Whilst the sun may be shining for now, sooner than later the cold weather will rear its frosty head once more and have us all reaching for the woolly jumpers and turning the dial on the thermostat. Believe it or not the summer is the perfect time to make small changes to your home to ensure it stays nice and toasty during those long winter months. Making the changes now will mean you’re ready once the clocks go back and it’s dark by about lunch time.
New Radiator | Chances are your radiator is old and not producing heat in the same way it used to, plus there have been constant shifts in technology that mean that radiators are much better than they used to be (and they used to be pretty darn good). Getting an aluminium radiator from www.warmrooms.co.uk for example, is a great idea as they are made from a more lightweight material meaning they heat up much quicker and use a lot less water, so you’ll be feeling warmer, saving money, and stopping polar bears from drowning all at the same time – look at you go!
Tin Foil Trick | If buying a new radiator is a bit too much on the expensive side for you and you need a way to boost the power of your radiator without spending too much money, then you need to deploy the tin foil trick. Essentially, you place tin foil (or you can find specially designed, cost effective foil) behind the radiator and it will reflect any wasted heat that leaves through the back of the radiator and pushes it back out. It’s especially useful for radiators that are on external walls.
The Curtains | Curtains play two roles in keeping your house warm. By buying thick curtains you keep a lot of the heat from escaping when you close them at night, however when the sun is out you should make sure they’re open again. Even though the winter sun isn’t that hot, it still helps to heat the room up, meaning you can save money during the day by not having the heating up too high.
Chimney | You wouldn’t leave a window open when you’re heating your house so why do you leave a giant hole in the wall open? If your fireplace is purely decorative then it is sucking up a lot of your home’s heat and sharing it with the pigeons that are sat on your roof. You can buy a ‘chimney balloon’ that inflates and stops air from escaping (and shooting down into the house). Just remember not to light any fires whilst it’s up there, please.
Draught Excluders | I know you Nan had one and they look a bit silly, but they really make a difference and you don’t have to spend money on a proper one, just put down a towel or something (although it will look messy if you have guests around).
Direct the Heat | You need to channel the heat to where you want it. Make sure the doors are closed in rooms that aren’t being used and don’t put heavy pieces of furniture in front of the radiators as they will absorb all the heat. What you can also do is place a shelf above the radiator as that will force the heat outwards instead of straight up.
As you can see there are lots of cost-effective ways to heat your house in the cold winter months.
