In the colder weather there are a number of things you can do to help keep your house warm. This can help wonders in lowering your heating costs and saving you money. If you want to help your wallet out during the cold months then think about making small changes. There are a few things that you can do which will have a great impact. Sometimes you can potentially save thousands of dollars over the year. That is a lot of money to save.
There can be difficulty in keeping a house warm if it is an older home. but there are steps you can take to try and improve things. But keeping the entire space warm isn’t always an easy task. Here are some tips below to consider when you want to try and have an impact. On both your wallet and the heating for the home. Be comfortable all winter by making sure that your home is warm enough for you.
Try A Programmable Thermostat
This is going to help you to make sure that you always have the right temperature that you need. You can keep it lower if you want or set it higher when it gets very cold at certain times. You can change back and forth and do not need it always in one setting. You can program your thermostat to be at the perfect temperature that you need for the day. This is going to help you to save money and be sure that you have the right temperature.
In the morning it is often best to aim for 68 degrees until around 9am. After that until 5:30 pm it is recommended that 60 degrees be sufficient. Then after 5:30 p.m. 68 degrees again is recommended. While you sleep and are in your blankets you can lower it again to around 60 degrees. Making these changes can help to go a long way in making sure you are not setting the heat high when you do not need it. Keeping it lower in the day or during the night is going to help you to maintain the right temperature that you need.
Do Not Be Afraid of Sunlight
Use the sunlight to warm the house and let it in during the day. Capture as much of this free heat that you can as possible. Open your blinds and let that sun shine right on in your home. This can help to warm it up quickly. Even if you will not be home you can still leave the blinds open in a certain area to allow the sun in.
Close Those Curtains Later On
During the night you want to have your curtains closed. This is because you want the heat to be kept inside. The curtains are going to help to keep that heat in once the sun goes down. It can keep the heat from leaving your home through those windows of your home. You might even want to invest in some good insulated curtains if it does get very cold in your area. If you want a small change that can help save heating money, insulated curtains are the answer for you.
Use Your Fireplace
If you are lucky enough to have a fireplace you might think about using it but it might not always be the best idea. Using the fireplace to heat the home is often insufficient. As far as trying to heat up an entire home, the fireplace is not often going to do much good. If you can choose which fireplace you are going to go with then opt for a glass fireplace that can be better at keeping the heat in the home. When the fireplace isn’t in use then keeping the flue closed is also important to keep heat from escaping and cold getting in.
Are You Using Fans?
Do you have any fans in the home? Because if you are using ceiling fans for example them this could impact the heating. Sometimes you can adjust the settings on your ceiling fan to be able to push the heat back down. This can be done by choosing a clockwise-spinning motion setting for the fan. Try it out on a lower speed and see if it helps to keep it warm rather than cool things down for you.
Get Things Away From The Vents
Make sure that your heating vents are not covered up. You can check to see if any furniture is covering the vents and move it if necessary. Go around the home and make sure nothing is blocked for your heating vents. If there is something blocking it then the heating will not work properly and you are throwing money away. Get max heating potential by making sure the vents are not covered in your home.
Consider The Stack Effect
The movement of air around and out of homes is referred to as the stack effect. This stack effect means rising warm air pulls in cool air from outside. This comes in through any gap that there might be in the home. The cold air fuels negative pressure in lower levels. That pressure forms a sort of suction cup when the air escapes and needs to be replaced. In taller homes this is specifically more important to consider. Be aware of the stack effect and be on the lookout for any worrisome gaps. Pay extra attention to areas near doors and windows.
Take Care of Leaks
If there are any leaks in your home then you will want to take care of them. Cover up any gaps so that you can be sure there is no heat that is escaping. You need the home to be well insulated and that includes no unnecessary gaps. Check around the house and make sure there are no leaks you need to deal with.
Close Your Doors
This can be an easy change that goes a long way. Close doors to rooms that you might spend a lot of time in. This can help to keep the heat inside rather than flowing out. Because there is not much way for the heat to escape, closing the door helps create a sort of sauna experience. If you use the door to block the room and prevent that heat from escaping it will help to warm things up more for you.
Don’t be afraid to use a little space heater if you need. These can be a cost effective option that is much cheaper than using a high blast of heat all night long. Opt for a quality space heater that will work for you but use caution. They are great for individual rooms but cannot heat the entire home. There is also risk with them, fire hazard risk etc, so be careful when using any.
You Can Use The Oven
It has been done many times, it is a great option sometimes. Using an oven can help to warm the house especially for rooms that are closest to the kitchen. If you want to then decide to cook a chicken or turkey for a few hours and use the oven to easily heat up the home a little bit more.
If you have wood floors then think about adding more layers to the home. You can use carpets and rugs and they can easily help you to keep things warmer. This is a top option that is more cost effective which makes a big difference for insulation performance.
Adjust Your Radiator
If you want to adjust your radiator then you can consider putting tinfoil on the back of it. This is known to potentially help to reflect the heat. This helps it from floating upwards and leaving. There is certain foil to opt for, special reflective radiator foil to use. Although regular tinfoil is known to work as well. This is a small move to make which could impact the heating results. You can also put a table or a shelf over it, not directly on top of it, to also trap heat.
On the task of heating the home you ultimately want to focus on the individual. Focus on keeping your own self warm because that can be more effective and much cheaper than trying to keep the entire home warm. Put some socks on, use a robe, put warmer clothes on etc, rather than pay to turn up the heat. These are some simple suggestions to take into account when you want to save money and keep things warmer at home.