Ray White Glen Waverley

Six easy ways to keep your house warm this Winter 1. SPRUCE UP YOUR CURTAINS A large amount of your home’s heat is lost through glass doors and windows. Luckily there’s an easy way to stop the flow of heat out of your windows – by simply covering them up with thick curtains. Thermal curtains can be found at any decent home design store, plus they’re usually much cheaper than other measures such as double glazing. 2. CHECK OUT YOUR INSULATION If your home isn’t properly insulated, heat will pour out of it like water in a sieve. That’s why you should prioritise your insulation, and make improvements or additions to it if it’s not installed or in poor condition. It’s worth getting a qualified assessor in to have a look and to let you know where it can be improved. This shouldn’t set you back more than a few hundred dollars, but it could be invaluable when keeping your home warm this winter. 3. CLOSE THE GAPS AND CRACKS If you added up the heat loss from all the gaps and cracks in the average home, it’d be the equivalent of leaving a 1 metre by 1.5 metre window open all the time. Solve this problem yourself: all you’ll need is gap filler from your local hardware store and the time to go over every surface of your home in detail, filling any cracks or gaps that you see. It could also be worth popping door snakes against your exterior exits to keep drafts from coming in. 4. LET THE LIGHT SHINE IN Keep the blinds or curtains on south facing windows shut, as these won’t see much sun. When keeping your home warm for cheap, the sun is your best friend. Make use of it by leaving blinds open during the day on the northern, eastern and western sides of your property – where the most intense sunlight usually hits. 5. RUG UP YOUR FLOORS Homes with wood or concrete underfoot tend to lose a lot of heat through their floors. Carpeting is the best option, however, it can be expensive. The next best thing are rugs – the thicker and fluffier the better. By using just a few rugs in your main living areas, you could decrease heat loss through the floor dramatically. 6. HEAT THE PERSON, NOT THE HOUSE The end goal of any heating and insulation efforts should be to keep you and your family warm – not your house. Focus on the people you’re trying to keep warm by shutting doors and heating the smaller areas that people spend the most time in. Place throws and blankets around the home, on couches, chairs and in reading nooks. Invest in a warm and comfortable cardigan or jumper so that you can stay toasty while you’re waiting for the heating to kick in.