Winter is coming, and whilst that is an exciting time, it can be financially stressful due to the high cost of heating our home. Perhaps you are lucky enough to have wood burning fire, and like a squirrel, you have been foraging for wood, then drying it out over summer, to keep your home snug for the winter.
The majority of us, however, instinctively reach for the dial that turns up the central heating, however, with ever increasing energy prices, this can come at quite a high price. This article offers a few suggestions to help you save costs on heating your home this winter.
TURN DOWN THE THERMOSTAT –
This might sound like an overly simple suggestion, but turn down the thermostat, as when you’re cold the instinct is to set the temperature way beyond what you actually need… and then, you get used to living at this higher temperature. Furthermore, are you setting the temperature so that you’re comfortable in the house wearing your pyjamas or so that you’re comfortable wearing wearing jeans and a jumper? You can probably knock the ambient temperature down a few degrees by simply putting on a jumper.
MAKE USE OF A TIMER –
The majority of modern thermostats come with the ability to programme a timer – meaning the heating will kick in just before you get home, and will turn down, once you are wrapped up snug in bed for the night. There’s no point keeping your house warm all day long, if you’re not going to be there to enjoy the comfort.
LIMIT THE NUMBER OF ROOMS YOU HEAT –
In reality, you probably don’t “live” in every room of our house. If there are a couple of rooms that you don’t use often, consider turning the radiators off in those rooms, as this space that is costing you money.
TAKE A HOT WATER BOTTLE TO BED –
It may seem somewhat Victorian to consider heating the bed with such a low-tech device, but there is something about that smell of warm rubber that brings a childlike comfort to bedtime. Moreover, it’s a very cheap and efficient way to heat up your bed on a cold evening.
ELECTRIC BLANKET –
The downside of a hot water bottle is that it inevitably loses heat throughout the night, whereas an electric blanket, radiates a constant supply of heat to keep you toasty throughout the night – sometimes a little too toasty. An electric blanket consumes a reasonably low amount of energy and, as it’s such a close source of heat, you don’t require much heat to be emitted in order to keep you warm at night.
INSULATE –
Insulate everywhere. Double the insulation you think you need and watch your energy bill reduce. Heat rises, therefore heat tends to escape mostly through the roof. Quite simply, The more insulated your roof is, the more your home will retain its heat, which means the less you will require heat to be generated. There are other areas
ELIMINATE DRAFTS –
Windows can account for nearly a quarter of heat loss. The first step is to find the drafts and then take measures to prevent the heat escaping. The most standard way is to install double (or triple) glazing, but if this is out of your price range, you could use transparent plastic film (which you can find for less than $10) could take up to 14% off your heating bill.
Love,
*This is a collaborative post