THERMAL BLACK OUT CURTAINS

30% of heat is lost through windows, so thermal blackout curtains are handy. Make sure they are described as '3 pass' which means they are coated on both sides with an white acrylic coating which keeps out the cold and therefore provide greater insulation in the winter. In the summer they will help keep you cool and block out light.


If you want an even better deal, purchase it by the meter at a fabric shop and cut to size. (approx £3 a meter) As they are acrylic, there is no fraying or sewing involved.They can be attached separately with clips and don't need to be permanently sewn on. Just use the clips from IKEA to attach them. 

Use celotex for freezing outside walls

OUTSIDE WALLS- ATTACH CELOTEX BOARDS TO INSIDE OF OUTER WALL


If you live in a home with outside walls,  such as an end- of terrace or  detached house then you will be losing more heat than those in a terraced house celotex boards are an effective form of insulation. They are panels which are fixed to the inside of the wall and will block out the cold. The saving in energy bills will make it worth your while as well as the cosiness it will provide. They can also serve a useful purpose in an attic room which does not have the added protection of a loft over it. At approx £18 a board,  you can recover the use of a room by using them on one wall or two so it is well worth it.

KEEP UPSTAIRS ROOM WARM


Heat always rises so if you don't heat the upstairs at all, it will stay cold downstairs. Keep upstairs radiators on low/medium so that you do not lose all your heat from the downstairs.


DRAUGHT PROOF


Hot air always seeks to escape to the cold rooms so draught excluders for the doors are very useful. A draught excluder at the foot of the door will trap the warm air and it will stay in the room. Keep all doors shut.

FRONT AND BACK DOORS

A lot of heat is lost from the front and back doors so use draught excluders to keep the air in the house.

Foil reflects heat and if you put it behind a radiator it will deter heat from going into the cold brick wall and will be redirected into the room making it warmer. Rolls of foil insulation are readily available from DIY stores and are very inexpensive.

How to insulate your home cheaply

Here are some tips for insulating your home at very little cost.

1. BUBBLE WRAP


 Bubble wrap is a great form of insulation for your  windows. It may not be aesthetically pleasing but windows at the back of the house or kitchen or bathroom are often not that noticeable. Cut bubble wrap to size and insert in window by using water spray with a drop of bleach in it to prevent mould.The water  will make the bubble wrap cling to the window. It will be very easy to remove once the weather warms up again. Obtain bubble wrap for free, call in on local furniture stores, they use huge quantities of it and usually have some they can give away.
Bubble wrap is also great for sealing gaps in awkward places. e.g. sash window, draughts. It can be slipped under the carpet to raise the floor level to seal the gap under the door. 






2. WINDOW POLYTHENE FILM KIT

 For major front windows, 'secondary glazing' can be improvised by using a polythene film sheet which is attached to the window with double-sidied tape. After going over the film with a hot blow hairdryer, it shrinks and is no longer visible as all creases disappear.

3.PERSPEX


 Alternatively you could improvise and if you have any largish perspex picture frames, these could be placed in front of the window as a secondary 'pane'. If you can do basic DIY, you could create a small wooden frame to attach to your window and paint it the same colour as the window and put the perspex frame inside it. Perspex or  polycarbonate sheets (used for greenhouses) can be attached with magnetic strips so that they are very easy to remove in the summer. They are lightweight and easy to store behind a cupboard somewhere.

Perspex can be cut to size with a normal stanley knife. Put masking tape along the line you wish to cut and score with a glass cutter then snap sheet. (Put something underneath one edge to help you snap it.

4.DRAUGHT PROOFING FIREPLACES


Place hand inside chimney fireplace and if you feel any air coming through it means the chimney is open. Rather than purchasing an fairly expensive chimney balloon, it is very simple to make your own. Just use cardboard tubing instead. You can measure the width by laying a small stick across a  ledge that will be just inside the top of the fireplace. Cut your tube to size and wrap the tube in bubble wrap or anything else you have to hand, even an old woollen jumper that you no longer need and just put it up the chimney. Finish off by stuffing the gap with crumpled up newspaper or more bubble wrap. Finally, check that you cannot feel any air coming down the chimney. 

6. Make your own double sided tape using a wide roll of sellotape and folding it around itself and then pressing down onto you desired object and you have double-sided tape.

More coming..........