How to winter proof my house?

[DanisEndo]

Hey everyone

We're in an Edwardian terrace and want to make it as 'winter friendly' as possible for obvious reasons. Especially wanting to keep it warm for my lovely partner who's working from home. We've not long moved in so not flush with cash to do any major insulating projects at the moment... however we have managed to cut down our energy usage a fair amount already which is great. Any tips for some quick wins?!

So far on my radar I've got:

Electric blanket
Door draft excluders
Window draft excluders
Winter duvet (16.5 tog)
Chimney sheep
Black out curtains

Am I missing any easy fixes?
Are the things I've already mentioned actually going to help?

Any and all advice appreciated!!
💟☃

Oh and not to forget lots of cosy blankets, fluffy socks, dressing gowns.

What are your windows like? Check to se if they need resealing. If single glazed get some of that wrap you can stick on or try and get some cheap Perspex for secondary glazing.

extra rugs or even just runner style over wooden/tile/Lino flooring.

In all seriousness - 16.5tog??? Are you sleeping in the garden. I've lived in older houses until the last 2 years, never had heating on at night and have 10.5 tog

Wool filled duvet - game changer for keeping us warm.
I bought mine from Baavet and got factory seconds to save a bit of money.
Don't need electric blanket/hot water bottle. No cold spots in bed. Cosy almost instantly

Check your loft insulation. You should be aiming for 20cm (8") depth.
It is very easy to lay over existing old insulation, is relatively inexpensive and could pay for itself in a year.

Where do you live? a 16.5 tog duvet would be torture for me! I've got a 10.5, on the couple of nights a year it's cold enough I chuck a blanket over the top.

Understanding sun direction helps.

e.g. If I know the sun shines on the front of the house for most the day they are the curtains etc it is importnant to open when the sun out out. They will absorb heat and transfer it into the house. The back windows then can have closed curtains to keep heat in.

Silver foil insulation stuff behind the radiators.

Heavy curtain over the external doors.

I also live in an Edwardian terrace and it had the original windows. We replaced them but it does need airing daily to avoid it getting damp and stuffy. Our chimney sheep has made a huge difference.

Follow the Germans and actually open all windows for 5/10 mins a day. Airs out the house and removes damp and then makes it cheaper to heat.
Follow the sun and make sure to open the blinds and curtains in that room. We are lucky enough to heat up a room a few degrees this way on a sunny day

Curtains should be thermal lined rather than blackout. If that’s too costly then you can use cheap fleeces and it makes a massive difference

I have no good ideas to contribute but love the idea of a chimney sheep

Lots of heat is lost through windows so a blind (cheap roller blind is fine) inside the curtains will also help. As someone else said- you can safety pin cheap fleece blankets inside curtains to make them thicker. If one person is working from home just heat that room and/or that person rather than the whole house.

Thermally lined curtains are your friends. Plus a portiere rod for a door curtain so you can keep it shut all the time (moves with the door). Put the temperature of your combi boiler down to 60C, it's more energy efficient.

And draw your curtains at dusk and open when daylight, saves loads of energy.

Door curtain, and the sticky draught excluder tape that you can put around doors and windows, oh and if you have a combi boiler make sure it is in eco mode so it isn't keeping a small amount of water hot all the time.

I like the idea of chimney sheep too. Provided you don't forget to take it out if you use the chimney !

Someone on another thread mentioned a window vac if you have a condensation problem or maybe a dehumidifier.

Rugs on all hard floors make a massive difference.

Second the fleece for lining curtains. I put fleece blankets on our bed, between duvet and top sheet. We don’t have storage space for winter/summer duvets.

On a windy day, hunt for drafts amd prioritise them. Windows, under doors, gaps under floorboards, open chimneys and loft hatch are usual offenders

Curtain up at the external door

Blanket on top of the duvet

Blankets to use on the sofa

Oodie

Free wood chopped & stacked in the summer in the wood store, ready to use in the winter

Hat, scarf & gloves ready to use

Loft insulation

Thank you so so sooooo much for all these tips - got some really good take always!!

flooring wise we have parquet in the living room but that’s sealed so no drafty bits, upstairs is LVT or whatever it’s called and could defo benefit from some rugs. The kitchen diner is polished cement and weirdly stays pretty warm!

one side of the house and windows is east facing and the other west so we are constantly in the sun which is great. We’re getting some BIIIIG thermal curtains this weekend to cover the bifolds once the sun has gone in that side.

we’ve got lots of wood dried out in the shed ready for the fireplace.

our bay windows are double glazed but a little draft so will defo look into some excluder tape/curtains/film.

will defo send Oh up into the loft to review the insulation!!

im already quite militant about opening all the windows 5/10 mins each morning which feels like it makes a difference. Makes the rooms feel nice and fresh as well!!

fleece everything - noted.

and for all the horror of the mention of a 16.5tog duvet I haven’t actually bought this yet, we just need a new duvet and I thought I might as well get a super cosy one for winter since it’s the same price 😂 note to self to maybe give one a try first or just go a little thinner…

thanks again guys.