Meteorological
winter may be over, but the cold is here to stay – for a little while
longer anyway. With the weather not so great and having experienced so
many storms in quick succession over the past few weeks, it can be
challenging to keep your home warm.
There are many things you can do yourself around the house to make sure you beat the chilly weather and keep your house cosy and protected, and the home interiors experts at www.Hillarys.co.uk have compiled a list of their top tips to help you out…
Insulate where needed -
In many cases, older homes have not been fitter with insulation, or at least not correctly.Installing
insulation to attics, walls and flooring will help to conserve heat in
your home, as well as keeping cool air indoors during the summer.
Buy draft excluders -
The
cold air can easily get into your house from under doors and around
doors. So much energy can be lost from heating a hallway or room which
has draughts, so look to invest in a draught excluder and even door
curtains to keep the cold air out and the warm air in.
Check your water pipes -
In
very cold weather, pipes can freeze up and bust causing serious damage
to your home that may cost thousands to repair. To try and stop this,
allow warm air to circulate around exterior pipes. And be sure to check
and test exterior pipes regularly so that you don’t come home to a nasty
surprise should the temperatures drop.
Seal around windows -
Studies
show that up to 30% of all heat loss in a building comes from windows.
Check that you don’t have any unwanted draughts coming into your home
though gaps in and around the windows and via improperly sealed frames.
Caulking the joints of your windows can also help to reduce condensation
appearing on the glass.
Unclog your roof guttering-
Remove
any dead leaves and debris from your gutters so that they can drain
correctly. If not properly maintained, ice can build up and cause an
overflow of water and cause damage.
Check chimneys are clean and animal free -
In
the cold, birds and other animals love to make warm and dry chimneys
their home. When lighting a fire, you should always check for any
animals who have built nests inside the chimney so that you don’t set
fire to debris that could cause issues. You should also do a full clean
of your fireplace after its use, to reduce the risk of creosote build-up
which can lead to uncontrolled fires or respiratory problems. This will
also help to keep your chimney flue circulating properly.
Buy thermal curtains to help keep heat in -
Not only do these types of curtain create a cosy atmosphere, they also help save you money on your heating bills. Designed to keep in the heat, they reduce the amount of air infiltration and transfer of heat by creating a block between the windows and the room. Also be sure that you have curtains that fit properly – those that hang down too long and cover the tops of radiators will push heat behind the curtain and into the blank window space, as opposed to into the room you’re trying to heat.