There can be few experiences more dispiriting than sitting on your living room sofa and watching your own breath hanging in the air in front of you. You want to turn on the central heating, but the thought of your next energy bill persuades you to put this off for as long as possible. Whilst you cannot do a lot about the price of your heating, there are certainly steps that you can take to reduce the amount that you use. The most basic and effective one is to proof your house against draughts; not only will this prevent cold air from coming in, it will also prevent warm air from escaping.
A good place to start is with the external doors, where the gap between door edge and frame is often wide enough to let the chilly air in and the warm air out. Even the space underneath internal doors can be problematic, as the warmth from the main living areas leaches away to the colder parts of the house.
In the case of the external doors, the cheapest solution is to fit draught proofing strips around their edges. For less than ten pounds you can buy enough rubber or foam seal to go around both doors, and perhaps have some left over for your windows. An old coat or blanket at the bottom of your internal doors will keep a room snug, although you can also buy cheap draught excluders that move with the door and so don't have to be continually adjusted.
Older windows can also lower the temperature in your home. If you can't afford to replace them with new, double glazed units, there are plenty of other ways of blocking off the chill.
Most of the draught seal that fits around doors can also fit around windows. Some, such as brush seal, are also suitable for sash windows, although there are specific products for this type of opening. If you have fixed windows, double glazing film is an inexpensive way to eliminate draughts: simply attach it to your window frames with double sided tape and tighten it by applying heat with a hairdryer. Made to measure acrylic panels can also be fitted, but they are a more expensive option.
When it comes to home insulation, floors can be overlooked; however, one that is suspended or built over an unheated basement or garage can be responsible for significant heat loss. Spaces between skirting board and floor should not be ignored either.
The most obvious solution is to put down a carpet with a nice, thick underlay below, but if you have a beautiful timber floor you may not want to cover it up. Fitting insulation material between the joists underneath the floor is very effective, but it's not something that everyone can do for themselves. A more accessible alternative is to buy a roll of flexible seal; this can be easily pressed down in between the individual floorboards to make an invisible barrier. Any gaps around the skirting boards can be plugged with silicon based filler.
There are a range of clever products on the market, all designed to help you reduce the amount of heat emitted from your house. These include the unforgettable, inflatable chimney balloon! You can even source the materials you need to carry out your own loft insulation project. In this day and age, there really is no excuse for not making your house as snug and as draught free as it can possibly be.
A good place to start is with the external doors, where the gap between door edge and frame is often wide enough to let the chilly air in and the warm air out. Even the space underneath internal doors can be problematic, as the warmth from the main living areas leaches away to the colder parts of the house.
In the case of the external doors, the cheapest solution is to fit draught proofing strips around their edges. For less than ten pounds you can buy enough rubber or foam seal to go around both doors, and perhaps have some left over for your windows. An old coat or blanket at the bottom of your internal doors will keep a room snug, although you can also buy cheap draught excluders that move with the door and so don't have to be continually adjusted.
Older windows can also lower the temperature in your home. If you can't afford to replace them with new, double glazed units, there are plenty of other ways of blocking off the chill.
Most of the draught seal that fits around doors can also fit around windows. Some, such as brush seal, are also suitable for sash windows, although there are specific products for this type of opening. If you have fixed windows, double glazing film is an inexpensive way to eliminate draughts: simply attach it to your window frames with double sided tape and tighten it by applying heat with a hairdryer. Made to measure acrylic panels can also be fitted, but they are a more expensive option.
When it comes to home insulation, floors can be overlooked; however, one that is suspended or built over an unheated basement or garage can be responsible for significant heat loss. Spaces between skirting board and floor should not be ignored either.
The most obvious solution is to put down a carpet with a nice, thick underlay below, but if you have a beautiful timber floor you may not want to cover it up. Fitting insulation material between the joists underneath the floor is very effective, but it's not something that everyone can do for themselves. A more accessible alternative is to buy a roll of flexible seal; this can be easily pressed down in between the individual floorboards to make an invisible barrier. Any gaps around the skirting boards can be plugged with silicon based filler.
There are a range of clever products on the market, all designed to help you reduce the amount of heat emitted from your house. These include the unforgettable, inflatable chimney balloon! You can even source the materials you need to carry out your own loft insulation project. In this day and age, there really is no excuse for not making your house as snug and as draught free as it can possibly be.
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