3 Tips for Keeping the House Warm in Winter

I’m living in fear of snow this week. Last years snow drifts, while beautiful and temporarily fun to play in before the ice cold creeps into your bones, has left me willing and wishing the weather man will say we’ve escaped with a sprinkling of the white stuff. When I was five, I longed for snow. At 35, not so much. Indoors I stay. Indoors I do my best to keep warm. But I’m also living in fear of the oil running out before I can top up the tank. Which got me thinking about how the cold seeps into our house on days like these. Practical as ever, I have a few tips for keeping the house warm without leaving the heat on all day.

House warm winter

Shut It All Up

Our windows have a sneaky knack of letting in a few drafts. The gentle whistle of the banshee, singing her tune, is hypnotising when the wind picks up. The constant cool air filters in through the smallest gap. I’ve wanted new windows for quite a while but the cost of replacement windows is a little outside of our budget at the moment. Window prices have come down in recent years so my dream of triple glazing won’t be too far off hopefully.

In the meantime, shut up shop. I have used foam draft excluder tape around our windows. It works. Temporaily. And will probably need to be replaced before I can get new windows installed. When the wind really kicks up, the blinds are pulled and the curtains dragged across to muffle any drafts cooling the air. This isn’t always convenient though especially when despite it being cold the sun is shining and you want it to filter into your home.

I keep doors closed to keep the heat in and warn everybody to close doors behind them. We didn’t grow up in a barn afterall. Draft excluders are on the bottom of the doors too. Keep that heat in! But keep your vents open. You may find the house cold, but ventilation is just as important too.

Layer Up

I may be turning into my mother, but I layer up these days and Little Miss is taking after me. She comes home from school and puts on warm jumpers, toasty bottoms and sits under a blanket until she warms up. She then proceeds to ask for an ice pop so I’m not fully sure what is going on there! But on cold days like these you will probably see me with an Aran jumper, knitted by my mum, and a possible cardigan over that. I will have two pairs of regular socks, two pairs of slipper socks, and my slippers on too! Why not! We lose heat through our head and feet! If I could get away with wearing a hat, I would. I don’t have any hair to keep me warm as it is.

So layer up and stay warm without having the heat blasting all day long.

Be Heat Practical

Being heat practical is probably the best way to maintain the heat in your house. As soon as the heat is turned off, you will feel the cool air buzzing around your ears. Maintaining the heat that has built up in the house will see you save money. We use tinfoil sheets at the back of our radiators to stop the heat from disappearing into the cold walls. Radiators are kept free from furniture and objects for the same reason. Let that heat circulate. The chimney is blocked up as we rarely use the open fire. Heat finds its way out through the smallest gap so close it up. But remember to unblock it before you go to use it again. Use the timer on your heat to keep it topped up before it goes too cold. Heat rises so make sure the attic is insulated and dont forget about the trap door which is often forgotten.

Little measures to take down a large bill and keep your shoulders warm. There are plenty of ways to keep your home winter warm and toasty. Tell me your tips and save me more money!

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