Great ways to make your home warmer in winter

Trusted Great Ways To Make Your Home Warmer This Winter Advice, Property heating tips, Warm house guide

Great Ways To Make Your Home Warmer This Winter

18 Dec 2019

Heating your home is expensive, but in the winter when the temperature drops it’s important that you keep yourself warm and snug to reduce your chances of getting unwell and struggling to be productive.

If you’re looking to make your home more warm and cosy this winter season, here are some handy tips.

Great ways to make your home warmer in winter

Great Ways To Make Your Home Warmer This Winter – Heating Guide

Bleed Your Radiators

You might think it sounds obvious, but you need to make sure that your radiators are working to their full capacity, and this means you should bleed them in the autumn or early winter. By letting the air out of your radiators and filling them with water you’ll ensure that they work effectively. This will mean that you can make the most out of your heating and ensure that when you turn it on it heats your home to the temperature you desire.

Add More Radiators As Needed

The number of radiators you had in your house when you first acquired it may no longer be sufficient to keep it warm now for a number of reasons. Your home could have undergone extensions to make it larger, or the structure may not be as good at retaining heat as it once was. Whatever the reason, it’s important that you think hard about whether or not you have enough radiators in your home or if you should add more before the cold weather really sets in and you’re left feeling cold throughout the winter period.

Consider Underfloor Heating

It’s not just radiators that spread heat throughout your home; you can also use underfloor heating and heat pumps to distribute heat thoroughly and get your property warm and snug for you as the temperature drops. Scottish firm Incognito Heat Co specialises in using this innovative heating source to keep homes across the Highlands and the UK warm.

Service Your Boiler

The last thing you need during a cold snap is for your boiler to give out and leave you without any heating or hot water, so make sure that you have your boiler serviced in the autumn or spring time before it gets really cold. This is one of the few techniques on this list that requires a professional: you cannot service a boiler yourself and it is dangerous and foolhardy to even attempt to do so. Instead, work with a local professional or your heating service provider to ensure that your boiler is working efficiently and is able to keep your house heated throughout the winter months.

Use Rugs To Keep Your Room Warm

Large, fluffy rugs can keep drafts out and make your room feel warmer. Find a warm rug that’ll trap heat and keep your feet comfortable as you walk around. Rugs are particularly good for those with stone or tile floors, as these materials often absorb cold air and give your room a frosty feel. Placing a large rug in these rooms can completely change the atmosphere and make them feel much warmer and more inviting. Dense, fluffy carpets can give you a similar result over a larger area if you have the time and money to install them before the cold weather really sets in.

Control Your Heating Remotely

Going in and out of your house can mean that you have to spend time warming your property or leave the heating on while you’re out and waste energy. Find a remote heating control solution that will mean that you can remotely turn your heating on and off, or set it on a timer so that you can make sure your home is toasty and ready for you whenever you arrive home from the cold outside.

Insulate Your Loft

Heat rises, so it’s important that you trap any escaping heat and stop it from leaving your property through the roof. The best way to do this is to insulate your loft. You can hire a professional to do this, or you can even do it yourself. There are a variety of ways to keep your loft insulated and save heat from being wasted. Use the time spent insulating your loft to clear it out at the same time and get rid of any unwanted clutter.

Thermal Curtains Are A Great Temporary Option

For some homeowners, warm weather solutions might only need to be temporary. In this case, try using thick, heavy curtains to keep the cold from your windows out and give your room a snugger atmosphere. Get long curtains that hang low over your windows or doors and are made of a thick fabric like calico, wool or even velvet. Often curtains specifically designed to keep the cold out have an additional layer of fabric in the middle to keep you warm, meaning that your room will feel toasty and comfortable until you’re ready to take the curtains down.

Get A Fire

When used properly fires can be a great, safe option for heating your home and making specific rooms warmer. As a result, they’re great for houses with cold rooms or large spaces that are hard to heat with traditional heat sources. While it is best to have a chimney, there are a variety of styles of fire available, meaning you don’t have to build one to get the same toasty feeling from a fire anywhere in your home. It’s important that you only use a fire when someone is in your home, not while you’re away, so that your home is safe and won’t get damaged as a result of an out of control blaze.

Only Use Extractor Fans When You Need Them

Extractor fans can make your space colder, so only turn them on when you need to use them, like when you have a shower or when you cook something particularly pungent. For the rest of the time you should keep them switched off, as they often suck not only the moisture and smells out of the air, but also the heat. This means that your kitchen and bathroom spaces will feel colder unless you turn your extractor fans off when they’re not required. You could also try avoiding using them at all, and instead try opening a window for a short period of time instead, as this will give your property some fresh, natural air.

Arrange Your Furniture Strategically

In the summer your furniture may be best placed near to doors and windows to give you the best chance of getting fresh air and being comfortable, but in the winter, you should rearrange your home to keep yourself warm. Move your furniture away from exterior walls, doors and windows and try to set it into the middle of the room around the fire or warming furnishings like rugs. Point all of the furniture you sit on like chairs and sofas towards one another to conserve body heat, and use bulky items that are used for storage, like dressers and wardrobes, to block draughts and stand in front of exterior walls, keeping your home feeling more comfortable.

Stop Heat Disappearing Up Your Chimney

Chimneys are great for when you want to light a fire, but they can cause serious heat wastage when they’re not in use. There are permanent and temporary solutions to keep your heat inside your home and stop it from disappearing up your chimney and being wasted.

Deal With Draughts

Cold draughts of air can seep into your home through gaps under and around your exterior doors and windows, making your property feel much colder than it is. There are many ways to keep your home draught free and stop cold air from making your home feel unwelcoming and uninviting even as the wind picks up and becomes icy.

Warm Decorations Will Give Your Space A Snug Feel

As well as the structure and technology in your home, you also need to think about the décor of your home when you’re trying to keep it cosy this winter. The furniture and decorations you choose for your space will make it feel warmer, so change up your décor this winter season to make yourself feel more comfortable.

Little Things Can Make A Big Difference

Small gaps in your home, like your cat flap and letterbox, can let heat escape, so if you don’t need them then get rid of them, and if you do then make sure that they’re as efficient as possible and will keep the heat. You should also do little things like leaving the oven door open after you’ve cooked to keep as much of the heat in your home as you can. It might not seem like you’ll keep a lot of heat in your home this way, but it all adds up and can come together to make your home warm and save you from wasting precious energy.

In winter you’ll want to enjoy a warm home so you can escape the chill and get into the festive spirit. Use these tips to create a snug space without too much hard work and effort.

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