Keeping Insulated over the Christmas Period

You can keep the cold at bay by implementing various techniques for better insulating your home. Implementing such techniques can be a case of "easy once you know how", which is why we have decided to detail several of them right here in this article.

Close Curtains And Shutters When Dusk Arrives

You might as well try the more simple methods first, as they could make a surprisingly large difference in your case. Indeed, according to a study from the Edinburgh World Heritage Trust, cited by the Independent, simply closing shutters or curtains at dusk is just as effective as double-glazing for lowering energy bills. You can attach a blanket behind your curtains which have thin lining.

What To Do With Your Home's Doors?

Christmas is a time when many of the household's members, perhaps joined by many visiting relatives and friends, gather together in the same room to have fun, such as through playing a good game of Scrabble or pulling Christmas crackers.

And, when everyone in the house does gather in this way, it's a good moment to keep the doors shut. Unfortunately, doors include holes which can leak heat to an extent that is easy to overlook.

You might also be able to replace doors with more thermal efficient options. Bi Fold Shop offers doors which significantly better a standard double-glazed window for thermal efficiency. Consider the different U-values. A U-value measures thermal efficiency; and, while a standard double-glazed window's U-value is 2.8w/m²K (watts per m² Kelvin), meaning a loss of 2.8 watts per m² of window, Bi Fold Shop's bi-fold doors can feature glazing with U-values of just 0.7w/m²K.

Does Your Home Include An Unused Fireplace?

If so, you should check that the flue is closed and that there are glass doors for minimising heat loss. You could also invest in a chimney pillow/balloon; this inflatable bag comprises of a special laminate for making chimneys airtight. The bag will simply shrivel up if you accidentally heat it.

Arrange For Your Walls And Lofts To Be Insulated

Reading this might have led you to release a sigh. If you are currently storing a lot of items in your loft, maybe you are reluctant to spend a lot of time clearing out that loft in preparation for having it insulated. However, that clearing out could still be time very well spent...

Peter Chisnall, then advice centre manager for the Energy Saving Trust, told the Independent in 2010 that, "if you have the recommended depth of 27cm insulation, it's like putting a hat on your house - amazing at keeping the heat in." Furthermore, it can be straightforward to insulate walls in houses built in about 1920 or later, as it's often cavity walls that are being treated.