When wintry weather strikes, keeping your home warm and cosy is a number one priority. No matter if you work from home each day or you’re spending more time at home than usual this year, making sure you stay comfortable will help you enjoy your home more than ever, as well as helping you make the most of the winter months you spend wrapped up. If you’re feeling the cold, try turning the heat up in your home with these simple steps.
Check for any necessary boiler repairs
If your boiler isn’t up to scratch, there’s a good chance your energy bills will shoot up, without you feeling the benefit of a warm and cosy home. The first thing to do if this scenario sounds familiar is to check out your boiler pressure. If your pressure is too low or too high, your boiler will drastically reduce in efficiency, meaning your heating system is having to work much harder to warm your home. To check your boiler pressure, simply take a look at the dial on your boiler or thermostat. If it’s outside the green zone, you’ll need to repressurise the system. This task can be carried out without too much difficulty, but if you’re uncertain, it’s always best to get a professional in to make sure the job’s done properly.
Bleed your radiators
Once you’ve checked your boiler pressure, it’s a good idea to bleed your radiators. Regularly bleeding your radiators every few months will mean you can always enjoy the benefits of your central heating, without any nasty surprises when a cold snap comes along. If your radiators aren’t maintained, warm air won’t circulate properly, leaving your rooms in danger of losing heat much more quickly. Luckily, this is a simple job you should be able to carry out easily by yourself, and is one of the most effective ways to help your home feel warmer for longer.
Place foil behind your radiators
Next up, try placing foil or a radiator guard behind each of your radiators. Insulating your home in this way works particularly well for those radiators placed underneath your windows, by stopping heat escaping outside, and instead directing the warm air back into your room. This way, you can feel a noticeable difference in the heat coming from your radiators in whichever room you’re using, without the worry of an expensive heating bill at the end of each month.
Block all draughts
Find yourself shivering even when the heating’s on full blast? Especially on windy days, your windows, doors and even letterboxes can let warm air out, and icy draughts in. To stop this from happening, inspect your home thoroughly for any unexpected gaps in your exteriors. Closing doors to rooms that aren’t in use, shutting dampers in your bathrooms, using draught excluders for each of your exterior doors and carefully sealing any worn windows will make a noticeable difference to how warm you feel each day.
Invest in cosy rugs and blankets
Keeping your home warm doesn’t have to happen solely behind the scenes – it can give you the chance to change up your interior design too. One of the most effective ways to keep your feet warm is to layer up on fluffy rugs, especially if your floorboards are bare. Introducing warm rugs, soft furnishings and cosy blankets into each room in your home helps you feel snuggly and warm when it’s cold outside, at no extra cost.
Make the most of natural light
On the days when the sun does shine in winter, make the most of it! Sunlight is a great free way to heat your home, letting you enjoy feeling warm and cosy without spending a single penny on your heating bill. While the sun is out, let it spill into as many of your rooms as possible, and be sure to shut your curtains after to ensure the warmth doesn’t escape back outside. Natural light has been proven to have a positive impact on your mood too, so you can enjoy a mental boost alongside warm fingers and toes.