Losing heat in your home is just one of the ways you can end up wasting money. If your house is not very good at trapping heat, you will be wasting your hard-earned cash on expensive heating bills. If you’re looking to save money — and you also want to keep your home nice and toasty throughout the year — here are some top tips for keeping the elements well and truly outdoors.
New Double-Glazing
Nowadays, you would be hard-pressed to find a relatively modern house without double-glazing. However, not all double-glazed windows are built equal and technology has moved along quite a bit since the era of double-glazing salesmen in the 80’s. There are now triple-glazed options and most modern-made windows are effectively sealed against the elements. If your windows have started to fill up with steam, this is a good sign that your old double-glazing needs replacing.
Modern Fireplaces
Admittedly, there’s something very charming about an old-fashioned fireplace with logs burning inside of it during the winter. However, anyone who has had one of these fireplaces will know the mess that a down-draught can cause on a smoking fire. Nowadays, glass-fronted versions help to balance out the effect of draughts from the flue, meaning your living room will be kept warm without the threat of a sudden cold wind. Balanced flue gas fires are perhaps some of the best ways of maximising the heat output.
Insulation
If you have an older home that was built with cavity walls, then you should absolutely consider getting these filled. Most modern homes come built with insulation and so retrofitting is the only way to improve insulation on older builds. Getting your loft and cavity walls properly filled with foam and other materials will do your home wonders in terms of comfort.
Little Fixes
If you can’t afford substantially large changes to your home, then there are little amendments you can make. Opting for winter bedding will keep you nice and snug during the night time and it will help avoid the need to run the heating while you sleep — which in a way, is wasting heat and money. In the meantime, taking a hot water bottle to bed will keep you nice and warm while you sleep and will help to trap extra heat in your bedding.
Otherwise, the best way to insulate your home and keep it much warmer in the winter is to cover all gaps where the air can escape. Covering keyholes, layering your curtains and covering old wooden floors with rugs will keep draughts at bay.
When it comes to keeping your home warm, there are short- and long-term investments to make. New winter bedding and rugs will keep your home warm and cosy for short periods of time, but long-term investments may take more finance. However, there is absolutely something to be said about putting the money aside to insulate your home effectively and replace old, ineffective double-glazing that isn’t trapping indoor heat.
