Of all the four seasons, winter is the coldest time of the year, but as long as your home is a nice warm and cozy refuge, you can still have a lot of winter fun with the knowledge your house is warm and toasty.
But what’s the best way to make sure your home is warm in winter? Follow these tips and you will stay nice and warm all winter long:
Adjust your curtains to save heat
The sun makes a lot of heat, so why not take advantage of that? You can use the sun’s heat by adjusting your curtains accordingly.
During the daytime keep your curtains open and let the sunshine in and when it gets dark, close the curtains.
Your curtains (along with your blinds) are a layer of insulation that keeps out the cold, as well as prevents drafts.
You can also help those curtains do an even better job if you buy thicker curtains.
Rearrange your furniture
Did you ever think that your furniture could be blocking the heat in your house? If your sofa or chairs are right in front of a heating vent or a radiator, it is absorbing the heat that could otherwise help keep your house warm. So, take a look around the house and make sure no furniture is blocking your heat sources.
Maximize your insulation
Another way to warm up the house is to make sure it is insulated properly. Statistics show 25 percent of your heat can be lost through the roof, so make sure you have proper insulation in your attic. For best results at least 12 inches of insulation is recommended. You should also check out your basement and see if there is a need for more insulation there as well.
Block out the draughts
Drafts cause a lot of heat loss, so go around and check for leaks under doors, or on windows. Then, you need to caulk the inside and outside of all your windows, or consider putting up storm windows. You can also get self-adhesive rubber seals to put on windows or under doors. Or get one of those long, stuffed door blockers that look like a comical dachshund. Another option is vinyl foam weather seal you can spray onto the window cracks or along a door frame.
Put reflectors on radiators and heating vents
You can buy reflector panels to put on your radiators, which points the heat into your room so it doesn’t just go up the wall behind the radiator. You can also get plastic panels to put onto heating vents that work the same way if you have gas heat. You can also put thermostatic radiator valves onto a radiator that makes them only come on at the times you program, this saves energy, but still keeps the house warm when you need it. You can also use a cheap method of heat reflection by putting some aluminum foil on the wall behind the radiators.
Do some cooking and baking
If you cook or bake a lot in the wintertime, it also helps to heat your home and your furnace won’t have to work so hard.
The more you use your stove or oven; the more heat is generated and it gets released into your house.
Replace Furnace Air Filters
Be sure to regularly replace the air filters in your furnace. If these get dirty the furnace won’t work very efficiently and a clean filter also means the furnace doesn’t have to work as hard. You also should annually have the ductwork for your heating system checked and cleaned out. If dirty, the warm air from your furnace won’t be able to work as well.
Check those electric outlets and light switch covers
You should also check all your electrical outlets and light switch covers. You may find cold air seeping out from them. If so, you can buy foam inserts to place inside them, which are little pads that insulate the outlets. They also work on light switch outlets.
Use your fans
Believe it or not, fans are also handy in the winter to help keep the house warm. If you have ceiling fans you need to reverse the air direction on them and make sure they are rotating clockwise. This pushes the warm air down and so your rooms stay warmer. In summer, just reverse them back the other way to keep the house cooler.
Close off unused areas
You should also close off any unused rooms or other spaces so you don’t have to heat them, which keeps the rest of the house warm and saves on your energy bill. You can also put something under the doors of these rooms to make sure there are no drafts.
Cover the walls
You can keep heat from escaping through the walls by putting up insulation in the form of photos, posters, clocks, and other types of wall hangings. Bookcases too work great, as not only the furniture itself insulates the wall, but all those books are great insulators too. Or take a tip from the past and hang up some sort of rug or tapestry to both decorate and warm up the walls.
How to keep your toilet seat warm
This tip may not warm the whole house, but it sure will keep your bottom warmer when you have to go to the bathroom. You can either buy a ready-made seat cover that fits over the toilet seat, or for a cheaper option you can use a large pair of socks. Just stretch a sock over each side of the toilet seat and voila! Instant warmth. You can wash the socks regularly to keep things clean.
All in all wintertime can be a time for snow, frozen ice and chilly breezes, but if you use these above tips and suggestions to keep your house warm, then you will be feeling warm and toasty all winter long.