Keeping you and your house warm this winter

Here are a few tips, tricks and checks you can make to keep you and your home, warm.

Extra Layers

The quickest and easiest solution, extra layers. It goes without saying that the more layers your home has, the warmer and cosier it will be.

Weighted and/or heated blankets – of course if you don’t have these to hand, this would be an additional cost, however, don’t be afraid of looking in Charity shops, asking friends/family/neighbours if they have spare you can borrow/buy second hand. I recently bought an electric blanket from a car boot for £5. It costs 1-3p an hour on electric and has kept my children warm. New electric blankets can be upwards of £100.

Wear extra layers - You can pick up fluffy socks for around £2-£4 in B&M’s / home bargains. Instead of buying cotton pyjamas for Christmas, buy plush pyjamas. You might think you look like a big teddy bear, but you will feel the warmth!

Jumpers – quick win - In my home, I bought ‘hoodie-blankets’ for all my children, made it so much easier to take on and off whenever you need a little extra warmth.

Invest in a foot warmer - This can be great if you are working from home, sitting at your desk with a toasty heated foot warmer.

Wrap up well - If you need too, wear hats, scarves and gloves in doors.

Watch what you wear - I am always living in leggings, but ideally you should wear looser fitting clothing as it traps more body heat keeping you warm. If you can, go for multiple layers of natural fibre clothing. 

Boiler

Check your boiler is up to the standards/demand of cold weather.

If you are renting, check with your landlord that the boiler is in service and is working efficiently. Defective/old boilers can increase your heating bill as they work significantly harder to work its way to the desired temperature.

A new boiler is a big upfront cost, but it will definitely help with the colder months and prevent your bills reaching ridiculous amounts during winter. 

Thermostat

Learn and understand your thermostat.

Older homes with older heating systems degrade over time, upgrading your thermostat to a smart one can be a well worth investment. Thermostats with a timer offer simple and speedy solutions to controlling the heat of your home.

Most modern thermostats can be controlled by your phone and are built to be energy saving, so will automatically turn down when you are out of the house. Monitoring your energy usage, especially at a time like this will save you money in the long run. A highly recommended smart thermostat is Hive.

Personally, I have a very old house and boiler, the only way I can track my usage currently is with our smart meter/in home display. If you have a smart meter but do not have an in home display, contact your energy provider, they can post one out for free.

Re-arranging Furniture

Obstructing radiators will massively impact the temperature of the room.

In my own house, I have an awkward sized living room, so our two and three seater sofas are positioned against the wall, one being our main radiator. I have moved the sofa to the opposite wall, granted I’m not fond of this ‘aesthetic’ wise, but the difference we felt in that one evening was massive.

Look at your living space and see what you can move around.

The best tip is to place your furniture close enough to the radiator to feel the benefit but not too close so that there is no room for the heat to circulate the rest of the living space. Move your bed from under your window so at night you don’t feel a draft.

If you have a ceiling fan, spin it backwards! Reversing your ceiling fan can pull the warm air from the ceiling and send it back to down to you, exactly where you want it

Radiators

As well of not obstructing your radiators with your furniture, you can try these tips.

Bleed your radiators regularly - Make a habit of ‘bleeding’ your radiators, as they work to their full potential after bleeding them.

This helps make sure no air is trapped, as this affects the heating performance. If you do not have radiators, blow heaters are also affective and instant, I purchased mine from B&M’s for £15 and have one in every room.

Buy shelfs for your radiators - Either floating shelves or radiator specific shelving. These not only look good but deflect the heating from the radiator to the outside of the shelf, rather than the heat rising to the ceiling and being wasted.

Check the valves on your radiators - Some radiators have a number dial on them, which is used to control the hot water flowing into them and, in turn, controls your radiators temperature. If they are below or set at number ‘2’, you may not feel the benefit of them during the cold months.

Plumbers recommend keeping your valves to number 5 downstairs and number 2/3 upstairs, for the heat to rise from downstairs and heat the whole home. 

Reflect the heat – you can buy reflective radiator foil from most DIY shops, pushing the heat away from the wall and back into the room. This can keep your home cosy, warm and reduce heating costs. 

Curtains

Keeping your curtains closed at night should keep the heat in the room, however it is recommended to keep them open during the day.

Any natural sunlight should naturally heat up the room in the day. Track when the sun is setting in the day to know when is best to close your curtains. Currently, the best time to close your curtains is 3pm/4pm.

Alternatively, you can hang blankets on the walls. Walls can radiate cold air through it in extreme cold. However, if this happens regularly, you may need to check your wall insulation. If you are renting, speak to your landlord about your concerns.

The best type of curtains for the cold months are thermal-lined, especially if you have single glazed windows. As they are more expensive, any curtain that is ‘lined’ are good too. The thicker, the better. Black-out curtains are also recommended, as they can help in the summer too. 

Windows

Draught-proof your windows.

A worthwhile DIY task to keep drafts at bay, all you need is self-adhesive foam tape. Draughts occur in cracks between window frames, openings, and the surrounding walls/brickwork.

If you are in a rented property, raise your concern to your landlord, you may be overdue new windows. 

Eliminate Internal Drafts

A little obvious, but that is why it can be easy to overlook.

In my own circumstances, I have many doors in my property but leave them all open so I can hear my children and let the Dog/Cat run around freely. However, at night it feels like forever for the heating to be on , to feel the benefit. I have started closing all the doors to each room to make the space feel warmer, as beforehand I would constantly turn up the heating in the evening.

In my home, we always have our back window open to prevent condensation from our very old dryer. It’s a little difficult to reach but closing this window at night has increased the warmth significantly. Something to think about.

Another overlooked tip is to cover keyholes in your windows and doors. Some window and door keyholes are big enough to let a small gust of cold air through, you can buy covers for them from Amazon or DIY shops. It might sound like a reach, but every little bit counts.

If you have a garage, leave the doors closed to keep heat stealing drafts from reaching the inner walls of your home.

Fitting draught-proofing strips on your doors, whether they are old or new work well at insulating the doors and keeping the cold at bay. This works for both internal and external doors, you can buy self-adhesive draught excluders from B&Q for around £8-£10.

However if you are not comfortable with DIY’ing your doors, you can buy plush draught excluders. Most interior sections in shops have these, like Dunelm or The Range. As well as being stylish, it instantly benefits the room and reduces breeze between rooms. 

Flooring

Do you have carpet, lino, hard wood floors? Each have there benefits and downfalls for colder months.

In the summer, I switched our carpets to hard wood floors, granted I have two pets and three very young children so it felt like the best option (to keep clean and tidy), however, now in the colder months the floor is naturally colder.

Wool is a natural insulation, so a rug in my opinion, is an essential purchase. We purchased a second hand rug from our local British Heart Foundation charity shop to balance the humidity in the room and it has instantly felt warmer. The bonus with rugs is you can move them to the room you are in, wash them and put them away during the summer months.

If you are purchasing carpet, don’t forget the Underlay. It is often over looked but it is really important to not only insulate, but cushion your flooring. Underlay also works as a sound barrier between floors. 

If you are renting, contact your landlord about putting in new carpets with underlay.

Candles

My favourite part of these cold dark months are lighting a candle, specifically a ‘Christmas’ themed scented candle.

They easily make the room feel cosier and although they aren’t powerful enough to heat your home alone, they can make the surrounding space a little bit warmer.

I personally have a few WoodWick candles dotted around, they make a ‘crackle’ like an open fire and last a long time.

Buy a terracotta pot - Terracotta heaters are a great way to keep warm without using your energy, popping a candle/tealight in the pots causes them to heat up slowly and retain the heat well. It is a great DIY alternative to turning the heating on. 

Check your Loft/Attic

If you have a loft, the door/hatch to this room may bring in a draught if your roof isn’t insulated or have a defective roof.

The same self-adhesive draught strips mentioned previously for your windows and doors, work great around the frame of the hatch. 

If your home’s loft is not insulated, you could be losing a significant amount of heat through your roof. Insulating the loft is a very effective way to reduce the heat loss and lower your heating bills.

A tip, when it snows, look at your roof from the outside, is there less snow on your roof compared to your neighbours? This is a clear sign that heat is being lost in your home.

Loft insulation should remain effective for at least 30-40 years, so it’s a key investment, however if you do not own your home, raise this with your landlord. Alternatively, you may have issues with your roof you was previously unaware of.

Hot Water

Pick up some hot water bottles, one for each bed and one for each person.

I recently introduced hot water bottles for my children, I was nervous at first about the potential safety hazards but Amazon have kid-friendly versions that are less likely to ‘pop’ or spill out.

I fill them up every night, place them in the bed under the duvet covers for around an hour before bedtime, and then remove them before my children go to sleep. The bed and covers are extra toasty and helps my children fall to sleep quicker! I keep a hot water bottle in my own bed and keep one at the bottom of my bed to keep my feet warm in the night.

Check the life expectancy of your hot water bottles. The recommended shelf life is two years, most bottles have a number on the bottle to let you know. If you have an old hot water bottle, it's probably best to buy a new one.

Save money by filling up your kettle to the top and only using the hot water as/when you need it. Most cost occurring electric usage in modern homes was found to be ‘flicking on the kettle’ numerous times.

Invest in thermal/insulated cups and mugs, to keep your hot drinks hotter for longer.

If you run a hot bath, do not drain the bathtub until the water has cooled. You get additional heat in the home. 

Cooking

Lets say you have just finished baking, a tip is to leave the stove open very slightly to let the home get all that wonderful heat.

Keep your food warm by wrapping them in tin foil and keeping in a dark place.

Make soup, soup is a warm and cosy meal to heat you up.

It can be difficult to keep up the motivation to prepare meals, but its good to try and keep a routine where you can. 

Generate Heat

Get your blood pumping, make a to do list of 1 minute chores and not only will you feel warmer, you will feel mentally better and benefit from a cleaner home.

Snuggle up. Get cuddling your partner, kids, and pets! Sharing body heat keeps you both warm.

If you live alone, there is various 'warm’ banks (like foodbanks but for warmth) you can attend, in your local community. Check your local authorities website for addresses.

Financial Support

There are grants and benefits available to make your home more energy efficient. Check your local authority/government website for further advice.

• Check if your eligible for a Warm Home Discount
• Check if your eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment
• Check you have received the recently introduced energy bill discount
• Check if you are due a rebate, whether it be for income related tax or council tax
• Check if you are eligible for the Household Support Fund
• Ask your energy supplier if you can review your payments, have a break, reductions, and access to hardship funds.
• Apply for the priority service register with your energy provider.
• Contact your local MP
• Contact Citizens Advice
• Get your landlord to fix your home – Write a formal complaint to your landlord and ask them to make the repairs.

We have a guide here with an example letter format if you wish to complain to your landlord.

If you are struggling with Housing Disrepair in your home and are renting from the council / housing association, contact our team as we can help you make a letter of claim and guarantee repairs, within a set time frame and even compensation. 

Housing Disrepair

Housing disrepair is a rented property in need of repair(s), in order to be safe and habitable for the tenant, also said to be ‘in a state of disrepair’.

If you are living in a rented property, your landlord has requirements by law to provide a suitable, safe and habitable property which means keeping your home in a state of repair. The main responsibilities for the landlord are;

• Installations at the property (water, gas, sanitation, heating, and electricity etc.)
• Structure of the property (drains, gutters, pipes, walls, flooring etc.)

Having the above in good condition/up to standard, makes the home fit for human habitation.

Issues that are considered ‘disrepair’:

• Vermin infestations
• Faulty / unsafe electrics
• Damp
• Mould
• Gas leaks
• Water leaks
• Roof issues
• Loose or missing roof tiles
• Faulty heating/water
• Structural cracks
• Flooring issues

If you feel your property may be in a state of disrepair, report this to your landlord. If the landlord fails to rectify the issues, you may be eligible to start a Housing Disrepair Claim.

If you need help, we invite you to contact our specialist housing disrepair team. We deal with tenants of social housing properties (council home or housing association property). We aim to contact your landlord, get your repairs fixed and issue a claim for compensation for the stress/inconvenience caused in a settlement.

If necessary, it may be possible to take your landlord to court, as the court can order necessary repairs to be carried out. However, you can only seek legal representation for a housing disrepair claim if the costs of the works needed exceed £1,000.

In some cases, if we are unable to help, the best point of call would be contacting the Housing Ombudsman or Citizens Advice.

If you are a social housing tenant, our Housing Disrepair experts are more than happy to answer your questions and review your situation. Our services are completely free to tenants. Our legal fees are paid by the Council or Housing Association upon successful completion of your claim. We would not put our clients in a position where they would have to pay a penny.

If you are unsure, we can access your circumstances and give you advice on how best to proceed. Please call us directly on 0800 610 2223 or email info@mlasolicitors.co.uk. Alternatively, please reach out on social media or fill in the contact form on our website.