Tips for warming your home this winter
Track down any draughts in your home, particularly around doors and windows, and seal them up.
Most of the products you’ll need to do this can be picked up at a hardware store, but do your homework before you start shopping or get some advice.
Products that can make a difference include:
Door snakes,
Weather seal tape,
Silicon sealant or caulk,
Roller door seals,
PVC door strips,
Storm-proof seals,
Brush door seals,
Auto-lift door seals.
If you’re renting or you’re not confident in your DIY abilities, weather seal tape or draught strips are a good place to start.
They look a bit like sticky tape, but are made from foam or rubber with an adhesive backing.
To install, just remove the backing and stick the adhesive side inside the doorjamb or window frame.
It’s a good idea to measure up before you hit the shops – each door will need around 5m of tape to seal.
Be aware of how the hot air moves around your house. It’s tempting to move the couch as close as possible to the heater, or to put your wet laundry in front of it during a rainy week, but this will restrict the flow of hot air around your house.
To ensure you get the most out of your heat source, make sure nothing is blocking the flow.
To make your heating more efficient, close doors to rooms you’re not using.
Only heating the rooms you’re actually in will reduce your heating bill – there’s no point heating the spare room if no-one’s in there.
When you change your clocks at the end of daylight saving, turn your ceiling fans on reverse (most models have a reverse switch).
This makes the blades turn anti-clockwise and, since warm air rises, it’ll push the warm air from your heating system back down towards the floor.
Curtains will help you keep warm in winter, but cool in summer.
Up to 40% of heating energy can be lost through windows, so pull the drapes closed to keep the warmth in.
For maximum insulation, adding a pelmet will stop the warm air escaping through the top of the windows.
If you have hard floors, rug up – literally. Any distance that you can put between the cold floor and your tootsies will make a difference, so consider covering hard floors with rugs.