Carry on Beautiful!

When the colder weather comes around, which it is certainly well on the way to, we are all looking for ways to keep warm. It can cost a lot to heat a home in the winter, so we want to be as cost-effective as possible. It is also a good idea to think of ways that we can be as environmentally friendly as possible. Just switching on all of our light bulbs and turning up the thermostat can have a great effect. It is helping us, but is it going to be productive long term? So here are a few ideas that will not only help to keep your home warm but help it to reduce your carbon footprint.

Cover Your Windows

A lot of us will know that we can lose a lot of heat through our windows. If you don’t have double glazing, then it is something that you should consider. You might not have the budget for it this winter, though. So one of the best things we can do is to over our windows; even if you have got double glazing! So cover them up with shades or old curtains. Thick materials, like flannel, fleece or velvet or best. So gather up some blanket if you haven’t got any old curtains to use. It gives your windows another layer of insulation. That makes it harder for the heat in your home to escape. This will hopefully mean that you are reducing how often you put your heating on. Saving you money as well as the environment. Theres also some sort of plastic you can stick on your windows that acts like a fake double glazing, though I don’t know much about it.

Get a Log Burner

In winter, it can be a good idea to focus on keeping one or two rooms toasty warm. You could do this by using a log burner. An open fire would also do the same, but isn’t ideal if you have small children or pets, I just know that my cats would end up with no whiskers! Keeping the kitchen or living room area nice and warm, will mean you don’t need to use the heating. It is a natural way to heat yourselves too. Just make sure that you stock up on firewood to use. Somewhere like Firewood Bristol even delivers it to you, which is perfect if you are running low and don’t fancy trekking out in the cold to stock up!

Keep Doors Closed

If you have all rooms in the home open, the heat in the home will spread throughout the home. Overall you will have a warm home, but it will take a lot of heating to get it to the desired temperature. If you keep doors closed, then the heat can’t get into those unused rooms as easily. Then the heat can stay in the rooms that you are using. It might even be a good idea to seal any gaps in the doors of the unused rooms with draft excluders or rolled up blankets. The more you can keep the heat in one or two rooms, the better.
Keeping warm certainly, doesn’t have to cost a lot. It also doesn’t have to take it’s toll on the environment. So making a few small changes in the home can make such a difference. Remember that it really is important to keep warm now that its getting really cold out, the last thing you want is to get ill! 

-Dana