8 tips to enjoy more heat at home for less
As winter tightens its icy grip on us, we're all looking for ways to stay warm. Many people switch on heaters all around the house but while this keeps the home warm, it also increases electricity costs.
Here are a few helpful ways to keep your home cosy and warm this winter, while keeping your costs down.
1.
Insulate
About half of a house's heat gets lost through the roof. So insulating between the roof and ceiling is wise. It may cost a bit upfront, but it will be worth it in the long run.
2.
Go for gas
Gas heaters effectively warm a whole room and are best for health, safety, and cost. And they last long. Just make sure to ventilate the rooms well.
3.
Curtains for the cold
Heat from our warm African sun is a blessing that people in many other parts of the world don't get to enjoy - and it's free! So open all curtains during the day to let the sunlight and warmth in. Then when the day darkens, shut the curtains as an insulation layer.
4.
Small draughts, big difference
Block gaps or air leaks in windows and doors to make a real difference in keeping your home warm. Put a threshold roll (a door "worm") at the bottom of doors. Even keeping keys in their keyholes helps to ward off those draughts. If you don't use your fireplace, seal it up with an old blanket or board.
5.
Hang it all
Hang your washing inside your house to increase the humidity, which will increase the heat.
6.
Cover your bases
If your house has tiles or wooden floors, place some carpets down to retain the heat.
7.
Reflect
If your house has wall-mounted heaters, place some tin foil on the back, with the shiny side facing outwards. This is so the heat reflects into the room and not into the cold wall.
8.
Show your geyser some love
Finally, geysers provide that much-needed hot water, but they suffer more wear and tear when the temperature of the water entering the geyser drops in winter. The difference between this colder water and the hot water leaving the geyser is therefore greater than in summer. This increases the rate of expansion and contraction, which could lead to metal fatigue. During cold weather, a geyser is more vulnerable to bursting.
Consider getting cover for wear and tear on pipes and water-heating systems (it's automatically included on the Executive Plan). Then you would have cover for loss or damage from busting, leaking or overflowing geysers or pipes. To learn more, you can call us on 0860 751 751 or speak to your broker.
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