Keeping your house toasty on a budget

As a company that produces beautifully finished home extensions in London, we implement a bespoke service that is tailored to the individual, as all households are unique. At Home Tales, we cover many types of home renovations, as we have extensive experience with projects such as loft conversions, rear extensions, and side return extensions in London.

With the cold creeping into our households, we thought it was the perfect time to discuss how to keep your home warm through the Winter season. If you are living in London, you will definitely understand where we’re coming from. With period properties on every street, some of us have felt the chilly draught that has wormed its way in through the gap in the window, causing you to cringe and crawl back into bed. We wanted to share some affordable solutions to avoid this, save you on crazy heating costs, and keep you safe and snug this winter.

Seal your windows

All houses and installations have a life span which can be shortened by lack of maintenance. Some older properties can deteriorate over time, with wooden frames, floors and walls warping. Yes, your house is alive! This means old sash and casement windows can come with gaps, as warped wood would no longer be flush with the window frame.

There are multiple options available to block these gaps. For a cheap and temporary fix, you can fill the gaps with wood filler, which is not made to last but will keep you safe for a season. You can also re-seal your window with silicone caulking which works better as it is flexible, therefore adapting to any minor expansion or shrinkage to the frame. However, this can be messy if you have no experience with caulking as it dries quickly. Lastly, you can use expanding foam to fill a large gap. You simply stick the nozzle into the gap, spray, and the foam expands to fill the empty space. It is not the most attractive solution but it’s super effective as it fills every corner of the void.

Thick curtains

If you’ve gone through the task of figuring how you’d like to dress your windows, you probably know there are so many types to choose from. As our aim is to keep out cold weather, we want to talk about insulating curtains. Cold windows with gaps can be mitigated by the use of these curtains, as their thickness, weight, and length, act as a sturdy barrier to the elements. This protects you from the cold temperature outside, noise from a busy street, and adequately blocks out intrusive street lighting.

During the day, it is best to open all your curtains when the sun is out to allow your home to heat up naturally. When the night comes, close the curtains to trap the heat inside and keep the cold out.

Internal doors

Some homeowners experience draught with their internal doors, especially if there is a large gap where the door meets the floor. This tends to happen when one room is colder than another. There are plenty of options for preventing cold draughts under your doors that you may be familiar with.

Firstly, a draught excluder can be used to block the door gap. It is a long, weighted pillow-like object that you simply put in place, obstructing the flow of air. They come in various designs, so you can precisely match it with your décor. However, the draught excluder would move with the door, as it is not attached to the door itself. This means you would have to re-place this after every time you leave and enter the room. A stick-on draught stopper, usually made from foam, can be used on your internal door and can be left there for as long as you need it. It is easy to install and remove, making it a very simple and affordable option. Lastly, you can have a brush-seal installed under your door (if the gap is large enough). This is effective and permanent but can stick out like a sore thumb, clashing with your interior scheme.

Block the chimney

If you have an open chimney, consider installing a temporary chimney balloon. This device blocks out the cold air, but still allow a small opening so your chimney doesn’t suffocate. This solution is highly effective at preventing huge losses of heat that you make experience without the balloon.

Radiator reflectors

Something that is massively underrated yet simple, easy to install, and cost-effective, are radiator reflectors. These can be sheets of foil that you stick on the wall behind your radiator, or laminated sheets of reflective metal that you can easily hang on the appliance’s wall fixtures. The former solution requires a bit of work, as you may have to unhook your radiator from your wall to smoothly apply the sticky foil sheet. However, some crafty homeowners can avoid this with some manoeuvring. A hanging radiator reflector simply slots behind your radiator, reflecting at least 95% of the heat back into the room. The only downfall of this solution is the cost in comparison to the stick-on radiator reflection.

Lay some rugs

Last but not least, place a bunch of plush rugs around your home. This is particularly great for properties that feature plenty of wood, laminate, or tiled floors throughout. Rugs act as a barrier between the atmosphere and your floor. This prevents the loss of heat into the ground.

We hope you’ll be able to take on some of these tips to keep you warm and to save on heating costs. If you would like to discuss your home renovation project with us, you can contact our friendly team on 02070432378. Alternatively, you can email us at hello@hometales.co.uk or book a free telephone consultation with us here.


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