The Best Ways to Warm up an Old House in Winter
Your old house may be beautiful and charming, but it’s drafty as hell and could cost you a fortune to heat. Criticize modern homes for the fact that you can copy and paste as much as you like in them, but they are airtight and warm. Your old house can be warmer too, and then you get the best of both worlds. Here’s how to heat it up efficiently without breaking the bank.
See insulation options
This tip comes from CNet : You can insulate your home even if it was built without insulation space in mind. You’ll want to insulate the roof, where houses can lose a lot of heat, and then move on to the walls. Things can get a little random on the roof as few people will ever see it, but you might not want to do your own wall insulation. Read these basement insulation tips or call a professional.
Update your windows
Replace old windows, especially if they are single-chamber. Adding efficient double glazing won’t detract from your home’s antique charm, but it will help keep you warm. You can fix drafty windows without replacing them , but if you don’t have double glazing, you’re really just letting in warm air and cold air when it’s not needed. Invite a professional to your property to install double glazing and then make sure you have heavy curtains to hang in front of them for maximum heat retention. (In fact, order your curtains now to start saving heat even if you can’t get an immediate window replacement.)
Connect drafts
Also, according to CNet, you need to hunt down drafts, which are more likely to occur where outdoor air is separated from indoor air. You can make DIY door draft blockers , so we’re moving into cheaper territory here. You can also take some foam rubber, which expands in drafts, blocking cold air.
And finally, here are some more simple tips that you can use right now to make your home warmer:
- Keep interior doors closed to keep warm air in every room.
- Upgrade your radiator valves (and consider switching to a smart thermostat ).
- Use heaters ( but do it safely ).