Morning: Before you leave for work or school, close all of your room’s windows. Open the blinds all the way. Afternoon: Leave your blinds open until sun stops shining into your room. As soon as it starts to get dark and cold, close the blinds. Night: Keep the blinds and windows closed throughout the night to preserve heat.
If your room is especially cold at night, you might try wearing layers at night. Though some people find this uncomfortable, soft garments like sweatpants and “hoodie” sweatshirts usually give the most warmth without sacrificing much comfort. Artificial fabrics that don’t “breathe” like polyester, rayon, and so on generally trap the most heat (this is why they’re so uncomfortable in the summer).
Medical water bottles are available at many pharmacies for around $15 or less. If you’re using a microwave to heat your water, be sure to use a microwave-safe container (like a glass or ceramic bowl).
Not sure whether you have a draft? There are several ways to discover them. One is simply to hold your hand near a crack in a window or door and feel for the motion of air. You can also use a candle — if its flame flickers near a crack, you have a draft. Try the U. S. Government’s draft-detecting tips at energy. gov for more ideas.
Make sure there are no pieces of furniture between the heater or radiator and yourself. For instance, many older houses hide radiators behind couches. Put a sheet of tinfoil behind a radiator (use a sheet about the same a size as the radiator itself). This reflects heat that would normally be transmitted into the wall, heating the rest of the room. If your heater is portable, use it in the smallest space possible so that it can most effectively heat you. For instance, a space heater will heat a small bedroom much better than it will heat a large living room.
Two things are important to keep in mind with this method: the smaller the room and the more physically active the people in it, the warmer it will get. In other words, a lively party in a small room will produce a lot more heat than a few people sitting on couches in a large living room. If your friends are busy, even pets can make a room a little warmer (unless they’re cold-blooded — fish and lizards aren’t helpful here).
Be careful not to touch the hot metal elements at the end of your hair dryer with your bedsheets, especially if they’re made of a fabric that’s prone to melting (like polyester, etc. )
Keep in mind that space heaters tend to use a lot of electricity. While you may be able to make up the difference by turning off your central heating, frequent space heater use can affect your utility bill. Always adhere to the basics of heater safety: don’t leave space heaters on unattended (including while you sleep) and don’t use space heaters that burn fuel indoors, as these pose a carbon monoxide hazard. [2] X Trustworthy Source Consumer Reports Nonprofit organization dedicated to consumer advocacy and product testing Go to source
For the most comfort, start the electric blanket a few minutes before you get into bed. To save energy, turn it off before you fall asleep.
In general, thicker, fluffier materials (like wool, fleece, and down) are warmest. Air gets caught in the tiny spaces in these materials, trapping more heat next to the body. Don’t forget that you can even wear blankets around the house — perfect when you don’t want to give up the warm comfort of bed just yet.
If curtains aren’t in your budget, you can get a similar effect by hanging old blankets in front of windows.
You can even sometimes get away with covering some of your walls with carpet-like materials to increase this effect. Things like tapestries and decorative rugs can look great when they’re hung from the wall and can keep your room slightly warmer at the same time.
You can even sometimes get away with covering some of your walls with carpet-like materials to increase this effect. Things like tapestries and decorative rugs can look great when they’re hung from the wall and can keep your room slightly warmer at the same time.
Wall insulation (fiberglass, etc. ) Window insulation (double and triple-paned windows, protective films, etc. ) Door insulation (draft guards, floor seals, etc. ) Every house is different, so the amount of work required can vary wildly from house to house. Before you make any concrete decisions, talk to an experienced contractor (or several) and get an estimate for your project so you can determine what the best decision for you is
