The cost of living crisis is affecting us all. Some may feel they can’t turn their heating on for fear of the cost, but we can all make changes to help us keep warm without turning the heating on. With winter well and truly here it seems only right that we band together and shares any useful tips and tricks to keeping warm without heating this winter, in a simple and cost-effective way.
A barrier between the cold and you
Apart from the obvious solution of wrapping up in fleece pyjamas, fluffy socks, blankets, and generally layering up, there are many simple ways to create a barrier between you and the cold.
Wood flooring may be highly desirable. However, you may notice feeling slightly cooler than you would in a carpeted room. A room will lose some of its heat through the floor, so even an inexpensive rug will make that bit of difference.
Windows and external walls will always be colder so moving your sofa and other furniture slightly away from the wall is another great way to prevent that cool air by creating a barrier.
Curtains are a great way to keep your house warm. The thicker the better, but anything will do to cover the draft being brought in by a window (or external door). Keeping your curtains drawn is an incredibly effective way of keeping the heat inside your home and the cold outside where it belongs. Studies have shown that drawing blinds at dusk can reduce heat loss by 13-14% and curtains by 15-17%.
Lighting
Lighting is an element to your home that can be easily overlooked as a method to feel warm and cosy. This can be done in various ways, for example using candles. Candles are very soothing and the orange flickering glow of a candle’s flame creates a sense of warmth to any space instantly. Candles will even add a tiny bit of warmth – they create light by making heat, so they may contribute to warming you up a bit, but you would need a lot of candles to heat a whole room. It doesn’t have to be a top-of-the-line candle, either. Even the humble tealight can create the same effect for a fraction of the cost.
Another way you can aid the illusion of warmth is switching the lights in your home for light bulbs with more yellow/orange tones. You can do this by changing the lightbulbs to ones with a warmer hue, these tend to have a lower Kelvin rating (rating determining the temperature of the light) at between 2700-3000k. If this feels like a slightly more costly method, you can alternatively purchase a set of LED light strips which are cheap to run, readily available and customisable in terms of colour so you can create all the warm tones you wish for less.
Utilise already used energy
By utilising energy you have already used such as heat from the oven, you’re getting the most out of your heating bill. You’ve just used your oven to cook you and your family dinner and are sitting down to eat when you notice how cold the room is. Instead of just shutting the oven door and leaving it to cool down, leave the door open and feel the heat flood the room. The oven is off so you’re not spending anything more, but now have a warm dinner and a warm family!
Using some, if not all, of these methods, can keep costs down and keep warm during this difficult time. By creating a barrier between you and the cool air, creating a warmer lighting arrangement and utilising already used energy, together we can beat the cold.
