Top Tips For Beating The Cold This Winter

Top Tips For Beating The Cold This Winter

By Ruth MacEachern

Product Manager

Dark nights and cold mornings are already creeping up on us, and as tempting as it is to stay under the duvet all winter, for most of us it isn’t a viable option. Here are our top tips for keeping you and your home warm this winter without it costing too much.

1. Move furniture away from radiators

If your sofa or any other furniture is positioned in front of a radiator you are wasting money heating something that doesn’t need heating. Rearrange furniture away from radiators so when the heating comes on you will feel the full effect.

2. Buy a space heater

Space heaters and oil-filled heaters can be inexpensive to run and can put out a lot of heat. If you’re going to be sitting in one spot for any length of time, a space heater is really all you need to stay comfortable. Just remember to keep animals or small children away, and make sure you have some way to remind yourself to turn it off whenever you leave your house.

3. Cover your floors

If you have tile or laminate home flooring they are absorbing the cold air and circulating it back into your home. For the winter months especially you should invest in some area rugs which will help your floors retain heat and act as an insulator between the floor and your home. And no one wants to stand on cold floors in winter!

4. Close the curtains

Closing the curtains will trap the heat in your rooms and stop any draughts coming from your windows. The thicker the curtains the better.  In addition to curtains, you can also get draught proof strips for your windows and doors for insulation.

5. Exercise

If your feeling chilly and tempted to turn up the heat go for a walk, dance, or even do a bit of cleaning/housework to warm yourself up.

6. Take a hot bath

A hot bath can really help to really warm you up when you’re cold to your core. As long as you make sure to wrap up warm afterwards.

7. Reflect the heat

Using high quality kitchen foil or radiator foil behind your radiators can reflect more heat back into the room rather than letting it escape through the walls. It’s really straightforward to fit radiator reflectors and the costs are minimal.

8. Make a heat pack

Take some rice, stuff it in a sock and tie the end, pop in the microwave for a minute or two and you have a re-usable heat pack to keep your hands warm.

9. Drink something hot

Having a tea, coffee, hot soup or some sort of hot beverage will raise your core temperature, as well as warming up your face and hands in the process.

10. Block the chimney

If you have an open fireplace and it's not being used, heat is being lost up your chimney and cold air drawn into your home. You can prevent this by buying a ‘Chimney balloon’ – basically an inflatable balloon that can be inserted into the chimney. A removable and reusable plug to stop cold chimney drafts from entering your home.

11. Use a programmable thermostat

If you have a programmable thermostat, use it. The goal is to never need to manually adjust your thermostat - program for 14 degrees at night and/or when the house is empty during the day, to increase to about 20 degrees during the times when you’ll be at home. This one small action can save up to 15% a year on your heating bill. With recent advances in technology you can even get a intelligent thermostats which learn your daily routine and adapts to it, such as Nest's learning thermostat.

12. Shut up unused rooms

If you have a spare or unused room you don’t use switch off the radiator and keep the door closed. This will prevent cold air moving into the rest of the house and contain the heat you've generated in a smaller area. Not only will this keep you warm it will also save you money by not heating areas of the home which you do not use.

Remember...

When spending a lot of time indoors it's essential to allow the moisture that is created to escape before it turns to condensation. Adequate ventilation in your kitchen or bathroom can help improve the humidity levels and reduce condensation. If you are looking for an intelligent extractor fan which is a whisper quiet fan with intelligent vapour tracking we'd recommend the Cyclone 8 filterless extractor fan. The annual running costs of the fan is less than £4.05 and the award winning filterless fan comes with a 7 year guarantee!

Did you know that we have different ventilation products for bungalows, flats and houses? Request a free home survey and one of our local experts will visit your home and advice you on the best product for your property and how you can prevent excess moisture.