10 simple ways to keep your house warm this winter

10 simple ways to keep your house warm this winter

1. Clamp down on draughts 

This one seems obvious of course but it is a crucial one. Not only should you ensure that all windows and doors are shut propely but you should also be checking them for 

2. Insulate the loft

This is not the kind of DIY job that peope love but given that over a quarter of the heat in your house is lost through the roof, it is extremly cost effective and rewarding. 

3. Buy thicker curtains

 No but seriously! Buy thicker curtains and you will lose 25% leess heat through your windows, consider thick thermal curtains. Also worth considering having curtains over external doors to prevent heat escaping. 

4. Install a chimney balloon

If you don't have a working chimney but you do have an open fire, then you'll be losing heat through the chimney. If you place a chimney balloon in the chimney and inflate it, it will trap the warm air in.

5. Move the furniture away from the radiators

If you stick the sofa in front of the radiator you'll waste a fortune keeping the back of the sofa warm. You deserve it more :)

6. Place reflective foil behind the radiators

Many people will remember elderly relatives applying tinfoil in a hap-hazard manner years ago, but it doesn't have to be noticeable, and will reflect half the heat back into the room.

7. Put carpet down

Bare, varnished floorboards have been popular for a while, but unless they are carefully filled and draught-proofed, you can lose 10% of your heat through the floor. If filling the floorboards is impractical, a carpet may be a simple solution.

 8. Consider the spare room

There's no point in heating any rooms you don't use, so turn off radiators in unused rooms, and heat the rooms you tend to occupy instead. Once the spare room gets chilly, you'll need to keep the door closed, and use a draught-excluder to stop the chill spreading.

9. Think of the oven as a heat source

If the kitchen is tyically the heart of your home, then you don't need to house to be so warm during dinner time. The warmth of the oven can keep you toasty. Get some roast potatoes in the oven and some soup on the hob and no one will notice that the house would have gone a little colder. 

10. Invest in a woodburning stove

It may seem a bit Victorian, but having a woodburner in the fireplace allows you to burn a cheap fuel, and enjoy the heat without the smoke. Burning wood costs less than gas and two thirds less than electricity, so you can stay toasty for less.