subject: Keeping Warm on a Budget this Winter [print this page] Keeping Warm on a Budget this Winter Keeping Warm on a Budget this Winter
Winter is a harsh time for some people. Many pensioners and people on a low income really struggle to keep warm. And even for the younger and better off, heating bills can still be horrendous at this time of year.
Saving money on heating is, therefore, attractive to nearly everybody, especially as more and more people are concerned about the environment and the damage caused by global warming.
No matter who your are, and what your budget is like, there are many affordable and cost effective ways of reducing heating costs and increasing the warmth of your home:
Draughts
There is no point having the heating on full if all that heat is allowed to escape through badly fitted doors, windows, up chimneys, through letterboxes or the myriad of other places where draughts occur.
If you have ill-fitting doors and windows, get draught excluders that seal up the gaps. These have moved a long way from the stuffed sausage dogs grandma used to have and you can get chimney balloons to block flues and letterbox draught excluders to prevent heat escaping that way too.
Insulation
Not having adequate insulation will not only mean you house will never be as warm as you'd like, but it also means that you are spending money unnecessarily. Having a loft insulated properly is not very expensive and for a few hundred pounds it will save a fortune in the future. For pensioners there are often grants and council funded projects to help with this.
Radiator Panels
Another cost effective way of saving money and increasing the warmth of your home. Neatly fitted behind the radiator, radiator panels boost the output by reflecting the heat from the rear and reflect it back I the room. This allows you turn the radiators down and still provide just as much heat they are cheap too!
