Top 10 Tips To Keeping Your House Warmer In the Winter

Read the top 10 ways to keep your home warmer in winter and start saving money on home energy bills.

Winter is in full swing, which means the days are shorter and colder. As the temperatures drop, it’s important to find ways to keep your home warm and comfortable. Here are ten ways to make your home warmer during the winter months.

1. Check Your Doors and Windows For Drafts

front-doorCheck your doors and windows for any small cracks that are allowing cold air to seep into your home.

These cracks can cause drafts that dramatically lower the temperature in your home if the weather outside is especially cold.

If you find any problem areas, you can reduce the air flow by placing a rolled up blanket at the bottom of your door or sealing off the cracks in your windows with tape.

2. Shut Your Curtains and Blinds

Sunlight seeping through your window can be a good way to keep your home warm during the day.

Unfortunately, when the sun goes down, you’ll want to ensure your blinds and curtains are drawn.

This can help insulate your home and keep the warm air inside.

3. Keep Furniture Away from Heating Sources

Placing objects in front of heat sources is not an efficient way to warm your home.

Make sure you keep radiators and other sources of heat free from obstructions to help ensure the heat circulates well throughout your home.

4. Close Off Rooms You’re Not Using

child-bedroomIf you’re not using a few of the rooms in your home throughout the day, close the doors to reduce the amount of space that needs to be heated within your home.

If you don’t mind the room being cold, close off the heating vents too.

This ensures heat your heating system is concentrating on a smaller area of space and, as a result, doing a better job of heating it.

If you do close off any of the rooms in your home, be sure to turn off any heaters or radiators that may be inside them.

You don’t want to waste energy in rooms that you’re not using throughout the day.

5. Use Rugs

If you have hardwood floors, it’s a good idea to have a few area rugs to throw down to warm up the space.

Floors that are not very well insulated can cool down your home’s temperature and make your feet cold as you walk across them.

A thick rug can serve as a heat trapper to help insulate your floors and keep warm air inside.

6. Properly Program Your Thermostat

Programming your thermostat to begin heating your home before you wake up in the morning can be a great way to conserve energy and keep you warm all winter long.

Increasing the temperature on your thermostat gradually is much more efficient than cranking the heat each time you feel cold.

7. Add Insulation to Your Walls and Roof

If you home is not insulated well, heat may be escaping through the walls or the roof.

It’s estimated that 25 percent of heat is lost through your home’s roof.

You can help solve this problem by adding a bit more insulation to your roof.

You can also check your walls and add a little insulation there as well if you feel it’s lacking.

8. Insulate Your Hot Water Tank

It’s also important to ensure your home’s hot water tank is well insulated.

This helps ensure your warm water stays hotter for longer periods of time.

It can also help reduce the cost of your home’s energy bill.

9. Use Your Ceiling Fan

This may seem odd, but using a ceiling fan in the winter can help warm your home.

In the summer, many people have their ceiling fans blowing in a counter clockwise motion to push cooler air downward.

If you reverse the direction your ceiling fan is spinning, you can create the opposite effect and warm the room instead.

The spinning motion will also help circulate warm air coming through heating vents in your room.

10. Maintain Your Heating System

It’s important to perform routine maintenance on your home’s heating system.

Experts recommend that you have your furnace inspected by a professional once per year.

This can help ensure that your heating system is working properly and efficiently.

Although a furnace inspection can be an added cost, the cost to repair something that has broken down due to your failure to maintain your heating system is far more expensive.

Winter and the cold weather that comes with it can leave you longing for warm summer days.

But, following these ten steps should keep your home warm and toasty throughout the cold winter months. If you’re trying these tips without any luck, be sure to contact a professional to ensure there’s nothing wrong with your home’s heating system.