The leaves are turning colour, and the 'sweater weather' is upon us! This means that Spooky Season is here, Christmas is close & we get to wear cozy sweaters 24/7. This also means that we spend more money on keeping our home warmer for the next 6-ish months ! So, I've come up with plenty of ways to keep your budget happy while keeping your home nice and cozy :)!! Let me know if you have any other ideas I can add or if you tried any of my suggestions!
CURTAINS!; In the winter, if you stand by the window, even if there are no gaps or air flow, you'll notice a chilly feel because windows are not insulated as well as walls (obviously), and while they might be double thick (two panes to protect and insulate more efficiently) they can still let the cold IN and the heat OUT. Nice thick 'black out' curtains actually help to lock in the heat within the home and keep out the cold air! You'll want to leave them open during the Sunny days for the nice, natural light as well as heat that gets drawn from the Sunshine (free heat) but then in the evening or on gloomier days, close them & they'll act as an extra insulation from the elements (rain, cold, snow). Pro tip: get the thick curtains that reach the floor.
THERMOSTAT TIMERS; If you work from home this may not be an option you can take full advantage of because you'll want to keep the home warm all day long, however if you work shifts or are gone a majority of the day, this tip can be incredibly useful. You would simply set the timer to reduce or turn off the heat at the beginning of your shift or an hour or so prior to you leaving the house in the morning ! This will reduce your heating costs by not heating your home while nobody is there. Then, have your timer set to turn on an hour prior to you returning home so it's nice and comfortable once you get home. No point in heating the home while you aren't there to enjoy the heat that is pretty costly! Pro Tip: Go buy a smart thermostat because then you can turn it on and off by your phone app :)!
MOVE FURNITURE!; Weird tip right? But actually, when your furniture is located super close to the heat course (vents, radiator etc) it tends to absorb the heat and while it might feel cozy while sitting on the sofa (or other furniture piece) it actually ends up costing so much more because then the furniture will absorb the heat meaning its not contributing to the temperature of the room(s) overall and therefore, your furnace or radiators have to work much harder and pump more heat out into the home to achieve the desired temperature overall. Pro Tip: rearrange your furniture so that every once in a while when you want to sit by the heat source, you can pull a cozy chair over to the area easily but can move it when you aren't in the mood to sit there!
MAXIMIZE INSULATION!; so, on average, 25-35% of heat is typically lost through the roof, similar to how humans lose or gain heat through their heat or feet. If you add a layer of 25 cm or more insulation in the loft space in the roof, you'll be able to significantly reduce the heat loss and retain more heat through out the home. this COULD become costly, however, sometimes only certain areas need extra insulation AND there are often government and energy company based incentives where they will contribute to or refund the price of the extra insulation because it adds to home efficiency. You should check out what's in your area as well as (pro tip) get multiple quotes for the work to have the insulation installed.
WRAP YOUR WARMTH!; This sounds strange but its efficient! If you have a water heater tank - properly insulate it so that the already heated water stays warmer for longer! That way you don't re-heat the same water. PRO TIP: Consider getting a tank less (also called on-demand) Water Heater. This will produce hot water only as needed. Not only do you get water as needed rather than a 'heat and wait' source but you will have no shortage of hot water because it isn't a tank that could potentially run out of water.
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