5 tips for a warm winter while saving energy

Because it is colder in winter and people stay indoors more, naturally more energy is used than in other seasons. Although there is no escaping this fact, there are still ways, in winter too, to save energy, without it being at the expense of the warmth in your home.

1. Insulate your home in simple ways

One of the best ways to save energy is to insulate a home very well. Heat no longer simply escapes, which avoids a lot of extra heating costs. In the short term, however, it is difficult to apply large-scale home insulation . There are, however, simple measures that can be taken to insulate the house better and so save energy:

Close the curtains: A lot of heat escapes through windows, even with double glazing. By closing the curtains, the heat is kept inside better. Do not do this if the curtains block a radiator.

Draught brush under the door gap: A lot of heat also escapes through the gap under doors. It is easy to do something about this by fitting a brush under the door. These are available at most DIY stores and are not expensive. A possible temporary solution is a towel in front of the gap.

Radiator foil: With radiator foil, the heat is directed into the room better. Without foil, only the wall is heated at the back of the radiator, which is a waste. With radiator foil the heater can be set to a lower setting and/or switched off earlier.

In the long term, consider insulating the home on a larger scale. Not only can this save energy and therefore money, it also leads to a better energy label. This is important if the home is ever sold.

2. Leave the oven open after use

It may sound like something with limited effect, but a used oven can be a good heater. Especially in somewhat smaller houses, a used oven can have a significant effect on the room temperature. By opening the oven door, the warm air quickly flows into the room. In this way an extra heater can be created without using extra energy.

3. Close doors

Closing doors is always important to keep a room at temperature, but especially during the winter. Rooms that are not used are often particularly cold, especially in cold periods. Warm air from another room flows there a lot faster than would be the case in warmer periods.

For this reason, pay extra attention to closing doors. In practice this can save a great deal of energy. Doors to rooms with a lot of windows in particular should be closed quickly to retain heat.

4. Light candles

For thousands of years people have used fire to stay warm, so why should that not still be a good option in 2017? By lighting several candles, a surprising amount of heat can be created.

This is quickly noticeable, especially in small rooms. Of course candles are not only practical, on a cold winter evening they are also atmospheric: a win-win situation, then. Spread the candles strategically around the room to achieve even heating.

5. Central heating off earlier, extra jumper on

Indoors it is pleasant to have a comfortable room temperature at which it is not necessary to wear a coat. That does not mean, however, that wearing a good jumper is too much of a good thing. It makes no sense to heat to a temperature at which a jumper is already too warm. This costs a lot of money and is unnecessary.

In the same way, it is not necessary to keep heating until the moment you go to sleep. Turn the central heating off one or two hours before going to bed. This way energy can be saved, while the home does not cool down very much yet in those one or two hours.

5 tips for a warm winter while you save energy

Saving energy and still staying warm during the winter: here's how!