With the cold weather firmly settling in, many will be wondering how to keep themselves on without having to rely on the heating all the time.
Household bills have skyrocketed recently so it's understandable that people are wary about their energy usage. But having a cold home can result in a number of problems, from structural to health, so it's important that you still keep warm.
To help with this, one expert has revealed some of his top tips for slashing bills and staying warm at the same time, reports the Express.
And one of them is as simple as using your curtains to get the most out of the heat in your home.
David Miloshev, certified electrician from Fantastic Services, said: "There are a surprising amount of clever little tricks you can use to keep yourself warmer and your bills lower. I’ve gathered some of the best ones for you to have in mind."
He's encouraging people to be extra smart with their blinds and curtains. According to him, you should be keeping them open during the hours of the day when the sun is shining directly towards them.
Then, as the sun starts to set, closing them again will create an insulating layer that will keep in all the free solar heat from during the day.
Here, David has shared a couple of other household hacks for more warmth and lower bills this winter.
Covering draughty openings
A cold breeze can often come in from windows or beneath the floors if there are gaps that aren't covered.
And these can steal "priceless" heat from your home, according to the expert.
He suggested using draught excluders for doors and windows that have gaps where air could get in. Other areas like keyholes, oven vents and electrical work could also be letting in draughts, so be sure to get the right insulators for each specific place.
Don't heat an empty or sleeping home
According to the expert, homes don't need to be too warm when they're empty or if the owner is asleep. Instead, you should turn the heating down a few degrees overnight of if you're leaving home for any length of time.
Although this lowers your bills, people may not want to get up in the morning to a cold house. In this case, David suggests investing in a smart thermostat so you can keep track of your heating easier.
“It learns when you’re sleeping or not at home and automatically controls the temperature for you," he added.
Insulate as much as possible
If you have an attic, there's a good chance this is where a lot of your home's heat is escaping from - even though they're great for storage.
To stop this, people could add between 100 and 200mm of insulation on the attic floor to stop the heat from transferring.
You might also want to lay down rugs to stop the heat escaping through the floor, or even use bubble wrap as an effective way to insulate your windows.
Increase humidity
The inside air is very dry during winter, which can result in our home's heating causing our skin to become cracked and damaged.
To help with this, David suggests raising the humidity inside, as it'll make the air feel warmer too. You can do this by having well-watered houseplants, drying your laundry indoors and placing shallow water containers near your radiators.
It can also be really effective to keep the door open after showering, and let the steam waft around your home.
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