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During the colder parts of the year, it can be tricky to stay up warm without cranking the heat. Most people don’t want to turn up their thermostat and spend more money on heating bills. Luckily, there are methods to help you stay warm without turning up the heat.
Use these methods to stay cozy all winter and save money on your electric bill:
Dress in Layers
Everyone knows you should add a sweater, jacket, and other layers when you go outside in cold weather. This should also apply when you’re inside. Layers will insulate your body and make it easier to regulate your body temperature. You can add or remove layers as needed to stay warm. Comfy socks, flannel sheets, layered clothing, even fingerless gloves can keep you warm without turning the heat.
Seal or Double Glaze Windows to Stay Warm in the Winter
The cheapest way to stay warm in the winter and the most effective method is to seal or double glazed windows. Your windows are probably letting in a lot of cold air that you pay to heat your house and keep your heat bill high. Double glazed windows add perfect insulation to your home which will ensure you stay warm during the cold months.
Ensure that your window seals work or replace them if needed to fix this problem. You can caulk around the edges of your windows, but you may need to replace older crank-style windows with newer double panes to be sure that you’re not wasting energy.
Drink Warm Beverages to Feel Warmer
Rather than sitting down, take a cup of hot cocoa or coffee. You’ll feel more of the delicious flavor, and you will stay warmer too. Warm tea is also perfect for warming up your spirits on cold days. This liquid will feel toasty going down, and the hot mug is excellent for heating cold hands.
Leave the Oven Open After Baking
When you’re finished baking, don’t close the oven right away. Instead, leave the oven door open until it cools down to help keep your house warmer. By leaving one light on in your kitchen, you will allow that heat to circulate better than closing the oven door and stopping any residual warmth from escaping.
However, be cautious about doing this if you have small children and pets around. Make sure they can’t reach the hot oven door or inside the oven. And never use the oven as a primary heat source, especially if your appliances use natural gas. Burning natural gas for long periods can increase carbon monoxide levels in your home.
Leverage Your Ceiling Fans for Heat
Use your ceiling fans to circulate warm air throughout your home. If you don’t have a ceiling fan in every room, only turn the ones on in the rooms you are using. The best way to do this is to let your ceiling fan turn at a low speed in a clockwise direction during the colder months.
Turn it on fairly quickly and turn your ceiling fan on low. The box fan will act as an exhaust, pushing the warm air down to low. Use this method, especially in small rooms like bathrooms or bedrooms.
Don’t Run the Bathroom Fan After Showering
If you have a ceiling fan in your bathroom, don’t run it after taking a shower. A great way to heat your bathroom is to turn on the hot water in the shower and let the room fill with steam. Make sure you leave your bathroom door wide open after taking a shower.
This will cause any condensation built upon the mirror or windows to drip down, creating instant warmth. Warm air rises, so it will push the warm air from the room up and out as it flows.
Take a Hot Bath
One of the easiest ways to warm up your bathroom is to take a hot bath before you get in bed. This will not only heat your room, but it will also work wonders for helping you fall asleep faster at night. In the same way, jumping through an ice-cold shower will cool you off on a hot day, soaking in a hot tub will warm you right up.
Create Quilts or Blankets for the Windows
One of the best ways to keep your room warm is to keep all the heat where it belongs. If you have drapes or curtains that are kept closed during the day, try cutting pieces of thick cloth into squares and sewing them together until you create blankets just large enough for your windows.
These will retain some of the warmth inside the room and prevent heat from escaping through the windows. Wool batting is the ideal batting to use when creating window quilts. This is because the wool is antibacterial, anti fungal and resists mold and mildew that you might get against your windows if you heat with wood in an area of high humidity.
Clear Heat Vents, Registers, and Radiators
It’s recommended to have your heating system inspected annually before the cold weather arrives, and you must rely on it to heat your home. It’s also important to ensure the heat can adequately warm your space. Pull furniture, curtains, and other items away from heat vents, registers, and radiators. If they’re blocked, the heat won’t be able to circulate.
Use Oven and Stove for Cooking and Heating
If you have an oven or stovetop that’s gas, use it to heat your home. It will produce twice the heat of electric appliances. Keeping your oven door closed will trap the heat inside. If you don’t have a gas appliance to warm your space, try setting your heating system temperature to about 100°F to warm your home and heat food. Use the stove and oven often to add heat to your home.
Wear Thick Socks or Slippers
An easy way to maintain warmth in your body is to wear thick socks or slippers. The thicker, the better! Use hand/foot warmers inside thick socks, slippers, gloves, and hats for quick heat boosts. Keeping your feet warm will make your whole body feel warmer.
Close Off Unused Rooms and Bedrooms
By closing bedroom doors and closing off rooms that aren’t frequently used, the warmth produced by your wood stove or fireplace flue can be focused on the rooms that you do use. Bedroom doors can be opened a few hours before bedtime but kept shut during the day. They’ll heat up faster once the rest of the house is warm.
Prep Your Radiators
If you use radiator heating, use tin foil behind the radiators to reflect heat back into the room rather than allowing it to flow into the walls. This will help warm up the room more quickly.
Warm the Bed Ahead of Time
The initial time in a cold bed is the most uncomfortable. Slip a hot bottle or microwave a rice-filled heating pad to further warm up your bed before you get in. A hot water bottle is also susceptible to leaks. You can also use pets if you don’t mind sharing your space with them. Don’t use an electric heating pad which can cause burns if used too long.
Do Something Active Like Cardio
Movement generates body heat, and nothing gets your blood pumping like engaging in some cardio. There are also many ways to get your body temperature up by being active. For instance, jumping jacks or running in place until you get your heart rate up. Consider setting a timer as a reminder to get up and move so often so that your body doesn’t become so cold and stiff that you don’t feel like being active.
Drink Green and White Tea or Masala Tea
Tea and not coffee is the best drink for winter days. Tea increases your internal furnace and causes your body to increase its temperature, while coffee doesn’t. Tea is also lower in calories and carbs than other hot drinks like rum toddies or hot chocolate. Spicy tea and other spicy foods also increase your metabolic rate and help you warm up.
Programmable Thermostat
Get the best programmable thermostats in the market to help you raise your home’s temperature when you are on your way back or starting to get cold, then lower it when you are away. This way, you don’t have to think about it, the savings to your energy bill will be automatic.
Extra Blankets
Keep a stack of blankets in the room you spend the most time in. If possible, sleep with an electric blanket or heat your water bed before you go to sleep so that when you crawl in at night, it is ready for you. At night, turn the heat down and throw on an extra blanket.
Spend More Time Upstairs
Spend more time up in your living area if possible in the winter. This will help warm up your home faster, allowing you to turn down the heat earlier when trying to conserve energy. Hot air rises, so if you have multiple levels in your home, spend more time on the upper level to take advantage of the warmer air there. You could even switch from watching TV downstairs to upstairs over the colder months to have a cozier setting.
FAQs on Tips for Staying Warm Without Turning Up Heat
What does it mean to be warm?
Being warm means feeling too hot to be comfortable. How you feel is different from how hot or cold it is in your environment. You can have a lower temperature setting but still be uncomfortable because of what you are wearing, the room’s humidity, the climate outside, and so on.
How long can a house stay warm without the heat?
If you don’t turn on the heat in the colder months, the house can stay warm for about 8-12 hours. If you don’t want to turn on the heat, you can use the above methods to keep yourself and the house warm.
Final Thought on Tips for Staying Warm Without Turning Up Heat
With these suggestions to help you stay warm in winter, you can save money and still be comfortable. These ideas can keep you warm and remain cheerful as the winter season progresses.
The post Tips for Staying Warm Without Turning Up the Heat appeared first on Kitchen Infinity.
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