Keeping warm this winter doesn’t have to mean cranking your heating to the max. With energy prices constantly on the rise, staying warm in the winter can often feel like a balancing act between your wallet and keeping warm.
With a few small tweaks and some simple habits, you can stay cosy this winter for less. Here are some of our top tips on keeping warm this winter and creating a more energy-efficient home this winter.
Optimise Your Heating System.
Ensuring your heating system is operating as efficiently as possible is one of the best ways to keep your home warm and ensure you're not overspending on your heating. One way to optimise your heating is by bleeding your radiators, which should be done at least once a year, especially as we go into the colder months. If you notice your radiators are cold at the top but warm at the bottom, this is a sign that they need bleeding to remove trapped air, which allows for better heat circulation.
Creating a smart home is another great way to manage your energy usage through the use of smart thermostats (like Hive or Nest), which allows you to schedule heat only when needed. Or by also using thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs), which will enable you to control the temperature in rooms individually (around 18–21°Cis efficient for living areas).
Your boiler is crucial in keeping your home warm, and ensuring it is working as it should be is the best way to ensure your heating system is optimised. It is recommended to have your boiler serviced annually to ensure it is working efficiently and there are no hidden issues which could leave you without heating this winter.
If you haven’t already had your boiler serviced, get in touch today to arrange an annual service.
Book a service!
Stop Draughts.
Stopping draughts is one of the simplest and easiest ways to trap heat in your home and make your heating more efficient. Here are some of the best ways to reduce draughts in your home:
- Use draught excluders or self-adhesive foam strips around doors and windows.
- Fit brush strips on letterboxes and keyholes.
- Close chimney flues when not in use or use a chimney balloon.
- Heavy curtains help trap heat, especially at night.
Make Smart Use of Heat
Making smart use of heating is one of the simplest and easiest ways to maintain a warm home this winter. One of the best ways is to open up curtains during sunny days to let in solar heat and then as it starts to get dark, close them to help trap the heat in. Moving furniture away from radiators so heat can circulate more freely around the room is another great way to make sure you’re making smart use of heat.
During the winter, you should always keep internal doors closed in the rooms you’re using in order to keep heat contained in the room and not waste any extra energy on heat escaping into rooms that aren’t in use.
Small Comfort Upgrades
Just making these small comfort upgrades can help to make you feel warmer this winter without having to turn the heating up:
- Adding rugs to hard floors helps trap in heat.
- Use electric throws or heated blankets.
- Dress in layers — fleece and wool are effective at trapping warmth.
Consider Energy-Efficiency Upgrades
Upgrading to a more energy-efficient home will help to save you money in the long run and help you maintain a warmer home. Whilst it can be expensive to upgrade your boiler the Government currently has schemes in place to help you upgrade, such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Where you could be eligible for a grant of up to £7,500 to help cover part of the cost of replacing your existing fossil fuel heating systems with a heat pump or biomass boiler.
Boiler breakdown
Here at C.P. Jefferies, we know how stressful it can be when your boiler breaks down over winter leaving you without warmth. Our team of experts have worked extensively across all brands of boilers and so can confidently provide a boiler repair and maintenance service to all our customers across Gloucester, the Cotswolds and across the UK.
So if you experience a boiler breakdown this winter get in touch and our team of experts will be on hand to keep you warm and comfortable this winter.
