In previous times, our heating options were neither as effective or efficient as they are today. Household used other methods to stay warm. It conjures up memories of taking hot water bottles to bed, snake draught stoppers, having dressing gowns draped over our bedding for extra warmth, taking hot soup in a thermos to work, school or football. Dressing appropriately and never leaving the house without a coat. Coming home and putting slippers on. I am happy to say I still do much of this. Times have changed, thankfully heating quality and choice has improved but there are still many ways we can keep warm – on the cheap.
Shower or bath as soon as you get home from work or school
Who said you only put your pjs on before bed? Having some warm water on your body is a great way to wash the day away, reset your brain, warm up and tell your body that your looking after yourself.
Cook those comfort foods
The older I get, the more I am appreciating Winter. The first things to come out when Winter starts are my slow cooker and my soup recipes. I simply cook more in Winter. I have a minimum of one homemade soup in my fridge at all times between March and August.
This means there is always a hot lunch for work and school, there is always a hearty go-to when family gets home, or there’s always the “I can’t be bothered cooking tea, it’s soup and toast tonight”. Give your householders the choice of flavour they will eat. This way there will be no wastage or whinging about not liking what’s on offer.
Try to plan your meals with a slow cooker. You really only require veggies and/or meat. Cut up all veggies and ingredients the night before. That way, when you get up, you throw it all in the slow cooker, set the temp and walk out the door. By the time you get home, serve everyone a pre dinner bowl of soup, grab a shower, get nice and cosy then produce a gourmet slow cooked meal, early “parent of the year” votes will be flying all over the kitchen. Not to mention it’s just about the best “no financial” gift you can give yourself, a peaceful end to the day.
Good insulation
Insulation is not very interesting, nor exciting, however if you have poor insulation it is expensive! A poorly insulated house can lose between 25% and 35% through its roof. As if you needed more incentive to insulate well, there are Summer benefits too. A better insulated house in Summer means a cool house for longer.
You can retrofit insulation so don’t think if you haven’t insulated well at the time of building or renovating, or simply don’t know what the previous owners did, there is an option. Have a professional check your insulation which will allow you to make good energy efficiency decisions from there. Households that invest in well planned insulation save HUNDREDS of dollars on energy bills each year.
Go to eateries with good indoor and outdoor heating
We do stay home more in Winter but if you are going out, choose a venue with super sized heating. There is a big difference between commercial heaters. If you can find somewhere with Infratech infrared heating you will definitely enjoy the benefits.
Infratech heaters have a heat radius that covers up to 4 metres by 5 metres. They are silent to operation, emit no greenhouse gases, can be wall or pole mounted or recessed into the ceiling. You probably won’t know where they are, you will simply stay warm. They are electric, not gas, so they won’t run out of fuel and have a 90% efficiency so the heat produced won’t simply float to the ceiling.
Change your mind – change your rug
Wooden floors are very popular these days. Easy to clean, better for allergy sufferers, a renovation feature, etc. Unfortunately though, bad for retaining heat. Rugs are a cheap and easy way of fixing this problem. The beauty of it is you can change rugs when you change your decor, your furniture configuration, or your mind!
Draft be gone!
There are always little nooks and crannies in the home for the wind to whistle in. Implements to minimise drafts under doorways have been around for years. Previously there was only the “sausage dog” option. Thankfully, there are now less comical choices available at hardware stores. There are now many draft sealing options for doors, windows and cracks which general involve tape.
Curtains please!
Draping windows in curtains is a surefire way to keep the cold out. Blinds will also do the trick but curtains seem to cover all areas of the window so don’t be too quick to throw out those old curtains when you move into a new house just because you’re not fond of the colour. They will do an amazing job in Winter of keeping the cold out and your energy bill down.
Put your ceiling fan on reverse – yes really!
Fans are not just there to keep us cool in Summer, they actually perform a very important function in Winter too. Whether they be natural and mechanical all forms of heating rise. If you turn your ceiling fan on reverse whilst the heating is on, it is like doubling your heating output.
- You heat the house and yourself with a heater.
- The fan pushes it back to you to go against heats natural tendency to rise.
This means you should not need the heater on as high.
The power of a good heater
The research is in!
| Heating source | Output efficiency | Ongoing replacement fuel costs |
|---|---|---|
| Electric heating | 90% | No |
| Gas heating | <50% | Yes |
| Wood heating | <50% | Yes |
A fantastic choice for premium heating for your indoor and outdoors is Infratech. We have been manufacturing and perfecting our quartz heating element units for over 50 years in Southern California. They can be wall or pole mounted, or sit flush in ceilings. They are whisper quiet. Don’t emit any greenhouse gases and are commercial grade.
Designers and architects worldwide are choosing Infratech to meet client heating expectations both inside and outside the home. Infratech ticks all the boxes when it comes to sleek, modern design. With the highest of environmental considerations taken into account and a premium standard heating output maintained. All whilst reducing the all important home heating costs.
