How to keep your house warm

We here at Inspirational Fireplaces know a lot about heat. We wouldn’t be very good at our jobs if we didn’t! So we know the steps you should take to make sure you stay nice and warm as the weather outside starts to go downhill.

A fireplace and a central heating system are obviously the best places to start, but more things need to fall into place to ensure that you maintain the heat these appliances generate. Below, you’ll find a list of some tips and tricks you can implement in order to maximise your heat retention and comfort.

Move furniture

To begin with, you have to give your central heating and fireplaces the best chance of working and heating efficiently. To that end, you should keep them well clear of any other furniture. If your chairs are next to the radiator, they will absorb heat that could otherwise be sent into the room.

Draught excluders

Another simple way of keeping heat trapped in rooms is to utilise draught excluders. Using them to cover any gaps in and around doors and windows will prevent warm air from passing through as it once would have. Windows can be blocked up with rubber strips, and doors require nothing more than old socks thrown into a pair of old tights. Used in conjunction with everything else, plugging these little gaps can really help.

Thick curtains

While they may not be in line with your particular interior design tastes, big thick curtains are a great way of trapping heat, and are far better at it than thin curtains. You can leave them open in the summer to let natural sunlight in, but draw them in the winter and you’ll feel the difference.

Block the chimney

A few years ago, sealing up an unused chimney was expensive. But now, instead of installing an expensive chimney cap or getting the whole chimney blocked up, you can install a relatively cheap chimney balloon. These plastic balloons can be inflated inside the chimney to prevent air leaving, and then popped should you ever want use of the chimney again.

Double glazing

We’ll finish with two of the more expensive solutions, but ones that do usually end up paying for themselves in the long run. Double glazing has been shown to dramatically reduce heating bills but preventing heat loss through glass. The double glazing creates a vacuum, through which heat can’t travel.