Winter is here! Improve your home and stay warm by trying our six easy and cheap ways to make your property warmer this winter.
A large amount of your home’s heat is lost through glass doors and windows. Luckily there’s an easy way to stop the flow of heat out of your windows – by simply covering them up with thick curtains.
Thermal curtains can be found at any decent home design store, plus they’re usually much cheaper than other measures such as double glazing.
If your home isn’t properly insulated, heat will pour out of it like water in a sieve. That’s why you should prioritise checking out your insulation, and make improvements or additions to it if it’s not installed or in poor condition.
If you know someone who’s knowledgeable and happy to check your insulation – perfect. If not, it’s worth getting a qualified assessor in to have a look and to let you know where it can be improved. This shouldn’t set you back more than a few hundred dollars, but it could be invaluable when keeping your home warm this winter.
If your home isn’t properly insulated heat will pour out of it like water in a sieve.
If you added up the heat loss from all the gaps and cracks in the average home, it’d be the equivalent of leaving a 1 metre by 1.5 metre window open all the time, according to Environment Victoria.
Solve this problem yourself in a few hours, and by spending less than $40. All you’ll need is gap filler from your local hardware store and the time to go over every surface of your home in detail, filling any cracks or gaps that you see. When you’re done, it could also be worth popping door snakes under your exterior exits to keep drafts from coming in.
Keep the blinds or curtains on south facing windows shut, as these won’t see much sun.
When keeping your home warm for cheap, the sun is your best friend. Make use of it by leaving blinds open during the day on the northern, eastern and Western sides of your property – where the most intense sunlight usually hits.
Instead of blocking warming UV light, open windows will let it pour in. If your home is well-insulated and you don’t leave anything open, that sunlight could be enough to keep your home warm throughout the day and into the night.
Keep in mind, it’s best to keep the blinds or curtains on south facing windows shut, as these won’t see much sun throughout the day.
Homes with wood or concrete underfoot tend to lose a lot of heat through their floors.
Carpeting is the best option, however, it can be expensive and time consuming to install. The next best thing could be to use rugs on your floor – the thicker and fluffier the better. By using just a few rugs in your main living areas, you could decrease heat loss through the floor dramatically.
Focus on keeping you and your family happy, healthy and warm this winter.
The end goal of any heating and insulation efforts should be to keep you and your family warm – not your house. Focus on the people you’re trying to keep warm by shutting doors and heating the smaller areas that people spend the most time in.
Place strategic throws and blankets around the home, on couches, chairs and in reading nooks. Invest in a good warm and comfortable cardigan or jumper so that you can stay toasty while you’re waiting for the heating to kick in. Or go a step further and use a smart system to control your heat pumps and set them to turn on an hour before you get home.
Whatever you do, make sure you focus on keeping you and your family happy, healthy and warm this winter. Making the right small changes will make all the difference, and could even add to the value of your home.
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