Keeping The Cold Out This Winter - What You Need To Know

As autumn comes to an end, the weather outside will start to get colder and unfortunately, this can mean that it is harder to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home. Whilst we don’t tend to get extreme weather conditions here in the UK, it can still get pretty chilly outside and if your home isn’t prepared for winter then it is likely that you will have cold draughts coming in and your heating will be fighting a losing battle.

Thankfully, as a homeowner, there are a few things you can do to keep the cold out this winter and ensure that your house is warm and cosy at all times. So, if you’re wondering how you can prevent the need for multiple blankets and stop your energy bills from rising this year, keep reading today. Below are some helpful tips that will help you to ensure that your home stays warm this winter, the majority of which are incredibly straightforward.

Add another layer of insulation to your curtains

You should allow the sun to heat your home during the day, if there is any, but as soon as it gets dark, ensure that you close your curtains. Your curtains act as an additional barrier from the cold and help to keep your home warm. It may also be beneficial to invest in thermal curtain linings for the coldest rooms and these will be an added layer of insulation.

Go over your window’s seals

Re-sealing your windows can make all the difference and it will prevent cold draughts, condensation and damp. Arguably, this is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce your energy bills too. All you need is a high-quality silicone sealant, like Mapei sealant, and you can go over both the inside and outside seals yourself. It is much easier to do than you may think.

Block out any under-door draughts

It is likely that your exterior doors are letting cold air into your home, even when they’re shut and locked. The tiniest of gaps at the bottom of your front and back doors will let in cold air, so simply purchasing a draught excluder can be an effective way to keep your home warm. It may be worth putting an excluder in front of all of your exterior doors, they’re not expensive to buy.

Install radiator reflector panels

Often, homeowners shy away from anything relating to their radiators, but this is something that you won’t need help from a plumber to do. A radiator reflector panel is a thin foil sheet that you can apply to the wall behind your radiator. This sheet will reflect heat away from the wall and out into your room which should help to reduce heat loss.

Use thermostatic radiator valves

When you’re installing radiator reflector panels, why not install some thermostatic radiator valves too. This little valve will help you to have better control over the temperature of a room and simply put, you can decide how hot you’d like your radiators to be. If you have thermostatic radiator valves in every room, you can set them according to the needs of the space.

Close internal doors behind you

This is by far the easiest thing you can do throughout the winter months to keep the cold out and your home warm. If you have a porch door, ensure that you’re closing this behind you and in fact, make a habit of closing all internal doors behind you. This will help to prevent cold air moving around your home and make it easier for your heating to warm smaller spaces.

Insulate your hot water pipes

Putting some pipe insulation around your hot water pipes is also worthwhile doing. This will help to reduce heat loss from your system and also prevent the pipes from getting cold too, which can actually cause them to burst. You can guarantee that this will help you to save on your energy bills and it is so incredibly easy to do.

Preparing your home for the winter months

All in all, there is no denying that it isn’t actually that difficult to keep the cold out this winter and it is much easier than people assume to stop the draughts and warm your home. Seeing as winter is just around the corner, now is the perfect time to start making some changes and you can trust that you will thank yourself for taking the time to prepare your home this year, even if we do have a relatively mild winter.

If you’re searching for somewhere to purchase the essentials that you need for the DIY jobs mentioned above, please visit the Decor Express website today. We have a huge range of products, from Mapei sealant and draught excluders to thermostatic radiator valves and pipe insulation, so you can trust that we will be able to help you to stay warm this winter.