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Keep Warm at Home
How can you keep warm and stay cool at home? Yes, it’s cold outside, but winter is a beautiful season. Depending on where you live, air conditioning can be expensive. However, there are a few ways to keep warm at home in winter without a heater.
Keep Warm: Radiators
Heat Channel: Install a shelf directly above a radiator so that heat flows into the room instead of rising away.
Keep Warm: Heat Reflector
Make radiators more efficient by taping aluminum foil to cardboard behind them, with shiny sides facing inward. The foil will reflect heat into the room instead of through the walls.
Keep Warm: Drafts
Draft Finder: Close doors and windows, and walk around with a candle. Where it flickers, you have a draft.
Keep Warm: Draft Protector
Stuff an old jacket sleeve with padding and sew it up to make a draft protector for a door. Use a bright color so that no one trips over it.
Keep Warm: Double Glazing
Temporary Measures: Use sheets of Plexiglas or heavy plastic as “double glazing,” secured with strong tape.
Keep Warm: Using Plastic Sheeting
Clear plastic sheeting stuck to windows with tape provides instant “double glazing.” Shrink it to fit with a hairdryer, and peel it off in the summer.
Keep Cool at Home
Insulating your home properly will help keep it cool in summer and warm in winter. Wear loose clothing around the house in hot weather and avoid using the oven during the heat of the day. Open attic or top-floor windows and try to circulate air with cross-ventilation.
Keep Cool: Natural Solutions
- Avoid artificial light. Light bulbs give off more heat than you might imagine. Use natural daylight as long as possible and do not switch lights on until it is essential.
- Landscaping for Shade: Plant trees outside to shade your home. Deciduous trees will provide shade in summer and allow light in when their branches are bare in winter.
Keep Cool: Keeping Heat Out
Draw Curtains: Draw blinds and curtains during the hottest part of the day to shade rooms from the sun’s rays.
Keep Cool: Reflect Solar Heat
Staple or tape aluminum foil inside the roof space to reflect the sun’s heat outward. This will reduce the amount of heat that passes into the house by at least 20 percent.
Keep Cool: Reducing Humidity
When showering, open the windows to let as much moisture escape as possible. Keeping lids on saucepans reduces the humidity caused by steam and saves energy. Close internal kitchen doors while cooking to keep other rooms cool.
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