Home, Sustainability, Sustainability
Winter Warm – Tips for a energy efficient Winter
Winter time is almost here and this year we’re all likely to be spending more time at home, increasing our energy usage and money we spend. For this reason, we’ve come up tips for all budgets on how we can get that winter warmth we need.
Making home or apartment insulation improvements should be the number 1 priority to keep in that precious warm air. So first, FIND THOSE COLD SPOTS AND AREAS OF HEAT ESCAPING – Checking for draughts between doors, windows or other holes. You can often put your hands close to suspect locations and you should be able to feel cold air from outside. Any small breezes or cold surfaces are likely to be involved with escaping heat.
1. BIG BUDGET? GIVE YOUR HOUSE AN UPGRADE
Now we have to think about budget and really needs doing. If your budget is high, consider investing in loft insulation, energy efficient windows, cavity wall insulation or more efficient front doors. Money spent sooner on poor insulation can make big savings on energy bills over the longer term and once installed you can feel more comfortable that you’re not overpaying
Tip. It’s likely cheaper to try and complete this before the winter months set in, when demand for professional installers is lower.
SMALLER BUDGET Try these handy tips
2. Draught excluders create seals around windows and doors
These are foam or rubber strips that fill in gaps around windows and doors and are relatively inexpensive and simple to install. Think of them as seals that fill in any slits where air could escape. These work well to insulate between rooms or from the outside completely without specialist help. Often available from any good DIY store these are almost a no brainer if you suspect air is passing around windows or doors.
3. Window Film or Clingfilm on windows can make it warmer (yes, really!)
Did you know you can purchase film or even use clingfilm to keep your house warm?
By applying a thin plastic (sorry!) sheet to windows it can create a secondary barrier from the outside elements. How does it work, well by applying a film to your windows your effectively giving your windows an extra temporary glaze. Although it can’t compare to new efficient windows it can help seal in small gaps, and make a thin layer of air separating the outside cold air from the inside warm air.
There are specific window films available for this process that can be temporarily heated or sealed to windows in the cold months. But, alternatively cling film is a cheaper everyday alternative worth trying that has been known to work.
4. Foil behind radiators can make rooms warmer
The idea with this is that by including a reflective material on the wall behind a radiator you’re reflecting the heat back into the room, not heating the wall itself. We gave this a try and found the wall to be colder when foil was being used – so we can only assume some heat was reflected back into the room.
5. Thick Heavy Curtains or Drapes are more important than you think
Heavy fabrics in front of windows can also prevent heat and light escaping. During the day try and keep them open to try and get in as much of the suns heat as you can and close them in the evening to prevent it from escaping. We did this in our apartment a couple of years ago and we have felt the difference.
6. Rugs can do more than feel soft under your feet
Like loft insulation prevents heat from escaping upwards, if you have cold and hard floors it can create an extra layer to prevent heat escaping through the floor keeping for our feet that little bit warmer. To be a little cheeky if you live higher it’s possible that the rooms or apartments below you may in fact heat up your own flat by the heat escaping into yours..
7. Heatable soft toys are the new water bottles
Warmies are the world’s first full heatable soft toys. Put them in the microwave and have heat for 40-45 mins. These are a great alternative to hot water bottles and a great idea for an early night. What’s also great is that the main heating element in a Warmie is heating flaxseeds – not plastic as might be expected.
8. Layer up and Wrap up
Don’t underestimate simply grabbing hold of those thick winter jumpers, layering up and getting those thick toasty blankets out. You might also consider getting yourself some thick winter socks. Just remember where you can always try and use sustainable, plastic free materials when you can.
9. Create moments of activity
This might be a little hard when you’re working an 8-hour shift from home in front of a computer, but anything that increases your heart rate slightly will warm you up and minimise the amount of energy needed to keep warm. Try walking around every hour or so to make yourself a little warmer.
But, what about heating itself – what should you do?
This is a wide question and depends on your situation. It could include anything from switching your energy tariff to choosing the type of energy you use, the energy rates you’re charged, how much you use, and at what times you use it – it demands it’s own article itself so we’ll follow up on this one down the line.
