10 tips to stay warm at home this winter

10 tips to stay warm at home this winter

17th December 2017 38 By Rachael Stray

With the temperature dropping below zero for most us in the UK, now is the time to start thinking of ways you can keep warm and well at home this winter.

Cold homes are a bigger killer across the UK than road accidents, alcohol or drug use.
Now I’ve started helping fight fuel poverty thanks to energy awareness training I’d like to share some pearls of wisdom.

Here’s 10 tips to stay warm at home this winter

  1. Wrap up well with several thin layers rather than one thick layer. When sitting for longer periods cover yourself with a blanket.Several layers
  2. Keep your main living room at 18–21°C (64–70°F) and the rest of your house at 16°C (61°F) at least. If you can’t heat all the rooms you use, heat the living room during the day and the bedroom just before you go to sleep. If you have thermostatic valves at the top or bottom of your radiators use them to turn up or down the temperature in the room. Thermostatic valves
  3. Close internal doors and use a keyhole cover to block draughts. Use draught excluders to help keep draughts at bay.
  4. Have regular hot drinks and food such as porridge, soups and stews. Make sure your cupboards are stocked up in case the weather turns particularly nasty.Hot drinks keep warm
  5. Keep as active as possible to boost your circulation. Move around at least once an hour and avoid sitting still for long periods. Even light exercise will help keep you warm. When you do sit down, put your feet up as it’s coldest nearest the ground.
  6. Draw curtains at dusk to help keep the heat in. Buy thermal linings or thicker curtains to also help keep the heat in.Close curtains
  7. Keep bedroom windows closed and draft free – especially overnight.
  8. Cover any bare floors with rugs this winter as you’d be surprised at how much heat is lost through floors.
  9. If you have a radiator—especially one mounted on an outside-facing wall—you’re probably losing a lot of heat. Line the space between the wall and the radiator with heavy duty tin foil to keep the heat where you want it.Radiator reflectors
  10. Don’t miss out on benefits. Depending on your circumstances you may get the Winter Fuel or Cold Weather Payments automatically. If you don’t, visit uk/winter-fuel-payment or call 03459 15 15 15 to see if you’re eligible.

This short Spark video I created also has some tips to prepare your home for winter:

To create your own Spark videos see a previous blog post here.

The images used in this post I created using Canva. For other useful websites to create images and infographics click here. 

Do you have any other tips to keep warm? Let me know in the comments below.

Other related posts

Here’s some tips on what to do if you’re struggling to pay your energy bills

Here’s 10 tips to tackle condensation in your home

Keep in touch

You can also find me on Twitter @rachael_stray
Or follow my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/rachaelstrayblog/
You can see my random pictures on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rachys2011/
And see what I’m pinning on Pinterest https://www.pinterest.co.uk/rachaelstray/

CategoryFamily Food and drink home Recommendations Support and advice
Tagsadvice benefits Canva cold exercise heat infographics keep warm support tips warm winter

38 Comments

Share your thoughts