The room is at 22 degrees, yet your feet are freezing. Or your shoulders are stiff after a day at the desk. The first instinct is to turn up the heating — and then you pay to heat every room, including the empty ones.
Here are seven ideas to keep the warmth in your home and direct it where you need it. Most of them cost nothing.
1. Stop the draughts
On a windy day, run your hand along the edges of the windows and under the front door. If you feel a draught, a self-adhesive seal strip or a door draught stopper fixes the problem in minutes.
2. Curtains work day and night
During the day, open the curtains on the sunny side — the sun heats your home for free. Once it gets dark, close them so less warmth escapes through the glass.
3. Don't block the radiators
A sofa pushed right up against a radiator, or laundry draped over it, traps the warm air exactly where it's needed. If a radiator is warm at the bottom but cold at the top, it probably has air in it and needs bleeding.
4. Close the doors to rooms you're not using
The warmth stays in the room you're in instead of spreading through the whole home.
5. A rug over a cold floor
Tiles and laminate draw the warmth out of your feet all day long. A rug or runner under the desk and in front of the sofa makes a noticeable difference. Add a pair of wool socks and the problem is half solved.
6. Warmth exactly where you need it
Often you're not cold everywhere — just in one spot. Instead of heating the whole room for the sake of two feet or one shoulder, warm just those:
- Heated foot warmer — slip your feet inside, under the desk or on the sofa.
- 30 × 60 cm heating pad — for your back, lower back or shoulder in the evening on the sofa, or behind you on your desk chair.
A note on safety: electric heating pads should not be used while you fall asleep, left switched on unattended, or folded while in use. If you have reduced skin sensitivity or ongoing discomfort, talk to a doctor before using one regularly.
7. Layers instead of one thick jumper
Several thin layers hold in warmth better than one thick jumper — and it's easy to take one off if you get too warm.
In short
- First, stop the warmth escaping — draughts, curtains, closed doors.
- Then make sure the radiators can work freely.
- Only then add warmth exactly where you feel cold.
Winter won't get any shorter. But your evenings can be warmer.