How to enjoy a cosy winter

NOW the clocks have gone back and we’ve stored away the Halloween costumes for another year, it’s time to get ready for a long, cold winter.

The days are getting shorter but there’s still time to ensure you stay cosy in your home over the coming months.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, around 60% per cent of the total on your energy bill is related to heating.

Therefore, making changes and improvements to how you heat your house – and to increase heat retention – can save you money as well as keep the winter bugs at bay.

One step that can make a big difference is getting a new boiler. Modern boilers are all condensing – meaning they lose less heat up the flue than older-style models.

Depending on the type of home you live in (and its levels of insulation and energy efficiency) and the current boiler, as well as the replacement boiler’s rating, making the switch could result in average savings of up to £350.

Insulation is an important factor in keeping your house cosy. The better the wall, loft and roof insulation, the more heat will be retained.

It’s estimated that about a third of heat in an uninsulated home is lost through the walls, with a further quarter through the roof.

Imagine how warm your home would feel if you kept that heat in! Checking whether or not making changes to your conservatory roof would improve heat retention is also worth looking at.

New roofs offer much higher efficiency ratings and can be installed quickly and without much disruption in your home.

Another place that heat can escape is the windows.

Even when they are closed, windows allow some warmth to leak out.

Double, or even triple, glazed windows can seriously reduce how much heat is lost through the windows.

Installing double glazing in a semi-detached house could save up to £110 a year.

Thicker windows also have the added benefit of reducing the amount of noise coming in from outside, making a home in a busy area more peaceful.

But for some homes, it’s time to find new ways to generate heat. A new fire, wood-burning or multifuel stove can kick out a lot of heat – and also help raise the value of the property (some experts claim they could increase a home’s price by 5%).

This type of stove can be a highly efficient source of heat – and many times cheaper than electric or gas options.

When it comes to keeping your home warm this winter, there are plenty of options.