Property Advice

Cheap and free ways to heat your home this winter

Private Property South Africa
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Cheap and free ways to heat your home this winter

Whilst there are a lot of magical things about winter, if you don’t have a fireplace at home, it can feel like you are stepping into an icebox. Electrical heaters may do the job, but perhaps you don’t want to incur the high costs of running those, and if everyone is turning on heaters, the threat of load shedding looms.

The great thing is that you don’t have to spend a fortune, or in some cases even a cent, to keep your house and your family warm.

Here are some unusual and practical ways you can heat your home:

1. Reverse your ceiling fan

Reverse your ceiling fan to stay warmer in winter Most ceiling fans can spin in two directions. In summer, the fan should spin counterclockwise to push cool air down and help you feel cooler. But in winter, you can flip the switch to make it spin clockwise.

This pulls cold air up and gently pushes the warm air (which rises to the ceiling) back down into the room. It’s a simple trick that helps keep your space warmer and can even reduce heating costs.

2. Change your bedding

Switch your summer sheets to flannel or brushed cotton. Add a blanket, and if you want maximum warmth, turn on an electric blanket while you get ready for bed, but switch it off when you’re ready to sleep.


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3. Plug the drafts

A lot of cold air enters under external doors and through windows that may not close properly. Whilst it remains important for fresh air to enter the house, do this midmorning, and then use rolled up old towels to block drafts under doors. Keep curtains closed around windows that are drafty. In a bind you can place plastic wrap over drafty windows, or use tape around the closing edges.

4. One heater for all rooms

You don’t need a heater in every room. Use one heater in the room you tend to spend time in for leisure and before going to bed, move it to your bedroom.


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5. Curtains

These play an important role in adding an extra layer of insulation. Blackout curtains also help reduce cold entering the home at night and stop any heat that is in the house from leaking out of windows.

6. Oven helper

If you use your oven during winter to cook delicious home-baked meals, don’t close the door when you are finished. Allow the heat to swamp the kitchen and by default, other adjoining rooms.


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7. Old-fashioned hot water bottle

These aren’t just for beds. They are fabulous for keeping you toasty when you are cuddled under a blanket watching TV, reading, or chatting. Transfer it to the bed, and even if used for just heating your feet, it can be enough to keep you warm throughout the night.

8. Slippers

Don’t knock them, and the fluffier the better! Waking up and walking on cold floors can immediately drop your body temperature. A cosy pair of slippers can help preserve your body heat.

9. The wool cap

Did you know that most of our body heat escapes from the top of our head? Wearing a cap in the house will prevent this as well as keeping your ears from being exposed to icy temperatures.


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10. The dressing gown

A really warm dressing gown is the perfect snug and you don’t only have to wear it at nighttime. If it’s really chilly during the day, put it on over your clothes. It’s often better than a blanket because it allows your arms and legs to move, while you wander around your home.

11. Rugs

While they look amazing in summer, tiled, concrete, and laminated floors can add to the cold ambience in winter. A number of rugs can be placed strategically, which will help break the shock of a cold floor.

12. Candles

A candle in a terracotta pot, which is a good conductor of heat, is not only practical, it makes for great decor. The pot absorbs the heat from a candle and radiates it outwards. It’s not going to make a big difference in a big room, but in a small bathroom for example, you will certainly notice the change. There are lots of DIY videos on the internet that show you how to do this. As with all candles, you need to blow them out before leaving the property or going to bed.


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13. Get stoned

An old Amish trick is to heat stones, usually in the oven or if you are having a braai, put them in the hot coals. Once warm, wrap them in a thick cloth, and place your feet on them wherever you are in the house. Stones stay warm for hours.

14. Internal doors

Keep all room doors closed during winter. This will ensure that icy rooms don’t leak cold into the rest of the house. Also any heat you are generating across the home won’t escape into those unused rooms so you’ll have a better spread of warmth where you need it most.

15. Go camping

That tent that you never use in the garage? It’s time to bring it into the house, Set it up with winter blankets and cushions, even hot water bottles, and make it a cosy nook for you and your family to enjoy hot chocolate or soup in a cup moments. Your kids will love it, and you may just find yourself escaping there for a moment of alone time.

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