Winter is slowly but surely on its way. You find yourself shivering at the reminder of last winter’s electricity bills. You’re also worried about your carbon footprint, which definitely increases as you turn up the heater’s temperature.
It’s possible that the reason your rented home isn’t as warm as you’d like it to be isn’t solely due to the cold weather outside. A poorly insulated home can contribute significantly to heat loss and allow chilly air inside.
Before you turn to your landlord about radical changes to the places, there are simple adjustments that can improve insulation and retain your home’s warmth. In this article, we’ll provide you with different affordable and temporary solutions to keep your rented home warm.
4 Ways to Keep Your Rented Home Warm
When the weather starts to get colder, there are a few things that you can do to keep your rented house warm. Because these adjustments and additions are temporary, you won’t need to get back to your landlord.
Seal Up Draughts
Many older rental houses can be quite draughty, with gaps around the doors, ceilings, and windows. As a result, up to 30% of heat may be lost through these crevices. Even homes with tiny gaps can lose a significant amount of heat.
As more cold air slips in through the cracks and more heat goes right out the windows, your heaters will be constantly exerting effort to keep your house warm. This may result in excess energy use and a high electricity bill.
The solution is to seal up any gaps through draught-proofing. There are a number of ways you can draught-proof your rented home to keep it warm, including:
Sealing Strips
Removable sealing strips are insulating adhesive foam tapes. They’re an affordable and inconspicuous option to prevent any draughts from penetrating any gaps. These sealing strips can be used around doors, windows, and walls.
Installing removable sealing strips can considerably decrease the amount of heat your home loses. In turn, you won’t need to worry about your heater consuming too much energy.
Draught Excluders
The bottoms of doors and windows can have a huge impact on your home’s temperature. These gaps allow air to travel back and forth, which can cause a drop in temperatures inside.
Draught excluders are a type of seal that’s usually placed in gaps underneath doors and windows. They can eliminate heat loss, which means you won’t need as much energy to keep your home warm.
Hang Curtains
Curtains can do more than just block light and look pretty. A good-quality, thermal curtain made from insulating material can ward off cold air and prevent heat loss.
Thermal curtains are a much thicker type of curtain. They’re often made from tightly woven materials, like suede, felt, and velvet. These fabrics create a barrier that prevents cold air from seeping into the house.
In addition, thermal curtains can save energy and lower your utility bills. Windows can account for up to 30% of heat loss. Further, up to 40% of heat is lost through old, draughty windows. As a result, you may find yourself turning up the heater, which will consume more energy.
Hanging up heavyweight thermal curtains can maintain a stable temperature inside. During the day, open your curtain to allow some heat and sunlight to filter in. As it starts to get darker and colder, close the curtains. This will help you retain heat and conserve energy as well as money.
To get the most out of your curtains, you should:
- Get curtains wider than the window frames.
- Hang them as close as possible to the windows.
- Let them fall all the way to the floor.
In case your rented home isn’t equipped with window fittings, you may need to check with your landlord before you drill any holes.
Use Rugs
Although your rented home’s wooden floors could be one of the things that appeal to you, they could be one of the reasons you lose heat during winter. According to the UK’s National Energy Foundation, you can lose up to 10% of heat through uninsulated, bare floors.
One cost-efficient solution to overcome this issue is to use rugs. Besides adding a cosy appearance to your home, rugs can keep your feet warm and prevent any heat loss.
What’s more, rugs can be placed on the gaps between floorboards, which might allow draughts to enter. Covering these gaps with rugs can make a significant impact on your home’s warmth levels.
One of the best rug materials that can retain heat is wool. In addition to giving the hard floors a soft pleasant feeling, a durable wool rug is an efficient thermal insulator.
Use the Oven More
This is actually one way you can warm up your home. Although it’s not advisable to turn on an oven just to warm a place, using it to cook is another matter.
You can cut down on your heating bills and food budgets by eating at home more. The oven will warm up your kitchen as it’s on. Then, after you take out your food from the oven, just leave the door open. This will blast some free warmth in your home.
In Conclusion
As winter approaches, you might be considering how to keep your rented home not only clean but also warm. There’s no need to spend your hard-earned money on high utility bills. Using curtains and rugs are long-term solutions to make your home warmer.
Sealing any gaps can prevent cold air from slipping inside. It’ll also reduce heat loss, which saves up energy and money. You should also inspect your home’s heating systems to ensure that they’re working efficiently.
What’s important is to plan ahead. You should give yourself time to prepare your home and choose what you’ll need to keep it warm in winter.
Although using sealing strips isn’t difficult, insulating your home can take some time. Thoroughly inspecting heating systems can take time as well. If you begin preparations early, winter will arrive with you warm and worry-free inside of your home.
When your tenancy contract comes to an end don’t hesitate to contact Crown Cleaners and book end of tenancy cleaning London.
