Wrap Your Home Up Warm For The Winter
With summer fast disappearing over the horizon we have begun to turn our attention to the crisp and chilly air of winter that will soon be upon us. Regular readers of our blog will know that we love the environment and never stop looking for ways to do our bit to make sure it has the helping hand that it needs to thrive. With that in mind we have decided to read up on how to keep your energy bills down this winter so that you can have the warm and cosy home without the strain on the environment that can come with it.
Insulation Is Key
When you insulate your home you’re making it harder for the heat to escape to the outside. It may sound simple but you would be amazed at how little thought many homes give to this as they bump the central heating up another notch. Whilst grants can be made available for loft cladding for those who qualify, there are many simpler and lower effort ways you can make a difference…
Shut The Curtains
You lose a lot more heat through your windows than your walls. Not convinced? Get up early when there is a chill in the air and put your hand on your interior wall, and then on the inside of the living room window. The window is much colder right? That’s where the heat is leaking out. Investing in a thick pair of floor length curtains and having them closed when the sun goes down in the early evening is a simple way to make a real difference in the living room. You’re trapping in a load of heat from the radiators, or the fire that just took an age to light, and if you invest in an eye-catching design you can inject a bit of seasonal style into the house as well!
Put The Boiler On A Timer
Many of us leave the heating on day and night in the winter, but to be honest that sounds like overkill to us. If you have it turn on when you are on your way home from work you will be able to walk into a warm and cosy house, and you won’t of had to pay to heat it whilst you were out all day! If you are away for the weekend cut back the timers again. An hour a day in the evening is all you’ll need in particularly cold weather to stop your pipes freezing. Before you get on Google and see people in the US doing all sorts to combat ice remember how mild our winters are here in comparison!
Invest In A Log Burner
Whilst they make require a little saving up and a skilled workman to fit, a log burner is a brilliant long term investment for any family home. A ton bag of logs from a renewable source will cost you less than £100 and last for the entire of winter. This greatly reduces the amount you will spend on coal, and cuts down on your gas and electricity bills at the same time. Not only that, but it also makes for a rewarding and satisfying thing to do when you get in from a day at work and want to do something that occupies your mind and uses your hands for five minutes.
Draught Excluders
Fitting draught excluders to your outer doors and the letter box is great way of stopping those annoying chills that seem to find their way into whichever room you are sat in with ease.
These are just a couple of quick and easy ideas that we came up with after an afternoon of reading up. With winter on the way we guarantee that your home will feel that little bit more cosy, and cost significantly less to run, when you work a few of these ideas into your day.
