HOW TO KEEP HEAT INSIDE?

Are you aware that most of energy consumed at home goes for heating? We know how to save it.

Are your windows and doors airtight? Of course, the best solution is to have new, well-fitted and sealed windows. But if you cannot afford to replace the old ones, make sure that heat does not escape through them. Window frames can be sealed, for example, with self-adhesive gaskets made of polyurethane or rubber foam. Ensure that the product has a proper cross-section and the window frame is perfectly dry before applying it. Otherwise the gasket will be improperly attached and it may still allow cold air to enter inside. If there is an air leak between the window frame and the windowsill or the wall, then a butyl vapour barrier sealing tape can be used.

Let the heat move around! Never put furniture in front of radiators nor cover them with curtains. If curtains reach the floor, heat is blocked between the radiator and the curtain. Choose short curtains and drapes in winter, or pick them up and place on the windowsill. If possible, put furniture as far as possible from the radiator – a distance of at least one metre. It is good to have a windowsill or a shelf above the radiator – it prevents warm air from rising and cooling down.

To distribute heat from radiators within a room in the most effective way, install screens behind them made from silver foil and polystyrene foam. In this way you will prevent the penetration of heat into the wall. Screens reflect the heat back and facilitate its distribution inside the room.

Remember about the optimal room temperature! 21⁰C at daytime and 13⁰C at nighttime – you can safely turn the radiators down. Another helpful idea is to ventilate the house from time to time – shortly but intensively.

And on an extremely cold day, you can cover the window with blinds and curtains, preferably those which do not cover the radiator.