How to beat winter chill

THE pre-winter chill is certainly starting to bite. As we move into the colder months, here are 10 ways to warm up your home.

Prune those sun-suckers: Shady plants are great in summer, especially on the north and western sides of your property. But at this time of the year you want to get as much sun into your house as you can.

Let the sun in: When the sun is shining, remember to open curtains and blinds during the day..

Block the cold out: Overnight you want to stop the warm air inside your home being lost through your windows. Either use thick curtains and a pelmet overhead to stop air getting to the window, or good-quality honeycomb (also known as cellular) blinds.

Fan-tastic: If you have ceiling fans, now is the time to switch them over to winter mode so that they run backwards.

No more draughts: Gaps around doors and windows can let in a lot of draughts. Block them up with an appropriate draught-sealer. Your local hardware store will have plenty of options. A good old-fashioned door snake may also work.

Monitor it: If you happen to be someone who is at home during the day, you’ll have the opportunity to throw open the windows and let the warmth in on hotter days.

Go passive: Install a solar heater, which draws the warm air from the roof cavity into the home.

They mightn’t be pretty but . . . aluminium roller shutters work. When the shutter goes down about the same time as the sun it’s like instant double-glazing.the shutter helps provide an air pocket

Cook up a storm: It really is a time of year for baking and slow cooking. The house will definitely warm up – but will you be able to resist all that yummy food?

Control the thermostat. Running your heater at 18-21 degrees will keep you comfortable without toasting and will also keep your winter heating bills down. Just one degree more can increase costs by 15 per cent.