Five Reasons Your House Is Too Cold (And How To Fix It)

Do you find it virtually impossible to warm your home and hold that warmth?

Do you settle for band-aid solutions like letting your heater run non-stop while saying that you’ll just deal with the energy bills when they come?

Make your home a warm haven with these five tips for keeping your home naturally comfortable without paying for extra heaters and bigger bills!

1. Gaining Cold Air, Losing Warm Air

Does your home quickly become cold again as soon as your heater’s thermostat switches off?

Draught is invisible and can be responsible for up to 50 percent of your expensive heating being lost to outside. This can happen through gaps in doors, windows, architraves, wall vents, and more tiny gaps and cracks!

What to do about draught: Real draught proofing goes beyond door snakes and sticky foam seals, which we’ve all tried and been disappointed by at some point.

Seek professional, architectural solutions to properly and permanently seal your home. Thorough draught proofing will help you to control your home’s ventilation and reduce your heating bills.

2. Heat Loss via Your Windows

Do you feel the cold coming in through your glazing? Glass is an excellent conductor of heat, which means if your windows are single glazed, your expensive heating will be radiating out of your home and making it cold and uncomfortable.

What to do about your windows: Don’t worry, you don’t have to replace your windows. Secondary glazing or (retrofit double glazing) is a great alternative to double glazing, it delivers all of the same thermal benefits without needing to replace anything.

Remember to choose a secondary glazing system that still allows your windows to open and close as they did before so that you can take advantage of that evening breeze when summertime comes around!

3. Heat Escaping Through The Ceiling

We all know that heat rises. If your ceiling isn’t insulated properly, you’ll be losing all of your winter warmth out through your ceiling. Many of us believe we have ceiling insulation but often it isn’t enough or it has moved over time, compromising your comfort.

What to do about unprotected ceiling: Ceiling Insulation is the most important insulation in your home. Consider augmenting your existing ceiling insulation with something that is non-allergenic, non-irritant, moisture and rodent resistant and maintains its shape long-term.

Above all, choose something that stays put and can’t move or blow around.

4. Cold Rising Up From Below

If your home has an accessible sub floor, you’ll be aware that your floor boards will be the same temperature as outside. Cold air can rise up through your floorboards, chilling your home from below.

What to do about cold coming in under the floor: A proper underfloor insulation will prevent cold entering your home from underfoot, holding your expensive heating where you need it most.

For the best possible results, ensure you use a high quality polyester insulation, stapled firmly and permanently beneath the floor.

5. Heat Escaping Through Your Walls

Uninsulated walls allow warmth to escape extremely easily. Imagine the surface area of all of the external walls of your home, it’s a huge amount of space exposed to the elements.

What to do about heat coming in through your walls: Retrofit Wall Insulation can be applied to weatherboard and brick walls, it’s pumped in via a hose to ensure it can be filled to the brim for optimum coverage and effectiveness. This insulation creates a protective barrier between the cold air outside and your warm and cosy living areas.

A Word of Caution

Retrofitting your home to be more comfortable and energy efficient is a great idea, but remember, there’s an order to things.

The best place to start isn’t always obvious, for example, often people waste money by working in one area when actually another area is the real weakness in your home’s thermal performance.

How to start your retrofit journey the smart way: Think ahead and make a plan. Seek professional advice and take a targeted, prioritised approach to ensure you’re going to get the best bang for buck!