubblewrap your windows

If you do have old and inefficient windows, but you don’t have the money to replace them right now, something that can really help is adding a layer of bubblewrap to each window pane, This will act as an insulator to keep the cold out and the heat in.

17. Reverse your ceiling fans

If you have a ceiling fan, try reversing the direction in which it spins. Doing so will send hot air that has risen back down to your level where you will get the most possible benefit from it. Just make sure that your fan is in good working order or it may not be as effective as you would like.

As you can see, there are so many things you can do to ensure your home is toasty and warm, and your family as comfortable as possible, this coming winter. Most of these suggestions are pretty cheap and easy to put into action and you will be surprised at just how much difference they can make to the temperature of your space, so what are you waiting for?

Photo by ArtHouse Studio from Pexels