12 Free Ways to Stay Warm this Winter
“People are very worried about this winter,” said Ann Heidenreich, executive director of the nonprofit Community Energy Services in Canton, New York. “We’re not going to deal with all that needs to be done, there’s no way. We’re going to have to deal with emergencies this winter.” – USA Today, U.S. anxiety about staying warm this winter spreads
My mom always told us kids that “heat rises” this was an answer to any statement that inferred I was cold; and I would need to put on slippers, sweater or a hat to stay warm if I didn’t want to lose that internal body heat.
All three items that when put together make you very toasty in your home in a matter of minutes. And as I write this I realize I am bouncing my legs up and down to keep warm and should really take mom’s advice and go put on my fuzzy slippers and maybe even a robe or sweatshirt.
Putting on layers is the easiest way to warm your core up and save money, also don’t forget the hands and feet as well.
The Free Stuff:
1. Set your thermostat at 68. If you can go lower, do it. Right now we have the it as low at 66 before we start to feel the cold. When you turn on the heat or cool down the house, just use only what is needed. Slowly drop or increase the temperature as needed, large changes in temperature is wasteful.
2. Wear layers. This means wearing long sleeves and no shorts around the house; make sure you make use of that robe you got for Christmas last year and wear your socks or slippers around so you don’t lose body heat. Put on a hat or throw that ugly scarf around your neck.
3. Drink warm liquids. One of the quickest ways to warm up is to heat up your insides by drinking warm water, milk, tea, coffee or hot chocolate.
4. Use the drapes to your advantage. My partner likes to tie back the curtains to let the sunlight and heat in, but the minute the sun starts to go down, I go around and let the drapes close to keep the cold air out and the warm air in.
5. Use your oven. A little bit of oven heat can go a long way to warm up a room, so have the oven due double duty for baking and heating your home.
6. Wash and dry your clothes. Whether you use a machine to dry or an indoor line, the heat from the dryer and the humidity from line drying can assist in keeping the house warm.
7. Keep your bathroom door open. Keep your door open while you shower, if this is possible, to let the warm steam out into your home as a heating assistant.
8. Close up your fireplace. If you aren’t using the fireplace to heat your home, make sure the damper is closed so that warm air is not escaping up and out of your home.
9. Close the door. Keep the doors to bathrooms, bedrooms, basements closed when you aren’t in them to keep the heat in your main living area. The smaller area you have to heat the quicker it will warm up.
10. Roll up towels. In my home I have rolled up a towel and placed it at the bottom of the front door to keep the wind from howling through and cold air from escaping. Don’t forget to use it for window sills as well.
11. Cover up your window air conditioner. If you can’t take the a/c out of your window, make sure that you have sealed it up well in the window and covered the vents so no cold air gets in.
12. Home-made heating sock. Fill a sock with rice or wheat, tie up the end, heat in the microwave for a few seconds, and use it as a heating pad.
Costly Stuff:
13. Plastic wrap your home. You can buy plastic window covering to go up on the inside of your windows and keep the heat in.
14. Install a ceiling fan. This can be helpful to circulate the hot air that rises, down with the cooler air you walk around in.
15. Wrap yourself up. Electric throws (like small electric blankets) can keep you warm enough that the heat can be off completely in the room. Think about it as really concentrating your utility use to just your body. And don’t forget to turn it off.
16. Replace your weather stripping. The minimal amount it takes to repair in comparison to the savings will be well worth it. If it is old and cracked or coming off, it’s time to replace.
17. Feel your electrical outlets. In older houses, they often leak cold air. Most home improvement stores sell inexpensive covers that easily attach behind the cover plate to block the cold.
18. Insulate your attic. No need for the hot air to move up and out of your home through the attic. Keep it where you need it most.
19. Plant trees for cover. Though trees can be a barrier to much needed sunshine, also consider them as a wall against cold howling winds.
20. Replace old windows. This is an expensive investment but if you are getting ice forming in the corners of your windows, the investment may be worth it in the long run.
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Dawn C. is site owner of FrugalforLife.com where this is a repost from: 12 Free Ways to Stay Warm this Winter. Dawn resides in Colorado with her spouse, Teri, of 12 years.
Photo credit: stock.xchng.
These are great tips for your pocketbook and they’re good for the planet. I thought closing the drapes at night was just for privacy, but now I know it’s not just a silly habit I picked up from my parents.
A note on letting shower steam out of the bathroom- depending on the setup of your place, this might set off the smoke alarm. Our alarm is on the wall directly across the hall from the (small) bathroom, and this is the unfortunate result of leaving our bathroom door open.
You can also stay warm by getting dressed and taking a pile of reading to a nice hotel or a library. Sit and read. Free heat!
When in college, I always selected an apartment surrounded by apartments, preferably in an older one story complex. I never turned on my heat because I was essentially stealing it from the apartments on either side.
Ya know I would have picked an apartment on the upper level – as heat rises… but due to my partner not being able to walk steps.. we get the bottom one.. great for summer though -rarely use the A/C
“Use your oven”??
Why not just tell people to set the house on fire? Seriously, “use your oven” is pretty dangerous advice; we’ve all seen the tragic stories about families who use the oven to heat the house, and end up perishing in a house fire. Please, don’t encourage that kind of behavior!
The kind of plastic we put on the inside of windows and blow-dry tight (you get from a home store) is not pricey at all. One box at $8 does all the windows in my small house but saved us between $20 and $60 per month. It basically creates a single pane window where you have one pane. I am getting all of the nasty plastic out of the house but I love my window “treatments”.
21. Live in Southern California. It was 81 the other day.
It said to use your oven as you cook, it will warm up the kitchen, afterall in the summer, you open the window when cooking. Also have your cat or small dog sit on your lap, you’ll warm right up!