Keep cosy this winter..

..without it having to cost the earth!

We all want to delay putting the heating on, but most of us try to tough it out and give up when we can't bear sitting in a cold living room anymore. Little do we know that there are more ways to keep the house toasty out there. If you want to keep warm this winter without paying huge gas (or electricity) bills then read on...

First up we have things you can do;

Wear the right clothes.
It's all about the layering in winter - start simple and work up. You don't have to wear a vest like when you were little, but there's nothing wrong with a little thermal strap top underneath your t-shirt. Next a thin cardigan might be all you need depending on the eco-stats of your house. But if you're still cold there's nothing better than wrapping up warm in a wooly jumper (or fleecey blanket/dressing gown/all three!) for a little extra warmth at the end of the day. Don't forget to top it off with a pair of wooly bed socks to keep your toes toasty!

Grab a hot drink.
Warm insides = warm outsides. Whether you prefer tea, coffee, or my personal favourite hot chocolate, a warm drink is perfect for keeping you toasty in the evenings. It has the added bonus of warming up cold fingers. :)

Do housework.
Give the heating a day off at weekends - go out for the day for a walk, a trip to the pub, something fun that keeps you warm away from home. Then once you're home for the evening get on with the housework you would've done in the day - not only will your house be spotless but you'll have had a fun day out and you'll be so warm the heating isn't necessary until later in the evening.

Bring back romance.
In the summer everyone wants their space; it's just too hot and sticky to be cuddled up on the sofa. But winter gives us the opportunity to get snuggled up under a blanket and watch tv together without passing out from heat. Grab a hot choc each, a movie you both love and enjoy the added warmth of a cuddle. :)

Next, tips for around the house;

Close the door(s)!
The obvious one is not to leave the front door open while you stand a chat to a departing guest or while you bring shopping in from the car. Less obvious is to keep all the doors in your house closed. The same number of radiators giving off the same level of heat will do it much quicker in smaller spaces than one large one, so bedroom doors, kitchen, bathroom etc. - close them all!

Close un-used rooms.
If you have a room in your home you very rarely use it can be beneficial to close it for the winter. Turn the radiator off, shut the curtains and close the door - remembering a draft excluder so the cold doesn't leech into the rest of the house under the door. One less room to heat!

Make your own draft excluder.
Get crafty with the kids; grab an old pair of tights and cut the legs off. Stuff them with newspaper, old (clean) underwear, cotton wool.. whatever you have to hand. Then sew across the top to keep it all in. You may think draft excluders are just for external doors, but you'll be helping your radiators do their job if you use them on all internal doors too.

Work with the sun.
Make note of which windows face the sun at each time of the day - if a window is in the shade close the curtains to keep warmth in. If the sun is hitting the window leave the curtains open to warm the room.

Close the curtains.
I know you want to grab the last 5 minutes of light while it's there, but it's cheaper to turn the light on than the heating! Curtains trap in the heat, so make sure yours are extra thick (you can buy backing to bulk up curtains if you need to) and keep them closed when the sun isn't around!

Get radiators working efficiently.
Make sure to get air out of the systems regularly so they do the best job they can. Also attach foil to the wall behind radiators - this will bounce any heat back into the room instead of being lost to the wall. You can also get a little gadget that draws heat from the back of the radiator and aims it back into your room, reducing the amount of time the heating needs to be on.

Time your radiators.
Even those with a most basic heating system (like ours!) can usually set timers for their heating. Don't put it on for hours in the morning when you'll be gone by 8.30am - time it to come on 30 minutes before you get up and shut off 30 minutes before you leave the house. Then time it to come on when the sun is going down - if you're home before that make the most of the wooly jumper I mentioned earlier! And finally set it to turn off 30 minutes before bedtime - it'll still be warm by the time you climb into bed.

Use your oven as a radiator.
I am not suggesting turn the oven on and leave it open. But when you're cooking a lot of heat is made and you can make the most of it. Close the kitchen door so the warmth is kept in and you'll be toasty while making your meal. Once you're done leave the oven door open (oven off!) so that the heat can dissipate into the room instead of going out of the back wall through convection.

Only heat the room(s) you use most.
If you'll be spending all night in the living room then going to bed, why heat the dining room? Or the study? Close those doors and turn the radiators off. Also try to get family members to congregate into one room if you can - more bodies means more natural heat. There's also no need to heat the bedroom in early winter, it's just a little chill. Save the heating for later when it's really cold. Use it as an excuse to get a hot water bottle and snuggle under the duvet!

Dry clothes the smart way.
Don't wash a load of clothes then hang them over all the radiators to dry - this will just block the heat in and take forever to heat the house. It's also better to dry washing when you'll be heating the house anyway - not while you're at work or out for the evening. Instead get an airer and place it somewhere with a lot of air-flow, preferrably in the room you're spending the evening in to make the most of the previous tip!


I bet you didn't think there were that many different ways to delay the use of and make the most from your heating! Follow this advice and you'll not only be toasty this winter, you'll have lowered your energy bills too. :)

Do you use any of the tips already? Do you have any other tips I haven't mentioned? Let me know in the comments below. :)