Striking a balance between comfort and cost is a challenge most of us face every winter, and as energy prices rise, the challenge only gets trickier and tricker. However, there are plenty of ways to warm up your home without amping up the heat.
From affordable quick fixes to long-term investments that can save you money in future winters, this guide is packed with practical tips to help you keep the cold out and the warmth in.
Keep reading to discover how to keep your home warm in winter with DIY insulation hacks, long-term home improvements, and other heating solutions.
20 tips for keeping your home warm in winter
If you’re wondering how to keep your home warm in winter without sending your energy bills through the roof, look no further than this guide. We explore 20 ways to insulate your home, so you can say goodbye to chilly toes and hello to a cosy winter!
Easy and affordable insulation hacks
Keeping your home warm doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. These simple DIY hacks can significantly improve insulation and reduce heat loss. These tips are easy to implement and can make a noticeable difference to how warm your home feels in winter.
These temporary measures don’t require you to make major alterations to the property, so they’re ideal for keeping a rented home warm.
1. Use draught excluders
Draught excluders are an effective and affordable way to block cold air from creeping in under doors. They can be found in various colours and styles in most home stores or DIY-ed at home by filling a tube with sand or rice. There are also multiple ways to draught-proof your windows if you’re noticing cold air around there too.
2. Put up thermal curtains (and close them)
Before central heating, thick curtains were one of the main ways of keeping a building warm. Take a page from the history book and use thick or thermal curtains as an extra layer of insulation. Try to keep them closed whenever possible to trap heat inside.
3. Seal cracks and gaps
Small cracks and gaps around windows, doors, or vents can allow cold air to enter and warm air to escape. Sealing these openings with caulk or adhesive weatherstripping tape is a quick and cost-effective way to make your home more airtight and energy-efficient.
4. Bleed your radiators
Air can sometimes get trapped in radiators, reducing their efficiency and leaving cold spots in your home. Bleeding your radiators can release trapped air and restore your heating system to full efficiency. Learn how to bleed radiators with our step-by-step guide.
5. Add pipe lagging
Foam pipe lagging is a cheap insulation material you can find at most DIY stores. It wraps around hot water pipes to help prevent heat loss as water travels through the system. It also keeps pipes from freezing in cold temperatures, so it’s particularly useful for exposed pipes outdoors or in unheated areas.
6. Place foil behind radiators
Radiator heat reflector foil, or even just reflective tinfoil, can make your home feel warmer when placed behind heaters. This way, you’ll direct heat back into the room rather than letting it escape through walls. This is particularly useful for rooms with radiators on outside-facing walls.
7. Close off unused rooms
Heating unused rooms can waste energy and reduce the overall warmth of your living areas. Turning the radiators in these rooms off and closing the doors allows your heating system to focus on warming the space you use more often.
8. Run ceiling fans in reverse
Some ceiling fans have an in-built reverse feature. If yours has this, try running it clockwise in the winter. Since heat rises, running a fan in reverse can pull warm air down, making your space feel warmer.
9. Cover windows with plastic film or bubble wrap
If you have single-glazed or poorly insulated windows, a layer of plastic film can act as an extra layer of insulation. Perhaps it’s not the most stylish interior design choice, but bubble wrap works similarly.
10. Leave the oven door open after cooking
Once you’ve finished cooking and turned off the oven, leaving the door open allows the residual heat to warm up your kitchen and nearby areas. This is a great way to utilize heat that would otherwise go to waste.
11. Balance your radiators
Balancing radiators ensures that hot water flows evenly through your central heating system. It’s a DIY task that involves adjusting the valves on each radiator to eliminate cold spots and reduce energy waste. Read our ultimate guide to how to balance radiators for instructions and more.
Long-term investments
While DIY solutions can be an effective way to keep your home warm during winter, investing in permanent upgrades can make lasting improvements to your home’s energy efficiency and heat retention. Although they involve more substantial costs upfront, these projects can save you money on heating bills in the long run.
12. Upgrade to double- or triple-glazed windows
If you currently have single-glazed or poorly insulated windows, consider upgrading to double- or triple-glazing. These windows comprise multiple layers of glass with insulating gas trapped between them. They’re excellent for reducing drafts, retaining heat, and lowering energy bills. If you’re ready to upgrade, use our website or app to find and book a local glazier in minutes.
13. Install loft and wall insulation
Proper insulation in your loft and walls is one of the most effective ways to reduce heat loss. Insulated walls can trap heat within your home, while a well-insulated loft prevents warm air from escaping upwards. Whilst you can lay insulation yourself, a qualified roofer can carry out the job swiftly and effectively. For a helping hand, find and book a local roofer through JustFix.
14. Get your boiler serviced
Regular boiler maintenance is essential to ensure your heating system operates efficiently and safely. Even if you haven’t noticed issues, a professional service can identify and fix underlying problems before they escalate, leading to problems or breakdowns. Book a boiler service with an accredited Gas Safe registered engineer today for just £120.
15. Get a powerflush
A powerflush is like a deep clean for your heating system. It clears out sludge and debris that may be blocking water flow and causing uneven heat distribution. A professional heating and gas engineer can carry out a powerflush to restore your home’s heating efficiency.
16. Use a smart thermostat
A smart thermostat allows you to control your heating remotely and set efficient schedules for different times of the day. By learning your habits, you can reduce energy wastage and keep your home warm during winter without overusing your heating system.
Other heating hacks
Whilst the following tips alone might not be enough to keep you warm, these easy hacks can supplement your home’s heating system and our other suggestions. Try these ideas to stay cosy during winter.
17. Use hot water bottles
Fill a hot water bottle and place it in your bed at night, on your lap while sitting down, or near your feet for a heat source that costs pennies and lasts for hours.
18. Add rugs, blankets, and tapestries
Rugs add a layer of insulation to your floor, preventing heat loss through the ground, especially if your flooring has cracks. Tapestries can perform a similar function for walls, while blankets are a fail-safe solution for keeping cosy during winter.
19. Invest in an electric blanket
Despite using power, an electric blanket is surprisingly cheap to run compared to central heating. It can help you stay warm at night without heating your whole room.
20. Use a portable heater
Portable electric heaters are a great way to warm small rooms quickly. They are more cost-effective than central heating, especially if you opt for an energy-efficient model.
Keep your home warm this winter with JustFix
With our tips and tricks, staying warm during the winter doesn’t seem like such a challenge! Whether you're looking for quick fixes or looking to invest for future winters, JustFix is here to help. Check out our blog for more tips and guides about how to warm up your home, including the most common central heating problems and how to fix them and how to save money on heating bills.
For long-term home improvements, look no further than our vetted network of fixers. Our local glaziers can upgrade your windows to double- or triple-glazing, while our qualified roofers can improve your insulation. Our heating and gas engineers are Gas Safe registered and experienced in performing boiler services, powerflushes, and repairing various heating-related issues.
Let JustFix help keep your home warm this winter. Book a service through our website or download the app to get started today!
FAQs
Why is my house so cold?
There could be several reasons why your home might remain cold, even when the heating is on. Causes could include unbalanced radiators, a build-up of sludge in your heating system, trapped air, poorly insulated windows, or structural problems. For more causes and solutions to these common issues, see our guide: Why is my house so cold?
Is it cheaper to have heat on low all day?
No, the theory that you can save money by keeping your central heating permanently on low is a myth. Running your heating system all day will increase your energy bills. Using a thermostat or programming your heating to come on at specific intervals will likely be a cheaper and more efficient solution.
How can I keep rented accommodation warm during the winter?
While you might not be able to modify your property and heating system without the landlord’s permission, many of the tips and tricks in this guide are renter-friendly. Adding features like thermal curtains, foil behind radiators, draught excluders, and rugs, using things like heated blankets and hot water bottles, and closing off unused rooms are all excellent solutions for keeping rented accommodation warm.
