A common challenge for many students throughout winter is ensuring the conditions in their home don’t emulate those of Antarctica without spending an arm and a leg. It can be tempting to just leave the heating on constantly, but the cost of doing so is extortionate, so it’s best to look for alternative methods of keeping the house warm if you want to avoid a big surprise next time your utility bills come in.
Earlier on we gave some tips in general about how to keep a rental property warm during the winter months, but in this blog post, we’ll look it at it purely from the perspective of those currently at university and how they can keep their student properties nice and cosy when the cold weather starts to set in.
Wear extra layers and wrap up!
Your elders have probably bombarded you with this advice throughout the winter, but it really can be as simple as putting on another jumper to ensure you’re not sat shivering! Aside from wearing extra layers when you’re up and about, make sure you’ve got spare blankets for when you’re sat around or laying down. It can also be a good option to dig out the old onesie you’ve got in the bottom of your drawers!
Keep doors shut
Leaving doors open allows those pesky drafts to breeze through your room openly, which is bound to make the whole house colder! Closing doors properly will help to keep drafts away whilst not allowing as much heat to escape the room. This is especially important if you have your heating on, as the room will heat up quicker if the doors are kept shut.
Use radiators effectively
There are a couple of different ways you can use your heating more effectively and efficiently. One way is to put your heating on a timer, so that it comes on for a few hours each day to ensure your house is getting warmed through. This can reduce your heating costs, whilst also having it on enough to ensure the pipes don’t freeze over.
Another option is to keep the heating on a low setting at all times. Of course, you don’t want to be leaving your heating at 30 degrees all day as this will cost a fortune but maintaining a low heat will keep a bit of heat coming through the radiators without being overly expensive.
Heating bills can rack up quickly, so you do need to be careful when using it. But sticking to a strict and efficient heating plan can help keep your costs down whilst ensuring the house doesn’t get unbearably cold.
Move around
If you’re spending all your time in the house just sat down, you’re bound to feel cold! Keep your body moving every now and again to get the blood flowing round your body and increase your body temperature.
Whether this is just walking around your kitchen or putting on some music and having a dance, any form of movement should get you warmed up if you do it for long enough!
Use a hot water bottle
Hot water bottles should not be underestimated, especially when going to bed! Filling up a hot water bottle and taking it to bed with you will keep you warmed through until you fall asleep. They’re also useful if you’re just sitting around on the sofa or working on your laptop. Hot water bottles are also incredibly cheap, and you can reuse them as much as you want.
Stay ventilated
Whilst opening the window and allowing air to flow through might sound like a terrible idea in winter, it can be essential for ensuring rooms in your house don’t start to develop damp. Of course, you don’t need to keep windows open all the time, just for a short period to ensure fresh air is still getting into your home.
Condensation can also lead to damp or mould, so it’s a good idea to leave a window open whilst you are having a shower, and to ensure you are leaving washing to dry outside rather than indoors. Having damp can lead to your home being even colder, so it’s best to pre-empt this by making sure the property is well ventilated.
Drink hot beverages
This will be an absolute given for people who already enjoy coffee and tea, but drinking hot drinks can help to make you feel warmer as a whole. A hot drink in the morning and one at night will help to warm you through for the day and help to keep you warm throughout the night. Although, you probably don’t want to be drinking coffee before you go to sleep! Hot water with lemon or honey can also be a godsend throughout the winter months.
Following these tips will help you to keep your student house that bit warmer throughout winter without spending an a fortune on heating, although, there are plenty of other techniques you can try to keep warm!
