Soft sweaters, cozy evenings, pretty coats, and an overdose of coffee and hot chocolate, all giving us amazing winter vibes, is a dream come true.
As summers bid farewell, it’s time to welcome the winter season and consider keeping your home warm during the winter. Does insulation pop an idea? Also, you don’t have to turn up all the radiators in your house on full blast to keep your sweet home cozy. In other words, spending on energy bills is not the only solution for staying comfortable at home.
With that said, there are many ways of keeping your home warm and cozy without spending a fortune; some are as follows.
#1 Get a Portable Fireplace
From early November into March, Montana is really cold. The state is known for experiencing extreme temperatures, snowfalls, and blizzards. Expect temperatures between minus 35 -50. Knowing how bad it gets, most heating systems stop working, which makes spending time with friends and family really challenging.
Even the old-faithful fireplace won’t do much once it gets freezing. So, if you live in a beautiful city like Billings, check your fireplace for issues. Look for fireplace Billings MT on the internet to find reliable help.
#2 Hang Durable, Heavy Window Curtains
You may like the light-colored, thin curtains during summer, but these curtains can do a severe disservice to your home when the temperature drops. Thus, one of the ways to keep your house warm during the winter season is to switch out these thin curtains with durable, heavier drapes. This helps keep the chilling breeze out and the warm air in.
Moreover, keep the drapes open during the daytime until 3 PM to take advantage of our most effective natural heater: the Sun! Keeping the curtains and blinds open during daylight lets the sunlight in and helps keep the temperature up without spending any money.
#3 Use of Humidifiers
We all know humid air gives off a warmer feeling than dry air. Thus, the easiest way to stay warm during the winter months is to use a humidifier. It helps maintain a warm and comfortable environment.
Using fireplaces and appliances usually sucks out the air’s humidity and dries up your house’s atmosphere. The dry air leads to dehydration, irritability, and even respiratory problems.
Thus, a humidifier efficiently prevents such issues and maintains the perfect humidity level to help you stay comfortable during winter. However, it would be best if you used the humidifier with utmost care as too much humidity in your house (50% or more) can be bad for your health as it gives rise to mold and bacteria growth.
#4 Upgrade Your Thermostat
Upgrading your thermostat or getting a modern one helps you use your central heating system efficiently. With a quality digital thermostat, you can set the required temperature more accurately than an analog, outdated counterpart.
Furthermore, a programmable or smart thermostat can help you access various money-saving features like holiday mode, geofencing, eco mode, and more. All these functions help minimize fuel expenses while maximizing comfort at your home.
As an added perk, today’s intelligent thermostats allow you to control heating inputs right from your smartphone.
#5 Insulate Your Walls
Did you know almost half of the heat generated in a house escapes through doors, walls, and windows? Therefore, it is wise to insulate all of your walls to keep the heat in. This also helps reduce energy expenses, keeping the inside atmosphere toasty.
The easiest way to do so is to use polystyrene beads. It is an increasingly common insulation material that can be fitted in wall cavities. However, if your house’s construction doesn’t allow installation, you can also place it on the wall’s interior/exterior surface. It helps prevent the heat from escaping by serving as a barrier between the outside and inside temperatures.
#6 Rearrange the Furniture
People often make the mistake of obstructing their radiators with heavy furniture like beds or sofas. Unfortunately, this can significantly impact your room temperature as the heat remains trapped behind the fixtures. Thus, during the winter season, it is better to shuffle your furniture around.
The idea is to unblock the radiators while organizing your room furniture. For example, you may keep heavy and significant furniture items like desks, sofas, or beds only close to the radiators than being too close to continue benefiting from the heat.
#7 Use Bubble Wraps
While this may sound a bit bizarre, it is one of the most common heating hacks of all time. All you need to do is to apply some bubble wrap to your glass windows. Using bubble wrap on the glass on chilly winter days is a free and effective alternative if you don’t plan to upgrade your windows.
So, how does bubble wrap keeps your house warm? Well, the air bubbles act as smart insulating pockets and, through a single windowpane, can prevent heat loss by 50%. And don’t worry if you have double-glazed windows, as you can still use the technique and cut heat loss by almost 20%—quite easily.
Of course, one major downside to this trick is that the view outside will be obscured. But, on the upside, you can efficiently insulate your windows by sticking the bubble wrap using water without spending on adhesives or tape. In other words, you can easily apply and remove the bubble wrap and store it for later use!
So, how about keeping our houses warm by utilizing all the excess bubble wrap that comes with Amazon parcels this winter, shall we?
#8 Reverse Your Ceiling Fan
While you probably wouldn’t consider turning on your ceiling fan during winter, it is an excellent way to keep your house warm. All you need to do is make the first necessary change – reverse your fan’s rotation.
Every ceiling fan comes with a switch used to reverse the fan’s rotation. So, for instance, changing your fan’s rotation during winter pushes the cool air upward and allows it to mix with the rising heat.
This mixed air then gradually spreads downward and makes your room feel warmer. So, no matter how much the temperature drops outside, you can stay nice and comfortable in your house using this innovative technique.
Final Words
The winter season is tricky if you want to stay warm without causing your energy bills to skyrocket. However, by using any of the tricks mentioned above, you can get through the cold season without spending a fortune.
The key is taking action before the winters set in. So, grab a blanket and a cup of tea with your favorite book as the cold season sets in.