Indoor heating

This is the BIG one.  Most of us feel miserable when we are cold.  A lot of buildings in the UK are old and are poorly insulated.  Although many homes have double glazed windows, some don't - And when you rent you often find that even when the windows are double glazed, they are often old and inefficient.  The cold air comes in from outdoors, and the homes are hard to keep warm.

When I first arrived in the UK, I was on a very tight budget, and the house I lived in was freezing.  Electric heating is very expensive, and gas should be more affordable.  However, the gas boilers in rented accommodation are often old and inefficient, and some homes do not even have central heating.  The country is small, and many houses are double or even triple story to save space.  The big hollow from the front door and into the hallway with the stairs is often very cold, and this air rushes into a warm room as soon as the door is opened.

Before I go any further, I must add a warning.  Wherever you live, you must make sure that any smoke or co2 alarms are working, and that there is enough ventilation at all times.  Lives can depend on this.

That said, a lot of homes are drafty and cold air gets in from outdoors.  This means that expensive warmed air gets wasted, and has to be rewarmed.  As the cold comes in, the gas boiler fires up and burns your money.  The best thing to do if light a candle and go around the house.  The flame will flicker or even go out, and that shows the places that need attention.

Floors

If cold comes up through the floorboards, it is worth getting a carpet or a rug to cover the existing floor. Often, carpets that do exist do not have enough underlay.

Windows

Some windows are hard to insulate, as they can be odd shapes.  The very easiest and cheapest solution is to get some bubble wrap, and measure it it to fit each individual window pane.  Get a spray bottle, fill it with water, and add a little washing up liquid with a small cap full of bleach (this stops mold)  That done, spray the pane, and you will find the cut out bubble wrap just sticks.  That's it.  No fussing with nails or tape, it really takes a few minutes.  This stops the freezing air from coming in the through the window panes, and this really saved me one cold winter when I lived in an old house with sash windows.

Doors

Windows in doors can be treated the same as external windows.  Check the letterbox, and if needed, you can buy and fit a draft guard very easily.  Wooden doors shrink in the winter, so either buy some draft stops, or make some up.



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