Simple tricks that can help your house maintain its heat
After a freezing Christmas and an extremely cold and windy start to the New Year, homeowners have finally started to learn from their heating mistakes. There are a number of ways to keep your house toasty for next winter, whether you’ve got a big, drafty house or a small, single-glazed bungalow. Take note of our top tips to help your home maintain its head this year!
Check All Your Windows
If you want to make your house that little bit warmer, then you must first check your windows are properly shut, and that they’re not leaking any warm air. In high winds, windows can rattle and shake, so make sure you secure the window latch at all times to reduce the amount of heat lost.
If you think that warm air is being lost through a draft in your windows, light an incense stick and see whether the smoke takes any direction. Once you identify the leak, you’ll want to cover the gap with clear plastic as a short-term measure. Clear plastic insulation for windows can be bought at any good hardware store.
Seal All Of Your Doors
The same techniques you use to seal your windows also apply to the doors in your house. Check underneath the door, as well as the door frame itself, to see if there is a big enough gap for a draft. If there is a draft, you can first buy a foam draft stop (or even a towel) to cover the bottom of the door, and then use the same plastic insulation to reduce the draft even further. Of course these are just short term measures to stop the escape of warm heating from your home, and if the problem persists, you might want to get a quote for some new windows!
Service your boiler
One thing you might take for granted is that your boiler and central heating will just work; and if a boiler breaks it can sometimes lead to a hefty repair bill, and potentially damage to your home. Sometimes boiler repair comes under your home insurance depending on your level of cover, but it may be worth spending a few pounds on getting it serviced to avoid any problems.
Close Off All Unused Rooms
Closed doors means barriers where the warm air can’t escape, so make sure you seal off any rooms that aren’t in use. Not only will open doors help warm air to escape heated rooms, but the warm air is also escaping into rooms that are not in use, meaning you’re literally chucking away heat! To ensure that you’re not wasting heat, make sure that all the radiators are turned off in the rooms that are not being used.
Heavy Curtains Retain Heat
So you’ve insulated all the gaps in your windows and doors, and you closed all the doors to adjacent rooms while also turning off the unused radiators. Next, it’s time to take a look at the curtains hanging over your windows. Thin, lightweight curtains don’t perform very well when it comes to retaining heat, and they’re not great blockers of escaping heat either.
If you don’t want to fork out the cash for new curtains at your nearest department store, then why not get creative and make the curtains yourself! Not only will this be cheaper, but you can make your curtains as thick as you want, ultimately reducing the amount of heat that escapes your home.