Energy-Saving Ways to Keep Your Home Warm This Winter

September 09, 2024

Five Energy-Saving and Cost-Effective Ways to Keep Your Home Warm This Winter

As winter nears, the cold and wet weather is sure to come with it, which means turned-up thermostats, wild weather, and potential damages to your home. Inadequate preparation for the cold winter months can result in exorbitant energy bills and discomfort for everyone under your roof. Luckily, there are several do-it-yourself solutions that can help make the winter months cozy and comfy. Read on for five energy-saving and cost-effective ways to keep your home warm this winter.

1. Close Up Draught Sources

As far as keeping the cold out goes, we’ve all been told to close the window or shut the door (“Were you raised in a barn?”), but there are several other draught sources that can let the cold in and suck the heat out during the winter. Perhaps the largest of these is the chimney (for homes that have one). In order to stop your chimney from letting out heat, simply a place a cheap, easy-to-install, and highly-effective chimney balloon up your fireplace in your chimney. Other draught sources that should be covered include letterboxes, keyholes, and cat/dog doors. Letterbox draughts can be mitigated by an extra “brush,” while keyholes can be covered with circular keyhole covers sold in most hardware stores. For pet doors, use a piece of wool, insulation, or a rolled-up blanket.

2. Clear Your Radiators and Heat Vents

Any heating professional will tell you that objects in front of a radiator or heat vent will inhibit its heat from reaching other regions of the home. Keep furniture and other objects away from heat sources to maximize your heating system’s capabilities and keep your energy costs low.

3. Shut Unused Rooms

More space to heat means more energy to heat it. Keeping doors to unused rooms closed will prevent cold air from moving into the rest of your home. This habit will also contain the heat you’ve already generated in a smaller area.

4. Cover Bare Floorboards

Floors can account for as much as a 10% of heat loss in a room if they’re not insulated. An easy fix? Roll out that old rug of yours. Or, for those looking to make a long-term investment, carpeting serves as an excellent floor insulator.

5. Set Timers on Heating

Having your heat on while you’re not home won’t help you feel any warmer. Keep it off while you’re away. Better yet, program your thermostat to turn off 15-30 minutes after you’ve fallen asleep — you’ll be warm and dreaming under the covers by that point anyway. Many thermostats installed and serviced today have built-in tools that make them easily programmable to shut off after a certain time of temperature is reached.

Contact A Heating Professional To Learn More

To learn more about how you can keep your home warm during winter in the most energy-efficient way possible, contact an expert on the subject. Local heating installation and servicing professionals will have a wealth of tips, tricks, and maintenance advice to help you get the most out of your home’s heat.