Ways to stay warm without a heater
Does your home feel like a freezer in winter? Not everyone can afford to rush out and buy a heater or install a fireplace, and there are those that want to reduce their carbon footprint. Whatever your reasons, there are ways to keep a home warm without a heater.
Here are a few tips on warming up a home without switching on a heater:
- Firstly, address those areas where draughts enter the house. This includes loose
window frames, gaps around and at the bottom of doors, loose roof tiles, and anywhere else that needs attention. Your local
Builders Warehouse stocks rubber self-adhesive weatherproofing strips that can be applied around gaps in window frames and doors, as well as draught excluders that are fitted to the bottom of doors. Where the putty or seal on window panes has failed, replace this with new.
- Get a sausage dog - a stuffed one - and place this at the bottom of doors that have largish gaps.
- Allow as much sunlight into your homes as possible during the daytime by removing obstructions. Cut down any overhanging branches or prune large bushes.
- Fit thicker curtains, or add lining, to windows that are south-facing or in rooms that receive little or no sunlight during daylight hours.
- If you have a fireplace but don't use it, cover the front to block off any draughts that come down the chimney.
- If you have an old-style air conditioner that is open to the outside, block off the exterior grills with a sheet of board or plastic.
- Make use of a ceiling fan if it has a reverse function. Hot air rises and a ceiling fan will circulate warm air back into the room.
- Install ceiling insulation. This might cost you for the initial installation, but will keep your house warm in winter and cool in summer.
- Only open windows for fresh air during the warmer part of the day and keep them tightly closed at night. A fanlight window left open slightly will provide plenty of air circulation without losing too much heat.
- Close doors on rooms not in use.
- Use small blankets and throws to snuggle up and keep warm.
- Add a small carpet or rug on floors that are tiled.
- Keep your feet warm with slippers or warm socks. They might not be fashionable but they definitely keep you warm. And be sure to dress up warmly. Wearing a vest or thermal underwear will definitely warm you up.
- A woolly sweater will add 4 degrees of warmth, which is quite a difference in a chilly home. Gone are the days when we simply turn up the thermostat, now it's time to dress up and get warm.
- Keep warm with a hot water bottle. Or make your own small homemade bean-bags filled with rice or beans - heat for one minute in the microwave and use as a heating pad or bed-warmer.
- Did you know that increased humidity will make a significant difference in your comfort level. Whenever you take a shower or bath, leave the warm water in the bathtub to increase the humidity in the air.