As the colder months draw in, your home will start to lose heat more rapidly. Finding ways to trap heat in your home longer can reduce the need to turn on the heating as often, saving you money in energy bills. Here are just a few ways in which you can reduce heat loss in your home.
Make sure your home is well insulated
Insulation is the best way to keep heat in your home. There are many different forms of insulation that you can look into. A few examples include:
- Roof/loft insulation: A quarter of your home’s heat is likely to be lost through the roof if your loft/roof is uninsulated. There are many different types of loft insulation that you can look into including spray-on insulation, blanket insulation and sheet insulation. Spray-on insulation is the most expensive but the most effective.
- Cavity wall insulation: A lot of heat is also lost through uninsulated walls. By filling the wall cavity with insulating material you can prevent this.
- Floor insulation: Some heat may also be lost through the floor. Laying materials such as corkboard or mineral wool under the floorboards can prevent this.
- Double/triple glazed windows: Heat can also be lost through single-glazed windows. Double-glazing and triple glazing can reduce this heat loss by creating an air gap.
Home insulation can be expensive to install but it is in a worthy investment. On top of keeping heat in your home and reducing your energy bills, insulation can increase the value of your home.
Tenants in rented property meanwhile may be able to look into temporary insulation measures. This could include using insulation boards in a loft, using insulating film on windows or hanging up simply thick winter curtains.
Seal up any cracks and gaps
Cracks and gaps in your home can cause cold air to get in and hot air to get out. It’s worth conducting an inspection of the outside of your home to ensure that there are no potential sources of heat loss.
Common examples of cracks and gaps include crevices in walls, loose seals around windows and damaged roofing. There are affordable home services out there that can deal with all these problems. In some cases, contractors may not be necessary – some small cracks may be able to be blocked up with caulk while a gap beneath a door may be able to be fixed by simply buying a draft excluder.
Limit opening windows
Ventilating your home is important, but you should try to limit opening windows in winter if you want to stop heat escaping. If you have to open windows, do it during the day when the temperature is unlikely to be at its coldest.
Extractor fans could be a better option for letting smoke and steam out of your home – many people have these already installed in their kitchens and bathrooms. Windows with trickle vents can also be useful for helping to keep one’s home ventilated without having to open windows.
Kori
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