Published on November 25th, 2022
Last updated on February 3rd, 2023
10 Best Ways How You Can Keep Your House Warm In Winter!
The low temperature in the house is the main problem of the cold season. Homeowners are regularly advised to install double glazing, solid insulation, and constant repairs to boilers and inefficient heating systems. But aside from these often expensive ways, what else can you do to keep your home warm cheaply and quickly in winter? With cooler weather approaching, many people can be looking for ways to keep their houses as warm as possible.
We’ll share some cheap ways to heat a room without using energy. Using these tips can reduce your house heat loss by more than half without spending a penny on your energy bills. Now is the time to take action to prepare for the upcoming colder months. There are cheap heating alternatives to help keep warm in a cold house in winter.
What Are the Cheap Ways to Heat Your Home?
Due to the increasing scarcity of natural fuel resources and their cost, householders are faced with the difficult task of finding an alternative and most cost-effective way to heat their houses in the cold season. So, it is necessary to think about how to heat the house cheaply and what are the alternative types of space heating. Below you can read more details about how to stay warm in a cold house.
1. Rearrange the Furniture
The first and simplest cheap heating method is a rearrangement. Keeping your furniture away from radiators will allow warm air to move around the room. Any large furniture, such as beds, sofas, or closets, should be at least one meter away from radiators. Moreover:
- If your bed is next to an outside wall, rearranging your room so that the bed is against an inside wall will help keep you warm.
- If your bed is close to a window or outside wall, rearranging your furniture can be a complementary way to keep you warm at night. So, your bed is away from windows and next to the inside walls.
Experts say this tip could help households save up to 10 percent on their bills.
2. Insulate your Windows
Older houses significantly often let in a lot of cold air from outside. It is recommended to use cheap way of window insulation to heat your home. You can purchase it at hardware stores. Insulating your home correctly by eliminating air leaks can save up to 20 percent on your energy bills. Using bubble wrap on your windows is a cheap alternative to a window insulation kit. You have to:
- Simply cut the film to the size of your windows.
- Spray water from a spray gun. The water helps the bubble wrap stick to the windows.
- You can remove the bubble wrap easily without any damage or marks that can be wiped away.
It can reduce heat loss by 50% for single-pane windows and 20% for double-pane windows.
3. Do Not Hang Clothes on the Radiators
One more the best way to heat the house is not to cover your radiators. Although it’s a quick and easy way to dry clothes in winter, drying laundry on a radiator can cause many problems, including mold. It can also prevent heat from circulating, making operating your boiler more difficult. Instead, use a clothes dryer or towel rack by the window to keep your radiators running efficiently.
4. Bleed the Air From your Radiators
Air can build up in the radiator, preventing hot water from circulating and heating properly. It wastes energy and money. All you need to reach cheap heating is:
- a radiator bleed key;
- an old cloth to hold the key;
- a jug to collect any water droplets that can leak out.
Touch it when it’s on to determine if the radiator requires pumping. If some places are hotter than others, that means your radiator needs pumping. Once you have determined which radiators need pumping:
- Turn off the heat and make sure they are cold before you start. Identify the valve, which is usually on the side of the radiator. Insert the key and turn it counterclockwise.
- You should hear a hiss of air.
- When you see water flowing out, close the valve.
Once you have vented the air, your radiator can heat up properly, thus improving energy efficiency. If you have a combination boiler, you will need to pressurize it again after that. So, use this method as a cheap way to heat a room.
5. Lay a Rug
The right rug can help keep your feet warm in the winter. The rug’s warmth depends on the material, fiber, and weight. Using a slip-resistant backing can also have the added benefit of heating your home as one of the cheap ways. Uninsulated floors can account for 10 to 20 percent of heat loss in a home.
6. Seal the Wooden House
The physical and chemical properties of acrylic wood sealants allow the treated walls not to be affected by moisture. When the composition is appropriately applied, you have to re-seal the structure only after 25-30 years. It seems to be one of the cheap ways to heat rooms.
We suggest that it will help to keep the house warm in winter. Warm joints created with sealant will reduce heat loss in the wooden house and allow you to survive the harshest winters comfortably.
7. Close the Curtains at Night
Windows reflect more radiation energy than they let in during the day. We can use this ability to reach cheap heating. Curtains material becomes an obstacle to infrared rays. At night, thin, single-pane windows can cause extreme cold.
Even if you try to keep the temperature around 20 °C in your apartment daily, it may drop to 7 °C when it gets dark and freezing outside. So it is recommended to leave the curtains open during the day and close them at night.
8. Use Local Heating Systems
The most common solution is to use electric heaters. These are appliances such as:
It is the most straightforward and affordable way to heat a house. Special infrared emitters heat only a particular area. The room temperature is much lower if you don’t have infrared floor mats, lamps, or heating mats.
Infrared ceiling heaters can be suspended on horizontal cables or have a pendulum suspension. It keeps the walls and floor free and dramatically expands the heating area by affecting flat surfaces.
9. Put the Shelves Above the Radiator
Adding a shelf directly above the radiator also can be one of the cheap ways to heat a room. It increases its ability to distribute heat more evenly. Installing a shelf acts as a barrier, helping to conduct heat away from the radiator rather than rising to the ceiling. This method is helpful if radiators are directly under a window.
10. Insulate the Walls of the Room
Solid brick or stone walls are better insulators than glass. But they still conduct a lot of heat out of a room. So it doesn’t hurt to take steps to give them extra protection. You can reduce energy loss simply by covering the walls with paintings or mirrors.
Even an ordinary poster can raise the air temperature in the room by about 1 °C. The best way to heat the house is to hang carpets on the walls. It is worthwhile.
Final Thoughts
Despite the variety of heating devices, we still have many options for home heating. Choosing the most comfortable, efficient, and the cheap alternative heating option will not be a problem. It depends on the individual situation and opportunities. Considering all the tips, we are sure it will not be difficult to save money on heating this winter. We are sure that now you know how to make a room warmer.
FAQ
How to increase the room tempereature in winter?
You need to seal the cracks in the windows. About 35% of the heat entering the room is lost in winter through the windows. Elementary measures for thermal insulation (insulation of the window with foam strips, tape, paper, etc.) will help to increase the temperature in the apartment by 4-5 °C.
How to make a room warmer?
Stick foil behind the radiator to make your room warmer. The foil can be attached to the wall behind the battery. It will increase the heat radiator by 20%. At the same time, the cost of heating the room decreases by 4%.
How to stay warm in a cold house?
You can replace the windows in your home, or you can insulate them with painter’s tape. Remember that if the windows let in cold air, the room will not warm up properly. Also, try covering the floor with carpets.
Can batteries be painted dark to save energy?
Yes, a battery with a dark surface increases heat transfer by about 10%. It is proved that dark brown color gives the best heat. With a battery of this color, it is 8-10% warmer, than with a white one.