As the weather turns colder, many of us are looking for ways to keep our homes warmer. Instead of turning up the heating or buying double glazing, there are a number of low tech options for keeping the heat in.

Thick curtains

Thick curtains help to lock in warm air. Much heat is lost through windows and although double glazing helps, there can still be draughts. Choosing a thick curtain with a thermal lining is even better. You could also place curtains in front of doors or even pin up a rug across the door.

Sunlight

During the daytime, make the most of the sunlight by leaving curtains open. Sunlight heats up rooms, so this is a good tip even in winter weather. Close your curtains as soon as dusk arrives, when the sun goes down, so you don’t lose the heat you’ve built up during the day.

Radiators

Tin foil behind radiators is a great way of reflecting the heat back into the room instead of disappearing into the wall. This is especially important for exterior walls. You can buy foil designed for this purpose for under £10, while you could even use high quality kitchen foil. The Guardian explores this tin foil theory in more detail.

Chimney balloon

A huge amount of heat can be lost through the chimney. If you are not using yours, it is sensible to block it with a chimney balloon placed in the chimney hole. This is inflated until it blocks off draughts. If you have a log fire or woodburner, this isn’t an option, but with a metal log holder stacked with logs, such as those available from https://www.themetaltree.co.uk/curved-log-storage, you’ll have a great way to keep warm anyway.

Letterbox

Block the draught from the letterbox by buying a brush cover and a letterbox flap. There are also clever flap systems using magnets that are airtight. A similar protective flap should be used for dog and cat flaps or hang a piece of blanket across for insulation.

Draught excluders

Make sure you have foam draught excluders around closed patio windows. Also buy some ‘sausage’ draught excluders for the bottoms of doors. Keep doors to unused rooms closed, as heat will be lost into them. If you have bare floorboards, add rugs to reduce heat loss.