Blog
Cosy up! Winter’s coming.
Friday, November 11, 2016
With dark, cold evenings there’s a lot you can do - from wood burning stoves to draught excluders - to keep your home cosy, secure and energy efficient this winter. It may be cold, wet and windy outdoors but your home can be a warm, relaxing haven. So cosy up ready for winter.
We rely on artificial light during the winter and energy efficient, dimmable LED bulbs create a lovely warm glow as well as keeping electricity bills low. During the day, open curtains to allow sunshine to light and heat your home, but close curtains at night to provide an extra layer of insulation.
Wrap up warmly, even indoors. Every degree lower on your thermostat can reduce your heating bill by up to 2% and if you’re away for a weekend turn the heat down to 55F, as low as you can go without risking your water pipes freezing. Since heating costs are a large part of most household energy bills, it pays to economise where you can.
There’s nothing quite like a real fire or a wood-burner to warm the heart as well as the room. Keep that warmth with good insulation. Draught excluders and thermally lined curtains are easy, inexpensive ways to keep your home cosy.Fairy lights and flickering candles are always soothing, especially if scented with seasonal aromas like cranberry and spruce.
For décor, think smoky, frosty shades of grey with midnight blue and indigo. Bold chunky cable-knit accessories add texture and there’s a sense of indulgence about this season’s throws, rugs and cushions. Soft, strokable textures are important and add a touch of traditional tartan to give instant warmth and visual interest. John Lewis has soft cable-knit, chunky knit or ribbed wool/angora cushions in dove greys, creams, mochas and reds or buy a luxury fleece blanket from Beaconsfield business The Doubleknot Company in colours to suit your home.
It’s time to protect your home, preparing it for the worst weather winter can throw at you. Keep drains and gutters free of leaves to avoid damp appearing on walls. Check your roof for damaged tiles - better to have a tile fixed than incur major roof repairs through years of neglect. You can check your roof from inside your loft and also check your loft insulation is up to scratch to keep heating bills low. Outdoor lighting makes good sense in winter. On dark evenings it offers greater security; the right lighting helps you identify any unwanted guests and also provides a warm welcome home for you at night.
So stock up on logs and kindling for the fire, add soft throws to the sofa and cosy up for winter!
