Winter is coming: How to protect yourself from the cold at home

Good morning and welcome to a new entry in the blog of Southern. When the thermometers drop, most of us take refuge in our homes seeking the warmth of these, but sometimes it is colder than outside. This is why we want to help you to know how to protect your home from the cold, and make it a cosy and pleasant place to shelter.

Although it may seem a long way off to some, the cold weather is getting closer and we don't want to be caught by surprise. Just as we prepare our wardrobes for the change in temperature, we should do the same with our homes.

Here are some tips to protect yourself from the cold that are also inexpensive and easy on the wallet.

Ideas for protecting your home from the cold

Isolation

We have to bear in mind that windows and doors are key and a large part of the warmth of the house usually escapes through them. How is this possible? Because of poor insulation. On days with low temperatures we can approach these areas and discover that small gusts of cold sneak in through here.

To avoid this problem, we can buy adhesive tape, specifically for these surfaces, and cover all the windows, doors or cracks that we have at home. In this way, we will be able to maintain a warmer temperature inside our home and thus protect ourselves from the cold.

The insulating tape will not cost more than €10, so we are saving a pretty penny at the same time.

Blinds, curtains, blinds

We continue with the windows. As you can see, it is one of the parts that we must take care of the most if we want to seek protection from the cold inside the house. It is known that more than one 30% of heat sneaks in here, so we want to secure them at all costs.

Elements such as blinds, curtains or blinds help to insulate us from the outside. By completely covering the window, they keep some of the heat inside the room and help to insulate it.

It is very important to close curtains or blinds once the sun has set, so that we can take advantage of the sunlight, which will also help us to raise the temperature in the home.

This method is also cheap, as all houses include blinds. This means that we only need to buy the decorative element (curtain-store).

Carpets.

Some people may think that they only play a decorative role, but nothing could be further from the truth. Not only do they beautify the area where they are placed, they also insulate from the cold.

If your home has underfloor heating you may not notice it, but this is one of the coldest parts of the house. For this reason, covering areas of the house with rugs will help you, not only to decorate it, but also to provide greater protection against low temperatures. If you are someone who likes to walk barefoot or have small children, this option will also save you from the occasional cold.

Rugs tend to vary in price depending on the material, size and where you buy them. Of course, there are many low-cost shops where you can buy a wool rug for no more than 50€, which is why we wanted to add this option to our list.

In applications such as PinterestIn this section, you can find a wide range of rugs at different prices, as well as ideas on how to place them and a variety of shops where you can buy them.

Heating.

We have chosen to leave this alternative as the last one because it is the least economical. In infocasa we are going to leave you a list with some options, some more affordable than others, but equally valid.

It should be noted that, nowadays, most homes have some kind of heating system, but not all of them use it due to the increase in the bill. And, to make matters worse, we are living in a very complicated situation in the country with regard to the enormous increase in the price of electricity. This is one of the reasons why most people are planning not to use any type of heating system this winter. This is why we want to help you change your mind.

Below, we compare some of the best heating systems, depending on their price and other features.

• Radiators. In this section we have three different types: electric, water and underfloor heating.

 Electric radiators have the highest consumption, but it never hurts to have one at home. It can always save you some trouble.

At infocasa we recommend water radiators. These are the most common ones to find in homes as their consumption is quite low and they can heat very large rooms. On the other hand, their installation can be really expensive, but nowadays almost all houses come with this type of heating system already installed.

Finally, we should mention underfloor heating. It is the most commonly used in new constructions, however, it takes a long time to heat the room and its installation can be very expensive.

• Boilers. There are many types, but we are only going to talk about two: gas and electric.

Although there is a wide variety of boiler models, at infocasa we only inform you about gas and electric boilers, as they are the most common.

Gas boilers are the most widely used because they come in various formats, ranging from the most economical to the least. They are easy to install and, although it depends on the company, they usually do not go up in price. On the other hand, if you do not feel safe with this heating format (possible leaks), you can choose the electric option, also with low consumption, although somewhat more expensive.

• Fireplaces/Stoves. The most widely used today due to their ease of installation and price.

Finally, we will talk about the famous cookers. In the box we show you four varieties: electric, pellet, butane or wood.

As with the two previous options, we would like to advise you on the one we think is the best, in this case it would be the pellet cooker. It is the one with the most advantages; low consumption, economical installation and can heat large spaces. If we have to highlight a problem, it would be the need to have a ventilation channel as it can be dangerous.

On the other hand, there is always the more classic option, a wood-burning fireplace. Its consumption is low and it decorates the room, although buying and installing one of these can be a bit more expensive.

Revisions.

To close the list, we would like to mention the need for possible technical revisions. These should be carried out by a specialist and are one of the least economical options, however, it is necessary if your house is very old or has some kind of problem.

When temperatures drop, pipes can freeze, dampness develops and boilers can burst. These events cause major problems for your home and also for your health.  

If your house is of old construction or has a recent problem, do not hesitate to call a specialist technician and have him take a look at your installations in order to avoid major mishaps.

In case of snow or ice, you should clear not only the main entrance, but also any projections on the roof or other elements that could cause damage.

And that's the end of today's post. You can comment on which of these tips are the ones you use or if you have others that we have not mentioned.

As always, we hope we've been helpful - see you next time!