Summer is now finally coming to a close, and whilst we’ve had some sizzling spells that normally means we’re in for a particularly cold winter. Now that the nights are drawing in, the temperature is dropping noticeably, and the kids are all back at school we can look forward to cosier evenings in with some hearty soups, comforting fabrics, and fantastic films.
Autumn and winter are wonderfully cosy times of year, though as the winter temperatures will start creeping back into our lives in no time at all, it’s important to start preparing for the dip in temperature.
Here are three ways you can keep cosy now that the sun has set on summer, whilst also being mindful of the energy cost in both a financial and environmental context.
- HEAT YOUR HOUSE INTELLIGENTLY
We all like to come home to a nice warm house, but at the same time, we don’t want to waste the heat that’s generated. For this reason, it’s good to insulate your home with little touches such as draught excluders, though the best way to save money on your heating and not waste energy is to make use of a programmable timer so that during the day, when you’re out at work, the heating isn’t on, but it comes on just in time to ensure your house feels nice and cosy for when you get back from work.
The other consideration is to consider which rooms actually need to be heated; as you probably only live in a few rooms of your house meaning you don’t need to heat every single room.
- INSULATE
If you’re wanting to insulate your home better, then now is the best time to do it, as when winter comes any DIY or professional building jobs are much more time consuming and tedious due to the colder weather and darker nights/mornings.
You’re much more limited in terms of daylight hours. Now, however, is a great time to prepare for winter by adding extra insulation to key areas such as your loft in addition to changing windows and doors to more draught-proof options.
- IN THE BEDROOM
You might have the most beautiful of fitted bedrooms but if you’re shivering, at night, due to how cold it is then you’re not going to feel the luxurious feeling you crave. The challenge, however, when it comes to heating your bedroom is that many people find sleeping with the radiators on makes the room too stuffy to the point they feel dehydrated; often waking up with a blocked nose and a headache.
You could try taking a hot water bottle into bed with you, as this provides a nice localised source of heat that takes the edge of as you get into bed – though a better option is to get an electric blanket that can be kept on, throughout the night, at a reasonably low temperature for little cost in terms of energy performance.
The other thing to take into consideration, of course, is your bed sheets. You’ll want a nice warm duvet that keeps you toasty without making you sweat, as one of the most significant issues in winter-time sleeping is getting too warm to the point that you sweat in bed.
*Collaborative post*
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