Tired of costly heating expenses? Looking for a way to cut down the bills and yet keep warm and comfy? We offer you the best and cheapest ways to heat your home this winter. From curtains to cooking, we reveal clever and creative ways to keep warm.
Living in the modern consumerist world, we all have a ton of bills to pay, and one of the unavoidable costs is household heating. Whether you use electricity or natural gas, heating oil, propane, or wood, the finances spent on heating are relatively high and getting higher with the year. So how can we reduce these expenses to the minimum?
Here we present the top “warm-up apartment” hacks that are relatively cheap and you can easily do by yourself.
Use Curtains As a Type of Insulation
via apartmenttherapy.com
Shower curtains are a cheap and creative way to keep warm. Put them over windows where they receive sunlight so that the warmth from the sun stays in your apartment. You can also use plastic window covers, which have really improved lately and are still a pretty good method at keeping out the drafts. You can also use old thick curtains to prevent losing heat through windows. They block the heavy drafts of air and add a rich vintage spark to your home too.
Draught Excluders
A notable amount of warmth in your home is lost due to the air circulation through the tiny space between the doors and the floor. To seal your doors, use draught excluders or door sweeps. An even cheaper way is to stuff some of your old leggings with socks and put them at the bottom of the door.
Rugs and Carpets
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As much as 10% of heat loss is due to uninsulated floors. To prevent this, cover bare floorboards with rugs or carpets, which will also keep your feet warm.
Tin Foil
via radflek.com
To prevent heat loss from radiators attached to external walls, set up an aluminum foil behind the radiator, reflecting the warmth into the room, preventing it from escaping through the wall. You can use any tin foil, from kitchen foil to aluminum foil, for cars.
Close Any Unused Rooms
via quietkinetic.wordpress.com
Be sure to close all unused rooms in your apartment. This way, you stop air from circulating and keep heat loss at a minimum level. You can also put door sweeps here for extra prevention.
Cook
via wikimedia.org
A fun way to heat up in winter is by home cooking. Bake your favorite pie and save heat energy! Your oven will help to dry the air and heat the kitchen. But keep in mind that cooking that gives off steam will increase the humidity in the air, which you want to keep at the lowest level possible to feel warmer. Water vapor (humidity) has a greater ability to absorb heat than dry air. As a result, humid air feels colder in winter than does dry air, and it takes more heat to make damp air feel comfortable.
You could also take advantage of some of your heating elements to do this. Tons of homeowners like to shop pellet stoves that keep their homes warm while giving them an appliance to prepare meals. It has a flat surface so you can put on pots, pans, and skillets to give a boost of warmth while you’re cooking.
Seal Windows
via thehousemadehome.blogspot.com
Place draft snakes made of fabric tubes or even kitchen foil between the windows and the window frames to prevent air circulation.
Professional Insulation
Professional insulation of the whole house is not relatively cheap, but it definitely pays off in the future. Rolls of foam insulation are a more affordable yet efficient version, but mineral wool, glass fiber, and recycled paper products all work well.
Incandescent Lights
via hapihour.org
An incandescent light bulb, on average, releases up to 95% of its energy as heat rather than light, which makes it an extremely efficient heat source. Other types of light bulbs such as fluorescent and LED lights are created to release more light than heat, so they are not as helpful at keeping you warm as incandescent lights.
Light Up The Candles!
Although candles seem like a lousy heat source, you’d be surprised how much warmth they produce! Candles can decently heat a room at the right amount while making a relaxing, romantic atmosphere. So go to the nearest store and get yourself a bunch of candles!
