Winter is here, and that means one thing, cold. When your home gets cold, it can make you miserable as you try to stay warm, and it costs a lot more. But you can keep the heat in by making some simple changes and being proactive with some of your home’s utilities.
Don’t Neglect Your Windows
First, you might want to pay special attention to your windows. After all, they are massive holes in your walls. And this means a lot of heat can escape through them, especially if they are older or have been neglected. Small cracks in the frames and single-pane glass will make your hold much colder. You can use some temporary methods, such as putting up blackout curtain fabrics, which are excellent for blocking light from outside, and keeping the heat inside your house.
Keep the Heat in with Programming
Using a programmable thermostat is a great way to give yourself as much control over your heating as possible. It lets you set different temperatures for various times of the day, like when you wake up and when you come home from work. With a programmable thermostat, the heat will turn off automatically to keep the temperature you set. This will save you money. So you won’t have to blast the heat all day to stay warm. This can save you about 20%.
Keep Your Radiators Clear
If your radiators are blocked, they can’t heat the whole room. During the summer, you might arrange an ottoman, seat, or bed near them. But if they stay there in the winter, they will stop heat from getting into the room and keep it from getting warm. This is a waste of money and makes rooms cold. Also, if you block an air conditioning vent on a forced-air system, it can cause a pressure imbalance in your home, which stops heat from moving through the system.
Pay Attention to Specific Areas
Heat loss occurs at certain places right across your home. And some of them you might not even think of. Fortunately, these are easy to fix. Some of the major culprits are as follows:
- 20% of your home’s heat can escape from the attic and basements with poor insulation.
- The gaps and cracks in older doors and windows allow heat to escape.
- Single-paned window frames will lose a large amount of your home’s heat.
- Framed walls will lose a lot of heat when insulation wears thin over time.
- The ceilings of your home will lose heat if not insulated as heat rises.
Simple inspections and DIY fixes are often enough to effectively plug the gaps and prevent heat loss in your home. Of course, installing better uPVC windows and doors is also effective.
Stop Any Drafts
As you may know, heat can get out of your home through cracks and holes. Add draught stoppers to your doorways and letterbox to keep warm air from escaping and cold air from coming in. Most of the time, brush-style draught stoppers work fine. However, if you have wood or tile floors, an under-door draught stopper might work better. Most of the time, these are made of soft rubber or foam. They are taped to the bottom of the door to fill any gaps.
Reflector Panels Help Keep the Heat In
Some people say they work, while others say they don’t. But some studies have shown that reflective radiator panels heat up a room much faster and keep the heat in. You can buy them in rolls or as panels. They can keep your room warm and save you money on heating by reflecting warm air back into the room. This heat would have been lost through the wall otherwise. They work best for radiators that are attached to cooler external walls by preventing heat loss.
Try Booster Fans in Your Heating System
If you have a forced-air heating system, you can use duct booster fans, which are made to speed up the flow of warm air through your ducts. Duct booster fans fit inside metal ducts that are the standard size. And all you have to do is put the blower near the end of a duct where the air comes out and then put in a pressure switch that can tell how much air pressure is coming from the furnace. Then, when the fair air conditioning turns on, this turns on the booster fan.
Summary
Whether you are struggling with your energy bills or not, it’s sustainable, cost-effective and responsible to keep the heat in your home without wasting resources or money. Start by addressing your windows. Then keep your radiators clear and block any drafts in your home.