Here are 11 tips on how to warm your home this winter...

In South Africa our winter days are usually mild and sunny but our winter evenings are often extremely cold. Typically our houses are not built for winter, unlike American homes with radiators and British homes with central heating. However, there are several simple and easy ways to warm our homes. Not all of these will mean an expensive outlay or that we necessarily need to employ the services of an expert. Here are some suggestions for you to consider:

1. Identify and seal any Gaps or Air Leaks:
   a. Around your window or door frames if they rattle or if you can see
   daylight around them.
   b. In the walls or floors.
   c. Between skirting boards and the floor, or wall.
    
2. Block under-door draughts, by using a draught excluder. Click here to make your own: (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/05/how-to-make-draught-excluder)
    
3. Ensure all windows & doors close properly and tightly.
    
4. Close all curtains and keep inner doors closed when the rooms are not in use, especially when the heating is turned on.
    
5. Replace your curtains with those made from a heavier-weight fabric and which are fully lined.
    
6. Add additional warm and fluffy blankets and throws over your bed and furniture, or wrap yourself cosily in these whilst reclining on your furniture or watching TV.
    
7. Ensure your fireplace is in working order and that you have a sufficient supply of fuel.
    
8. Invest in a gas heater which is better at dispersing heat around the home more widely than an electric heater which only concentrates heat in one area.
    
9. Use a humidifier which adds moisture to the air and makes the room feel warmer.
    
10. Insulate your roof with a layer of blanket insulation, like fiberglass, cellulose fibre, spray foam or aluminium foil sheet, to help keep the heat inside your home as most of a house's energy exits through the ceiling.
     
11. Consider installing under-floor heating.

However, you spend this winter, we hope that you will have successfully warmed up your home so that you can enjoy your evenings wrapped up warmly and snug indoors. Be safe and stay Covid-19 free.

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