Winter has officially come, and the last thing you want after a tiring day would be to walk into a chilly house. With poorly insulated rooms, you can never escape cold. People in more chilly areas rely on the central heating system. You may have heard about installing double glazing, thorough insulation, and efficient heating systems, but what can a homeowner do apart from the expensive tactics in the market?
Try these projects at your home without spending a hefty amount and turn your house from frosty to cozy in a few hours.
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Make the most out of your curtains
Sunlight is free so use it wisely. You can make the most out of sunlight and let the heat enter your rooms in the daylight by opening the curtains. After it gets dark, shut the curtain as it will keep the heat in your room. Also, make sure you don’t leave any openings or cracks so the warm air will stay inside and the cold air won’t enter the room. Another hack is to use thick curtains for winter. Thick curtains protect your room from losing heat. If you don’t want to spend extra money on it, you can use fleece and add a layer to your existing curtains. Curtains are not meant for windows only, so use them on the front door too.
Move things away from the radiator
It can be a fire hazard, but furniture or benches may be blocking the heat from spreading in the room. Nothing feels better than sitting on your couch near the radiator and enjoying your favorite show, but this setting is doing you more harm than good. This couch might be absorbing the heat that could heat the entire room.
Consider insulating the whole house
Professionally insulating your house can be expensive, but you can do it yourself. You can buy rolls of foam that are affordable and can give insulation to most lofts. Make sure you wear a facemask, goggles, and protective clothing during the process. Leave sufficient gaps around the eaves to prevent condensation.
Think about installing radiator panels
The heat from the radiators bounce off the walls and move in random directions. Install radiator panels on your ceilings to specify an area where you want the heat to go. Radiator panels heat up to 150 degrees within 5 minutes after switching on. That means you can warm up the area near the TV or your desk in no time. Also, radiator panels are relatively affordable and easy to install.
Bring home a programmable thermostat
This will keep your bill relatively low as it automatically turns off after the prescribed times. Also, it can keep your house ready and warm when you return from work. All this is possible without doing anything. You can set the time and temperature according to when you leave and return home.
Consider layering your wooden floors
Uninsulated wooden floors are another reason for the heat loss. Maybe that’s why carpets and rugs were founded. Add rug or carpet to your floors and see the changes.
Pay attention to the chimney
If you have a chimney and don’t use it, make sure its drafts and flue are closed properly. An opened chimney can suck the heat away from your house, and all your efforts will go in vain. This is also an issue with open fireplaces. They suck too much heat from the room.
Imitate double glazing
Double glazing is considered the best investment to keep your home warm and toasty, but it could cost you a lot. If you don’t want to spend that amount of money, you can try the double glazing film. This is not good as the original one but does its job efficiently of stopping the heat from escaping the windows. You can apply it yourself; the only downside of this method is that you can’t open the windows without breaking the film’s seal once it is applied.
Our final words
Now that the summers are officially over and it’s cold outside, it’s time that you start preparing your home for chilly nights. Keeping the radiator on the whole time could be a solution, but it’s not at all cost-effective. There are many ways to keep your house warm without spending any extra penny. To save yourself from walking in a cold house, we advise you to buy a programmable thermostat that switches on and off according to the set program. You can set time and temperature according to your work hours and weather outside. This will save a lot of energy.