How to keep a room warm without a heater

Since many families struggle with the monthly budget due to utilities, it is not out of place to try a few simple and mostly free tricks that will help you save money.

Place carpets on the floors

It seems very simple, doesn't it? Carpets are not only important for interior decoration, but also for retaining heat. When heating a household, about 15 percent of the heat goes to the floors, so carpets play a very important role in maintaining and retaining heat in the room.

Use sealing tapes on doors and windows

Heat leaves the house most easily through windows and doors. You can put sealing tapes on window and door frames to stop the draft. Place a blanket or similar protection under doors and windows if you feel they are blowing air through them. Many have the habit of keeping their windows half open, but they actually heat the street as well. Ventilate the room several times a day for a few minutes, and keep the windows closed the rest of the day.

Close the rooms you are not using

If you close the door, it will not only prevent the heat from leaving the heated rooms, but it'll also prevent the cold coming from the ones you don't use, so the rooms will stay warmer for a longer time.

Put tin foil behind the radiators

This is a already a well-known tip. Put pieces of foil behind the radiator, to make it radiate heat towards the interior of the room. If you are concerned about the aesthetic aspect - the foil will not be seen since it is behind the radiator.

Arrangement of the furniture

Move couches and sofas away from the window because that part of the room is cooler, and the same goes for the outer walls. Also, be careful not to lean furniture on radiators. There should be nothing in front of and around the radiator, so that it can radiate and spread the heat more easily.

Use door draft stoppers

They are most often used against drafts because they are placed on the parquet or tiles in front of the door, but they are also an excellent insulator. If you don't have one, try using sweeps, shoes or simple towels.

Put thicker curtains

You can also replace thin curtains with the ones made of thicker fabrics so that cold air does not pass through. They are more expensive, but over time you will save on heating bills because they prevent heat loss from the room by more than 15 percent, depending on the size of your windows.

Use a hot water bottle

Thermophoric hot watter bottles can be a great way to make you feel warm and comfortable during the cold winter days, and it doesn't mean you need to use it in bed. Fill the thermophoric bottle with some hot water and tuck it on the couch or a chair next to you. To additionally retain the heat, use a blanket to trap the heat from dispersing. Hot water bottles also don't cost much and are worth a try.

Use electric blanket, heating pad or a heated jacket

While may not be an option for everyone, investing in an electric blanket, a heating pad or a heated jacket might be a game changer. There's nothing more energy efficient than a heater that only heats your body instead of heating the whole space. While heating pads are a well known product, heated jackets are somewhat of a novelty, and if it's something that would fit your daily routine - you'll feel comfortable all the time and it'll cost you only a fraction of the price to heat the whole room. Heated jackets will also keep you warm during your outside chores too.

Insulate the glass on the windows

Large glass doors and windows generate a lot of heat loss, consider insulating half of the large room window. It should be a good trade between enough light during the day and saving the precious heat. While it might not be the option for everyone, this trick will really make a difference.

Get 2 to 3 centimeter (1 inch) thick styrofoam sheets (regular white EPS or the thicker XPS that is easier to cut), cut precisely with a sharp scalpel to the exact width of the glass so that the styrofoam fits snugly between the frames and it doesn't fall out. The polystyrene foam is made of trapped air bubbles which prevent heat loss, and make Styrofoam an excellent insulator.

Measure the opening and check if the sides are vertical or slightly angled and mark the cutting line with a felt tip pen on the styrofoam. Use the adhesive tape to secure the styrofoam sheets to the window frame.

Make sure to also lower the blinds because they provide additional insulation. In the spring, simply remove the styrofoam sheets.

Light some candles

An average small candle can produce a power of up to 30 watts, which is amazing. There's no question about whether candles help heat up the space, and they will work even better for smaller rooms.

You can use regular candles or really cheap tealight candles. Use a metal tray and light up about 10 of them and see whether you notice a difference in temperature. 10 candles should provide almost 300 watts of power which isn't a negligible amount.

To avoid risk, please use candles cautiously and only when you are in the room. Never leave them unattended and next to flammable materials.

Use the heat created by an oven

We all have the habit of closing the oven door after baking, for example, a delicious cake, but during the winter an exception can be made because the warm air will additionally heat up the space.

Enjoy hot beverages

Treating yourself to a nice hot tea, coffee or a hot beverage of your choice will keep you comforted and warm up your body from the inside. Even more so if you enjoy it with someone special.