The cold winter snap is making itself known across the country, but some experts have exposed ways to contain the heat inside your home – all without touching the thermostat.
With the winter well and truly upon us, many Brits are rushing to turn up the heating to keep themselves warm and cosy.
However, trying to keep the heat in has always been an issue and it seems the heat never quite lasts that long before you’re left in the cold once again.
This, added to the rising cost of energy bills, leaves people in a real predicament: to turn the heating on or not? Many will also bring out the big blankets as we settle in for a long and cold winter spell.
But did you know there is a way to heat your home by an extra 5°C without ever having to turn up the thermostat? These simpe tricks are well-known across luxury accommodation providers – and if you have ever been in a hotel in wintertime, you may have already spotted it.
Experts in the hospitality industry claimed that high-end hotels have been using these simple tricks to keep rooms feeling warm.
Property gurus at Luxury Serviced Apartments said the key is to trap the heat, not simply crank the thermostat up. The experts say that heat retention is a far better way to keep rooms warm for guests instead of an increased output.
Windows are the main barrier to this, however, as an estimated 40% of a house’s heat manages to escape through a window, even whilst they’re closed.
In order to avoid this, hotels have come up with a genius way to keep the heat from ever getting to the cold; a move that you can copy easily at home.
The solution is to focus on curtains and bedding so they provide the best protection against the cold draughts, which inevitably saves money.
One of the main ways to keep the heat inside is to close your curtains before sunset, as the amount of heat that is lost through windows skyrockets as the sun goes down.
It’s better to have thick curtains due to their ability to trap in heat, but even standard ones are great for keeping the cold at bay.
But it’s not just curtains that can save you energy and money, bedding can be an incredibly important tool for keeping warm.
Hotels have concocted a genius method to layer bedding so that it feels warmer and cosier – even if it might not be.
Instead of relying one huge blanket, fancy accommodations will use a number of smaller and thinner layers, which trap the warmer air between each layer and have stronger insulation from the cold.
If you want to try this at home, start by using a light thermal blanket underneath your usual duvet, before adding a throw, made either from wool or fleece.
On top of this, the type of sheet could also be helpful, as flannel sheets could also make a big difference.
Floors are also problem areas for keeping in heat, as cold floors can make a house feel much colder than it actually is. Counteract this by putting a rug near the bed and the space will not only feel cosier, but it will help to retain heat better.
If you really want to go all out and keep the heat in for as long as you can, you can also move your furniture to allow for the best airflow of heat around the home.
Try avoiding putting large furniture like beds or armchairs in front of radiators as they could block the heat itself.
