So winter has finally bitten here in the good old North of Ireland and I've been thinking about how to save on heating costs and reducing heat loss whilst keeping the house warm and cosy.
With four children, most of the heat we lose in our house tends to be down to the kids leaving doors open everytime they enter or leave a room. This is something that drives me totally insane as when I was growing up I remember my own mum always telling us to close the doors behind us and it's only now that I'm a mother I realise how frustrating the constant refrain becomes!
So, this week I've put one of the children in charge of door closing. Her job is to make sure others in the house close doors behind them and she has to do spot checks to ensure upstairs doors are also kept shut. It's working out well at the moment because it's a big responsibility and she'll be rewarded at the end of each week if she does her job well.
In addition to keeping doors closed, I've been encouraging the children to switch off their radiators in the morning when they are finished in their rooms and to switch them back on in the evenings making sure to draw their blinds and curtains to avoid heat loss through the windows. Downstairs too, we have started closing the curtains in the evenings and have even added a new curtain at our back door to minimise heat loss as the back door is a little drafty and has only got single glazing.
So far, we're definitely noticing a difference and the heat is staying where it's supposed to! When we're not using our open fire, we keep it blocked although if you decide to follow suit, make sure some ventilation can still get into your rooms and be careful to ensure that the chimneyis unblocked and cleaned in the event someone decides to light the fire!
So those are just some of my tips for avoiding heat loss this winter. If you enjoyed this, then check out my top tips to beat the budget blues and feel free to add yours in the comments below. :)
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