Student Tips: 5 Ways To Stay Warm Without Blasting The Heating
Well, it seems the cold weather is upon us, which means it’s time to get smart with your energy usage!
These five creative tips will help you stay snug as a bug during the cold snap without paying through the nose when the utility bill lands on the mat!
1. Invest in Some Decent Blankets
Investing in a decent blanket or two and scattering them around the house will help you keep the cold away, without resorting to having the heating turned up to tropical!
Getting into the habit of reaching for a blanket when you’re feeling the chill, rather than the thermostat, will soon have a positive effect on your bank account too.
Normal blankets just not cutting it?
If you’re a real cold body, an electric blanket may be a sound investment. There are a few different varieties on the market, not just for beds, and you might be pleasantly surprised about the price too.
If you’re someone that’s constantly on the move, blankets can be a bit of a pain (nobody wants to cook with the constant fear of setting your blanket on fire or dipping the corner into your soup!) So why not grab yourself a onesie instead – they’re effectively a wearable blanket!
2. Use Communal Areas as Much as Possible
Working or hanging out in communal areas, and closing off individual rooms when they’re not in use, will help keep the areas you’re using warm without wasting energy heating spaces that aren’t being used.
Only heating the rooms you’re using will make a huge difference, so if one of your housemates has gone away for a few days, turn down the radiator in their room (see number 5) and keep the door closed!
3. Layer up When It’s Really Cold
Having a set of dedicated indoor layers is nothing to be ashamed of, in fact, we highly recommend it!
Long sleeve tops, thermal bottoms or thick tights, cosy jumpers, hoodies, a woolly hat, slippers, thick socks and of course the ever-present onesie – these are all items that can help keep you nice and toasty without turning up the heating.
It’s also important to remember that you and your housemates will likely run at different temperatures. While you may be freezing, your housemates might be just right, so having cosy houseware to fall back on is also a good way of avoiding any arguments over the thermostat!
4. Drink Hot Drinks and Eat Warm, Hearty Meals
There’s nothing better than a nice hot drink to warm you through when you’re feeling the chill.
Whether you’re a tea queen, a coffee addict or a hot chocolate hound, warm drinks in winter are nothing short of marvellous.
Equally, a good hearty meal is a sure-fire way to warm the cockles when it’s cold outside!
Grab your housemates and friends and whip up a big shepherd’s pie, a huge pot of stew or a delicious roast to enjoy after a cold walk home from uni (these can all be made veggie/vegan too!)
Alternating shared meals like this will help keep your food spend down and your house temperature up; more bodies = more heat, and having the oven on will also help warm things up!
5. Set Thermostatic Radiator Valves
Thermostatic radiator valves or TRVs are those little knobs on the end of your radiators with numbers on!
Believe it or not, they do actually have a use – they allow you to manually adjust the temperature of a radiator independently from the rest of the house.
For student houses, TRV’s are a godsend as it allows you to have the central heating on for longer periods (without using any more gas). Just ‘turn down’ the TRV setting for any rooms that aren’t occupied and keep the heat where it’s needed!
Bonus Tip – Use Central Heating Timers
Inevitably, you’ll need to use the heating in the winter, and that’s fine (the above are just a few tips to help you be economical with your energy usage!) So, our final bonus tip is to make sure you’re using the timer setting functionality on your central heating system!
When it gets really cold outside you might be tempted to just keep the heating on low all day long, even when you’re not in. But most experts agree that it’s actually much better, and more energy-efficient to use your timer – you’ll save energy, and therefore money, by only having the heating on when it’s required.
All our Loughborough student lettings are double glazed and thoroughly insulated for superb energy efficiency; with all-inclusive rent so your bills are included in one easy monthly payment!
So if you’re looking for the perfect, cosy house for next year, give us a call to view one of our 5-star rated student homes now: 01509 552814!
Andrew Chell can be contacted as follows:
Phone: 01509 552814
Mobile:07769 684800
Email: [email protected]
Office: 66 Ashby Road, Loughborough LE11 3AE
Published 18th November 2019
