13 Most Effective Ways to Warm up a Cold House

13 Most Effective Ways to Warm up a Cold House

The warmer you can keep a cold house, the less energy you use and the more money you ultimately save. As more of us are working from home this year, we should expect to see energy costs go up. How to stay warm in cold temperatures is not just about wearing a comfy sweater.

From indoor heaters to a variety of effective furnace systems, there are many heating options available for your home. Try these thirteen different ways to warm up a cold house:

1. Use Your Heating System

One of the best ways to warm up a cold house is to use a heating system. A heating system is obviously the first place to look in ways to warm up a cold house. Ensure it’s properly maintained and that the ducts are clean.

Regardless of what kind of heating system you use, set the thermostat where you like it and work backwards from there with strategies on minimizing how often you have to use it.

2. Move House Furniture

Your vents or radiator should have the necessary space to distribute its heat. When we push couches and furniture over these openings or partially block them, this prevents heat you’re paying for from making its way throughout the room. Re-arrange the room if you have to and prevent heat blockages.

3. Close Doors

If you are working in a small room or are sleeping overnight in a single space, there’s no reason to heat the entirety of your home. Instead, shut your door. Use a space heater inside. Focus on maintaining heat inside the room you’re in rather than wasting money heating areas that go unused.

4. Use Rugs

A big complaint about cold houses are the floors. No one likes walking across cold hardwood flooring. A great way to keep you feeling warm is to use more rugs. If you don’t have carpet, consider laying some rugs down in popular areas of your home. This will provide some insulation as well and help keep the cold temperatures below you as opposed to rubbing against your toes.

5. Use Curtains

Poorly insulated windows let cold air in. Darker conditions mean colder temperatures. Sunny weather means heat. Use these things to your advantage. When it’s sunny, let the light in. This will naturally heat up your home. When it’s dark or cold, use thick curtains to keep what heat you have inside.

6. Space Heater

This was brought up earlier, however, it serves mentioning again. Space heaters can create massive amounts of heat in a single room. They save on money heating the whole home and instead ensure you’re comfortable wherever you are. Consider having one near you if energy costs are a worry this winter.

7. Solar Heating

There are many ways to produce sustainable heating to warm up a cold house. Solar heating costs nothing. You use the energy from the sun, converting that into heat. Solar panels are cheaper than ever and can gather enough heat and electricity for a tiny home. Consider what they might be able to do for you.

8. Seal Air Leaks

There are cracks, holes, and leaks everywhere. Any worn weather-stripping is an opportunity for heat to escape. Evaluate your home. Lay draft snakes along windowsills and at the base of doors. Buy some sealant and fill any cracks in walls or flooring. All these things will help prevent heat from escaping.

9. Radiant Floor Heating

Radiant floor heating is a great investment for low-cost heating. Especially if you’re already planning a renovation, consider either electric or Hydronic heating. Using a constant output, you don’t have to turn it on and off. It will help keep the temperature at a comfortable level at all times.

10. Insulate, Insulate, Insulate

For ways to warm up a cold house, it’s all about retaining the heat you have. Heat is lost all the time to poorly insulated homes. As much as a quarter of heat alone may be lost through your roofing. Consider installing insulation above you, such as in a loft area. Evaluate your walls and consider cavity wall insulation. Ensure any opportunity heat has to leave your home is blocked.

11. Use Existing Heat Sources

Look at how you create heat in your home. When you cook in the oven, leave the door open afterward. When you take a shower, don’t use the exhaust fan. Let the heat circulate afterward. Some will even shower with the door open to allow the steam to travel. If you are going to be doing some home exercise, do it in a room you frequent so that your temperature can contribute to heating the room.

12. Cook the Right Foods

You don’t just create heat when you use the oven. You also do it when you boil water. Things like using a tea kettle, boiling potatoes, or making a stew all add more heat to the environment around you.

13. Reverse Ceiling Fans

You may look at a ceiling fan and think it couldn’t possibly help with heat but it actually can. Warm air rises. A ceiling fan in reverse pushes the warm air back down to the ground. This helps keep a space warmer for longer.

You need to have it set to the right direction though. Counter-clockwise will push down cool air. Clockwise on a low-speed is will gently draw up warm air and push it back down. This creates a natural pattern of warm air circulation in a cold room.

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