🔥 Stay Toasty for Less: Budget-Friendly Winter Readiness Guide 🔥

Over the coming weeks I'm going to be exploring a number of areas such-as keeping warm, cost savings, energy efficiency and support available.

Heating spaces covers 65% of our overall energy use in the home so I’m going to begin by focusing on this area.

Heat loss in the home

There are 5 main places in which heat is lost:

• Roof 22%
• Walls 35%
• Windows 10%
• Drafts 15%
• Floor 15%

There are ways we can reduce these. Some are costly, but others are not. So, as we enter the colder months, I thought I’d begin with some low-cost measures for getting prepared and tips for keeping warm.

Draft proofing

Warm air naturally gravitates to the cold. Ensuring any gaps or cracks are blocked can really help to keep your home warm. Although, it’s important to ensure you have sufficient ventilation in the home to avoid damp. Ventilation is more important in areas such as your kitchen, bathroom or a room with an open fire or flume.

You can identify drafts by listening for rattling or whistling or seeing a curtain moving. A couple of key areas might be doors, windows and pipes that go to outside walls.

So, how can we draft proof our home?

Windows:

• Foam strips that are self-adhesive. These are cheap and easy to put in place but don’t tend to last too long.
• Plastic/metal strips with wipers or brushes attached tend to last longer but cost a little bit more.
• For windows that don’t open, you can use silicone sealant.

Secondary window glazing

This can be a cost-effective way to add extra glazing to your window without fully replacing it.

You can purchase fixed systems for windows that don’t need to be opened or sliding for easy access to the original window. And the great news is, some of these are DIY, saving the expense of installation. The cost of secondary glazing is wide ranging depending on what level you want to go for.

Other ways to protect your window areas from heat loss is installing blinds or nets and switching to long floor-reaching curtains which are much better than shorter curtains.

Doors:

• A brush or hinged flap can be applied to the bottom or a door.
• Keyhole cover that drops a metal disk over the keyhole.
• For gaps around the edges, foam, brush or wiper strips can be added.
• A letterbox flap or brush

Internal doors should not be draught proofed however keeping doors closed will help to keep your rooms warm.

There should be a gap beneath internal doors to make sure you get sufficient air flow throughout your home, but you can use items like this lovely door stop on occasion.

You can find out more about draft proofing different areas of the home, here - Draught proofing - Energy Saving Trust

Chimney Balloon

If you have a chimney not in use, you could install a balloon which can cost between £16 and £40

Before bed

Close the curtains at dusk to reduce heat escaping ready for when you go to bed. If you have radiators behind them, it’s a good idea to tuck the curtains behind these where possible.

Do you have a winter duvet? Using a thicker tog in the colder months will help to keep you warm. As will blankets (especially heated blankets), and rugs in place on cold floors.