10 Tips to keep your heating bills low and help the environment

10 Tips to keep your heating bills low and help the environment

Yep… Pretty much what it says on the tine. We’ve got some genuinely clever ways to keep a little bit warmer if you can’t afford to turn up the thermostat… or, for ecological reasons, don’t want to.

Adjusting your heating habits is a great way to save money and live green, regardless if you’re owning or renting a flat or house. Try to switch your radiators on a couple of weeks later than you’d normally do and keep the temperatures two or three degrees below your preferred values. There are many ways to feel warm without keeping all your rooms at 22 degrees or more.

We can’t just turn the thermostat off and keep our parkas on inside. Even if you were comfortable with that, you still need to heat your rooms to prevent your walls from getting mouldy. But there are strategies to feel comfortable at home without turning the heating up too much. Try some of these tips:

1. Step up for some warmth: There is nothing as cosy and warm as a pair of nice houseshoes, maybe combined with thick socks. You can choose them according to your needs and habits. If you want to get in and out of them often, slippers will be a good choice. For the chilly amongst us, snuggly plushies will provide extra warmth. You will also want to think about if you prefer them with hard, shoe-like soles or something softer.

2. Keep those fingers warm: Fingerless gloves or wristwarmers do a great job and come in all sorts of styles and colors. You can buy them online, at the supermarket, the thriftstore, or make them yourself. They also make a great gift and I have never met a person who didn’t get to love their pair.

3. Top it off: We lose most of our body heat through our scalp, ears and neck, so keep these regions covered, wearing a light scarf, a shawl or hoodie. I am even wearing light hats inside sometimes, not only does it keep me warm, but it also makes me feel better on a bad hair day.

4. Switch to drinking tea. If you don’t add sugar it can act as a substitute for water whilst keeping you warm from the inside.

5. Cook! Of course, fire up your kettles, invite all your neighbours and cook a good meal. Not only will it make you feel good to share food and laughs with friends, a warm meal a day is a healthy way of keeping you warm. In addition, the heat from the stove and the presence of many people will help to warm your kitchen.

8. Get moving! Regular physical activity is the cure for so many things; it will also help keeping the cold from your limbs. So even if it is freezing cold outside, get going with your favourite sports. The muscles you build up will keep you warm even when you’re not active.

9. Get some extra warmth: Be it inviting your pet onto your lap, pre-warming your bed with a hot water bottle or snuggling up under a nice wooly blanket with your loved one. Some extra warmth is always a good thing.

10. Clean your home. If the chill really bites in, get up and do something like washing dishes, vacuum cleaning, or what about giving your bathtub a good scrub? The physical activity will warm you up in no time and after just a few minutes you can sit down to enjoy a cup of tea and a sparkly bathroom.

This doll is made of wool and won’t feel the heat this winter. If it were made of humanstuff, it would feel enwarmed (is that a word?) by the artful placement of a warm pet on its lap.

Drink delicious tea and lots of it

Wear cute warm winter slippers like these beauties knitted by Knitique, but wear them with woolly socks