As the temperature drops in the UK, more and more people are beginning to turn their heating on. While winter is already an expensive season for many households in the UK, this winter will pose even more difficulties as it coincides with the energy crisis, which is affecting millions of people worldwide.
Discovering simple ways to keep yourself warm can make a huge difference to the cost of your energy bills. Here are some simple but effective tips to keep you and your home warm this winter without breaking the bank.
Decorate Your Home with Rugs
Not only are rugs a stylish addition to any room, but they also do a good job of keeping your feet toasty if you have tile or hardwood flooring. However, it is important to choose the right rug to maximise the heat in your room.
Choose the Right Rug
To keep a room nice and toasty, choose a rug based on its material and thickness. Generally, thick rugs provide better insulation than thin rugs since there’s more space between the cold floor and your feet. But it is also important to choose the right material rug too.
Wool rugs are considered the best type of rugs for insulation. You should then choose the largest size possible as this will limit the amount of cold floor you will need to walk on. Another option for increasing the heat in your home is by investing in a thermal heated rug. These contain timers that turn off automatically to prevent overheating.
Use Curtains
The heat from the sun is free so make the most of it. During the day, open your curtains to let the sun pour in and heat your home. Then when it gets dark, close the curtains to trap that heat in. The curtains act as another layer of insulation and keep warmth in your room.
For keeping heat inside the home, high-quality curtains can reduce heat loss by around 40%, particularly if they are floor length and close to the wall and window panes.
Ensure there are no gaps in the curtains so that the warm air cannot escape.
Which Curtains Are Best For Heating Homes?
Generally, the thicker the curtains, the more effective they are as an insulator. The best insulating curtains come with a lining attached to the rear, which is designed to increase insulation as well as limit airflow and noise transfer. You might even consider a second pair of curtains, designed for exactly this purpose, which hangs just behind the first pair.
The Jennings Natural Thermal Eyelet Curtains from Dunelm are a popular choice for homeowners looking to heat their homes. The curtains feature a woollen woven texture and thermal lining to retain heat.
Stay Active
Winter is a great time to get active and warm up your body. One reason for this is that having more muscle actually makes you warmer. This is because nearly 85 per cent of the heat produced in the body is the result of muscle contraction. Your muscles are the number one generator of heat in the body; each time they contract, they produce heat.
Winter Sports You Should Try This Winter
The best way to fight off the cold and all the nasty winter bugs that come your way this winter is by staying active.
Staying active doesn’t have to mean jogging around your neighbourhood knee-deep in snow – there are an abundance of winter sports which are actually fun and can help you get into the winter spirit!
Here are some fun winter sports to try this winter:
● Ice-Skating – Ice skating is one of the most accessible winter sports. There are lots of ice skating rinks in the UK where you can skate for fun with friends or hone your ice-skating skills. To make ice-skating a regular activity, why not join a skating session to develop your skills
● Curling – Curling might seem like an unusual activity, but it is actually more physical and enjoyable than you might think! It’s also a team sport so great for meeting new people and making new friends
● Skiing – When talking about fun winter sports, we couldn’t leave skiing off the list. As a fun adrenaline-rush activity, skiing is one of the more challenging and physically demanding sports to try this winter. For those who do not have the time or money to travel abroad, there are plenty of indoor dry ski slopes in the UK, so that you can enjoy skiing all year round
● Ice hockey – Ice hockey is a fast-paced sport requiring great strength, agility and endurance and is exceptionally enjoyable with a group of friends
● Yoga – If you want to get active this winter but prefer staying indoors, yoga is the perfect sport for you. Yoga is a relaxing sport which focuses on balance, stability and bringing peace to the mind and soul. While it isn’t typically a winter sport, it is great for warming up your body and keeping you fit
Choose Warming Food and Drinks
The food you eat affects your body. When the temperature drops and the cold sets in, it is important to fuel your body with food and drinks that can raise your body temperature while keeping you healthy.
Here are some nutritious food and drink options to incorporate into your winter routine:
Soup
Soup is an excellent meal choice for the winter as it is packed full of vegetables and keeps your body warm. Not only is soup nutritious, but it is also easy to prepare too! Just add a dash of spices, serve with bread or toast and voila! A winter meal perfect for the whole family.
Fruit
Fruit is great to eat in winter because it offers all of the vitamins and minerals that you might be missing due to the lack of sunlight.
Bananas are a particularly nutritious winter snack as they are a source of magnesium which helps in regulating the body temperature.
Dry Fruit and Nuts
Almonds, walnuts and cashews are a good source of fats which also helps to regulate body temperature. Dates are excellent sources of iron and a combination of hot herbal concoction with a date makes for a perfect wintery snack.
Honey
Honey is traditionally known to help with coughs and colds, so it is worthwhile adding it to your winter snacks. Try honey on toast for a sweet but nutritious morning snack.
Hot Beverages
Drinking hot beverages is a good way to warm the body up. Coffee, hot chocolate, tea and warm milk are all delicious options for keeping you warm.
While coffee is a popular choice for a winter beverage, it is important to not drink more than two cups of coffee a day.
Improve the Heating in Your Home
As the energy crisis looms over us all this winter, you might be looking for cheaper alternatives to heating your home.
There are a few ways to maximise the heating in your home and save money while doing it.
See If You are Eligible for Free Energy Efficiency Upgrades
At UK Energy Management (NE) Ltd, we know how important it is to keep your home and your family warm. This is why we offer free insulation, heating upgrades and smart controls for all eligible customers.
Our ECO4 scheme came into play as of April 2022 and focuses on supporting low-income households to keep heating bills as low as possible.
This can be done in a number of ways, for instance: installing or upgrading your cavity wall insulation, upgrading your central heating, and installing attic/loft insulation
Find out if you are eligible here today.
Install Smart Controls
Smart controls allow you to have complete control over your heating from anywhere in the world. It boasts an energy-saving mode to help with reducing energy bills, which can result in you saving up to £450 on your energy bills.
UK Energy Management (NE) Ltd: Warm Home Grants UK
If you are looking for a reliable energy management company in the UK to lower your energy bills this winter, look no further than UK Energy Management (NE) Ltd.
At UK Energy Management (NE) Ltd, we offer a range of heating upgrades for customers who qualify for our ECO4 scheme. If you’re looking for electric heaters, cavity wall insulation, smart controls or a new boiler, we are your number one choice. We are committed to helping more households lower their bills and keep their families warm throughout the winter.
If you are interested in the range of services we provide, get in touch with a member of our friendly team here today to find out more.
