How to keep your house warm this winter

HOW TO KEEP YOUR HOUSE WARM AND SAVE MONEY ON ENERGY COSTS

So this week it’s gotten really cold out there. Like, seriously guys, it’s freezing! But you know what? I actually kind of love it. There’s something really cozy about bundling up and going outside to enjoy the fresh air. However, once you’re inside it’s a whole different story. Apparently, according to the Office for National Statistics, one of the biggest expenses for families is heating their homes. So this year, more than ever, it’s important that we find ways to keep warm while also saving some cash. Since lots of us are working from home now too, it’s key that we figure out how to make our homes hold onto heat better, without driving up our energy bills. In order to save money on heating and stay warm, it’s important that you take steps to reduce the heat loss from your home. There are loads of simple (and cheap) things that you can do to use your heat more efficiently and to retain the heat you create.

1 TURN THE THERMOSTAT DOWN

Every single degree you lower your thermostat could save you several pounds per week. Turning your heating down as little as one degree can help save as much as £55 a year. Experts recommend 18C as an ambient level, rather than a costly 20C or 25C. So give it a try turning it down a bit, even by a degree or two, especially when you’re in the house all day. If you opt to do this, you will save money. But how do you make sure you are also keeping your home warm enough? 2 REARRANGE YOUR FURNITURE

It might sound obvious, but directly blocking your radiators with furniture will trap in heat, and prevent it from making the room nice and toasty. If you can, move your furniture clear from the radiators, and let the heat radiate out into the room. This will help increase the heat in your home without having to turn up the thermostat.

All those little holes letting air into your home are making a big difference to the warmth of your house and your energy bills. So, it’s time to cover them all up. You can do this on the cheap by using gaffer tape to seal cracks in floors and walls and cracks around windows, while the bottoms of doors can be blocked with old clothes or towels. Or you can go all out and buy draught-excluders to plug any gaps. It’s estimated that this could save you around £20/year on energy bills, and help you better control the temperature of your home. 4 GET YOUR BOILER SERVICED

Heating your home using oil is a very efficient fuel. However this is only the case if your boiler is working efficiently. We recommend that you get your boiler serviced every 12 months to ensure that everything is running smoothly and safely. We usually recommend that you do this in Autumn (before the Winter season), but if you’ve not done it yet it’s not too late. 5 OPEN YOUR CURTAINS DURING THE DAY

While opening your curtains during the day can help warm up the room. Closing them as soon as the sun drops will help to retain any heat that has been created. Heavy weight curtains work best, or you can even invest in thermal curtains to keep the heat in.

7 LEAVE THE OVEN DOOR OPEN AFTER COOKING

You’ve got to eat. And the oven is naturally one of the hottest places in your home. So why not utilise that heat to warm your home? An oven full of 200C air released into the kitchen is the perfect way to stave off the cold in the evening especially if you have an open plan kitchen-diner. Also try to think of how you use the oven, and make the best use of it. Having it on for an hour and a half just for one solitary jacket potato is not the best use of energy. Check what everyone in the house wants for dinner before switching the oven on, and consider bulk cooking by putting in a casserole, pie or crumble that you can then freeze, along with your main meal, to make best use of all that heat.

Yes, we get precious little sun during the Winter months in Scotland. But, what little sun we do get can help to heat up your home without increasing your energy bills. Make sure you open those curtains in the morning to let the light and the heat in. It’s an efficient and totally free way to get some more heat in your house.