It’s time to wrap up warm and get that extra pair of socks on!

But, warming your home doesn’t have to mean higher energy bills. We’ve put together some top tips to help keep you warm and cosy this week as well as staying energy efficient…

Make the Most of Your Radiators

• Blocking your radiators with clothing or placing furniture in front of them will prevent the heat from filling the room. Keep the space around your radiator clear to allow heat to flow through the house
• Make your radiators more effective by placing a sheet of foil behind them. The foil will reflect the heat back into the room and prevent it from being lost
• Turn off the radiators in rooms that are not in use and keep the doors shut. This will help save on your energy bills and keep the heat in the rooms you use the most
• Bleed radiators if they don’t heat up or are cold at the top or bottom

Use Your Curtains

• Keep your blinds or curtains open during the day to let in the winter sun but close them on the evening to keep the heat in
• Thick curtains or those with thermal lining work wonders in providing effective insulation

Cover Drafts

• Fill gaps around windows, doors, pipes, loft hatches and even key holes and letter boxes to keep the cold out
• Wooden floors can be draughty. Fill in the cracks with floor filler for a permanent solution
• Cat flaps or doggy doors can open in the wind and allow heat to escape. You can prevent this by insulating the flap or fitting an electric version which only opens when your pet is close by

Use the Heat Already in your Home

• When cooking, keep the kitchen door open and let the heat spread throughout the house (as well as the delightful smell of your cooking!)
• Same goes when filling a bath or having a shower. The steam will add some much needed heat to your home

Warm up Your Bed

• If the heating is on overnight, you’ll probably wake up too warm and be kicking off the covers! Wrap yourself up in warm blankets and invest in a higher tog duvet
• Electric blankets are the dream during winter months! Warm up your sheets before bed and you’ll have no trouble getting to sleep!
• If you don’t have an electric blanket, taking a hot water bottle into bed can work the same. Or, you can even heat up your sheets by blasting them with a hairdryer

Monitor Your Heat

• Control your heating from your smartphone or tablet by investing in a smart thermostat and heat up your home before you even arrive!
• If its only one room you need to heat, invest in a portable radiator or fan heater to keep the heat in one place or even to add a little extra warmth to your home

Keep Yourself Warm

• The perfect excuse to indulge in a warm hot chocolate by the fire! If that’s not your thing, tea or coffee can do the trick as an instant winter warmer
• Before you crank the heating up a few notches, layer up with thick jumpers, blankets and your favourite slippers to keep you toasty
• Keep active by doing the dishes, hovering your floors or clearing out the cupboards! Being on the move will instantly warm you up and your house will be spick and span too, bonus!

Follow these simple tips and keep warm for the chilly days ahead! Just remember spring is just around the corner, (we hope!)

For more ways to keep warm, check out these 5 Delicious Homemade Soup Recipes. 

Tags: How to Keep Warm, Winter Tips