Home Improvement How to keep your home warm in the winter During the winter the gas and electricity bill can go through the roof even without. There are methods to insulate your home so it stays warm for longer and feels less cold. Homes can leak heat in many ways and let cold air in. There are simple ways you can insulate the home and save on your gas and electricty bills.
Draft
Draft from windows and doors may not seem an obvious problem, but in fact a lot of heat is lost and a lot of cold air is let in. It is quite simple to seal these gaps either using appropriate plastic or metal drought proof strips or even temporarily, with masking tape. Both are adequate to stop cold air coming through.- Fitting draft excluders to fit at the bottom of doors.- Getting a special cover for the letter box to block any draft that might get through.
Sealing gaps in between window frames and walls and between the frame and the opening part of each window. However do not block any ventilators. Ensure that gaps are left around doors or windows when bottled gas, coal or gas fires are used in the room, as they need ventilation.
Remove the damp
Many homes can have very damp walls because no work has been done on it for many years or because these areas might be adjacent to a leak from a water pipe or from the outside in which case the rain would have been the main problem. An unbelievable amount of heat can be sapped in by these walls and the area surrounding and these walls will feel generally colder than where walls are of much better quality. It is possible to take out the walls of the affected area and have it replaced with damp proof plaster or whatever type of material that was already there. Heating up the walls It may be a very good idea to hire a large heater to heat up inner side of exterior walls. These walls are the main source of damp and are generally cold. Heating them up will reduce damp.
Thermostat
It is very important that the thermostat that controls the temperature of the heating system is put an adequate temperature. Most people will find it comfortable at around 22-23C. If it gets to warm then turn it down slightly.
