Cost-effective Ways to Keep Your Home Warm This Winter

During the frosty winter months, many of us spend the bulk of our time indoors. Instead of braving snow, ice and frigid temperatures, people who live in areas that are prone to harsh winters prefer to spend their leisure hours relaxing at home. As such, it’s only natural that you want to keep your residence as warm and comfortable as possible.

Unfortunately, heating a home during the wintertime can put a strain on even the most robust bank account. Budget-conscious homeowners who want to stay nice and toasty while keeping their personal finances intact can benefit from the following pointers.

Have Your Central Heating and Cooling Unit Serviced

Having your furnace or central heating and cooling unit serviced at the beginning of the season can go a long way in keeping your home warm all winter long. A seasoned technician will be able to provide the device with a thorough cleaning and identify prospective issues that may impact its performance. Addressing small problems in a timely manner will prevent them from becoming ever bigger issues down the line and ultimately save you a bundle in repair costs.

To ensure that regular heating and cooling–related maintenance doesn’t make a hole in your bank account, consider purchasing a comprehensive home protection plan. This will prevent you from being hit with unreasonable repair bills whenever your HVAC unit experiences issues. A good heating and cooling unit represents a sizable investment — one that you’ll want to protect.

The installation of A-rated boilers in your home is a great way to save money on your winter heating bills whilst keeping your carbon footprint low. Households across the UK, living in fuel poverty, can obtain access to a central heating grant.

Put Your Curtains to Work

Since the natural heat provided by the sun is free, you may as well take advantage of it. This means opening up your curtains during the daylight hours and allowing as much natural heat as possible to enter your home. Once the sun goes down, take care to close your curtains, as this will prevent the heat from escaping and cold air from entering. During the winter months, it pays to have thick curtains. The thicker the curtains, the better equipped they are to block out cold air.  

Take Measures Against Drafts

In the quest to keep a well-heated home, drafts can be one of your biggest adversaries. To make matters worse, drafts can often be sneaky and enter homes through cracks and crevices that are not immediately noticeable. With this in mind, you’ll need to thoroughly inspect your home’s windows at the beginning of the season. Should you discover any holes or cracks in the window frames or the windows themselves, seal or replace as needed. Additionally, make sure to equip any doors that lead outside with draft blockers. These handy tools can be purchased for under $20 and can save you hundreds in heating costs.

Remove Snow From Your Roof

Keeping snow off your roof can also prove helpful in maintaining a toasty home. Excessive amounts of snow can make it difficult for a house to retain proper insulation, so if your roof has gotten snowy, it’s in your best interest to clear it off. Of course, due to the danger involved with walking around on a slick rooftop during the winter, you shouldn’t actually be on the roof during this process. Luckily, products like the Roof Rake make it possible to de-snow your roof from the safety of the ground. Keeping your home warm may be important, but nothing is more important than your personal safety.

As an added bonus, keeping your roof free of snow stands to save you a bundle on rooftop maintenance. The ever-present moisture from snow and ice can wear down roofs, causing warping and/or the formation of holes. So if heavy snowfall is a common occurrence in your locale, keep a watchful eye on your home’s roof.  

If you live in a part of the country that’s besieged by harsh winter weather, turning your home into a safe haven from the cold should be among your top priorities. Regrettably, this is often easier said than done. With heating costs on the rise, keeping an entire residence warm throughout the winter season can be a costly undertaking.

However, this doesn’t mean homeowners need to resign themselves to being cold. Anyone looking to keep their home comfortably warm without breaking the bank should put the previously discussed tips to good use.