Some people consider winter a cozy, cosy season — the perfect excuse for curling up by the fire with a hot chocolate in hand. But for some, cold mornings and frosty nights are an inconvenience that’s best avoided. Of course, you can always put up more blankets and settle in by the fire — but given that our houses are often heated all year round, it’s easy to forget how to make them comfortable again when winter comes. Below we’ve got some tips that’ll help you take all of those chilly days out of your house.
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Let in the sunshine
If you want to make your house comfortable in winter, let in the sunshine. In summer this is less of a concern and can be an advantage, but in winter you want to absorb as much of that free heat energy as possible. Here are some tips on how to do so.
The most important thing is to keep the windows clean on the side facing the sun. If you don’t have time for this, at least keep those windows with southern exposure clear from debris.
You can also install special solar screens to help filter out the summer sun and heat, but allow full penetration of the winter sun’s rays. This will not only help lower your cooling costs in summer but also allow more sunlight into your home during winter months, which will help heat it naturally.
Awnings are another good way to get more heat into your home and they can also be an attractive addition to your exterior decor. If you have awnings and live in colder climates, remember to remove them before winter sets in or you could end up with broken or damaged awnings from ice and snow build-up and/or heavy winds blowing snow underneath them.
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Research effective heating systems
Most of us feel the cold more in winter and there’s nothing worse than feeling chilly in your own home. But there are plenty of ways to make your house cosy even when it’s freezing outside. From having a duvet day to sorting out your heating system, we have some top tips for keeping your house warm this winter.
Invest in a decent heating system
If you’re lucky enough to be building your own home from scratch, then you can choose the heating system that will work best for you. But if you live in an older property, then the heating system may not be very efficient or might not give you control over each room. There are lots of different options out there so make sure that you do some research and find out what will suit you best.
Use a programmable thermostat
If you’re lucky enough to have a new boiler with a programmable thermostat, then make sure that you use it. This allows you to schedule your heating and hot water to come on automatically at certain times of the day and helps you to save money on your energy bills too.
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Do a room by room clean
Winter cleaning isn’t just about vacuuming your carpet and dusting your furniture. While these tasks are important, you should also consider how each room in your home will be used during winter.
For example, if you have a fireplace or wood stove, now is a good time to clean out any ashes and soot. If you plan on using space heaters in certain rooms, make sure there is plenty of clearance around them to prevent fires.
If you live in an area where temperatures drop below freezing, take steps to ensure water pipes don’t freeze and burst. This may mean closing off unheated parts of your house or installing foam pipe insulation on exposed pipes in crawl spaces or attics.
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Learn cold weather maintenance
he most important thing about preparing for winter is to insulate the house. It’s possible that you may need to call professionals, but there are also many things you can do on your own. Start with checking how well your doors and windows are sealed. Air leaks make it difficult to maintain consistent temperature in the house, so find them and seal them up. You can use foam sealant or weather strips for this purpose. If you have an older home with single-pane windows, you may want to consider installing storm windows because they will help reduce air leaks and add another layer of protection from outside elements. Weather-stripping is also a good idea for exterior doors – it will help save energy and keep warm air inside during the winter months.
Another important area to check when you prepare your home for winter is the roof. This is especially true if you live in a climate with heavy snowfall or in an area prone to severe storms. In many cases, problems on the roof are waiting to happen and can cause damage not only to the roof but for other parts of your home as well.
If you need to get a Winnipeg roofing job, go to ManitobaRoofers.com to get up to 4 roofing quotes from top rated roofing companies in Winnipeg.
