With the clocks going back for winter just around the corner, it’s this time of year where we all start to rely on the heating systems in our homes. This year, with the recent increase in gas prices, keeping our homes warm in the most environmentally and financially most efficient way matters more than ever. In the UK, we use over two-thirds of our energy consumption for heating, this use of energy is responsible for significant CO2 emissions and obvious financial costs. Without significant investment, we are generally stuck with the heating system we have, so here are some alternative ways to improve your home ability to stay warm without breaking the bank!
Curtains and Blinds
Using curtains and blinds definitely helps keep the temperature of your home comfortable. During the day, opening your curtains for light and some heat from the sunlight is great. But when night falls, drawing the curtains will help to retain heat. Make sure your curtains fit well, minimising the gap at the floor, and keeping them tucked tight to the wall will all help keep heat in your home. Secondary curtains could be hung in the window reveal for the winter months using sprung curtain rods. When you are choosing curtains, thick-lined curtains will be far more insulative than thinner lightweight ones.
Rearrange your Furniture
With so many homes, furniture sits in front of radiators, though the heat eventually works its way into the room, it’s most effective to leave furniture well spaced from the radiators. With central heating radiators, most of the heat is emitted by convection, air is warmed by the radiator, which then rises and causes cool air to be drawn upward and in contact with the radiator. But a smaller percentage is radiated directly by the radiator, this heat is felt directly, so having the radiator unobstructed will help you benefit from it.
Be Smart With Your Heating
Turning your heating on a little earlier, but at a slightly lower temperature will ensure your heating is not just coming to temperature just as you are leaving the house. During times when you are out, don’t leave your heating on. Most modern systems include frost protection, but leaving your heating on low during the day wastes energy. Smart controls will give you the option to turn your heating on low half an hour before you get home. But most modern systems heat up to temperature relatively quickly, so all is not lost if you need to turn the heating on when you return home.
Radiators mounted on external walls will benefit from a reflective insulation panel behind them, this panel helps reflect the heat back into the room, these can be added using double-sided tape while the radiator is still mounted to the wall.
Check Your Insulation
In the UK a lot of local councils run schemes to either provide insulation for free or at a reduced rate for houses in their area. Insulation is good value, heat is continually lost through the fabric of your home, so reducing the speed at which it is lost means you need to put less heat energy over time into your home to maintain the same temperature.
If you have a hot water storage cylinder as part of your heating system, it is important it is well insulated, many come pre-lagged with foam insulation, but often an additional cylinder jacket can be fitted to improve on this.
One thing that you need to keep on top of is the state of your boiler. Having this checked to make sure that it is likely to see you through another cold season is definitely recommended. However, if you do need to look into boiler replacement then BBright are a great company that offer affordable boiler replacement options carried out by a network of trusted engineers. Their engineers are all checked and certified. Not sure what boiler replacement you might need? They can also help you with that! No one wants to have to deal with a broken boiler, but it’s nice to know that a reliable company are on hand if you need them when the worst happens.
If you have any of your own tips for keeping the heat in, feel free to share them below!
Debz Louise is a plus-size blogger based in Yorkshire. Behind many nationwide campaigns such as #WeaAreTheThey & winner of Best Blogger at the UK Plus Size Awards, she talkas about life as a plus-size 40-something woman in South Yorkshire.
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