When it’s cold outside, it is not surprising that you want to enter a warm home. But unfortunately, heating costs may be terrifying or an old heating system can’t make you feel cozy. In this case, you may want to consider certain options that can make your house or apartment a bit warmer. In this article, we have gathered four effective ways to increase the temperature at home without a heater.
1. Open or close curtains
Perhaps the simplest advice is to open the curtains during the day so that the sun’s rays penetrate into the apartment and heat it. But there is also an opinion that it is necessary to close curtains more tightly. You can raise the room temperature in both ways but they will work in different ways.
With the curtains tightly closed, they will block the cold air that can come from a window. However, it is better to repair the windows since they will still make your room colder. It is also good to get curtains that don’t cover the radiator. If the curtains are long, you can raise and place them on the windowsill, freeing the radiator.
The situation with heating with the help of sunlight is more complicated. The sun’s rays can really make your home warm even in winter. It is quite possible to raise the temperature by a few degrees but only if the side is sunny because light and direct sunlight are not the same things. Only direct rays can heat the air in an apartment.
2. Carpets on the floor
One of the most popular ways to make a room warmer and cozier at the same time is to lay a carpet on the floor. With the help of a carpet, you create a certain layer between you and the cold floor. This helps retain the air and prevents the selection of thermal energy from the floor. Additionally, the carpet is more pleasant to the touch.
This method is most effective for those who live in apartments on the ground floor or in a private house. In an apartment building, where it is warm from all sides, the method of insulation loses its effectiveness. If you have heated floors, the carpet will not increase, but decrease the temperature in the room. That’s why it’s not surprising that many people have given up on carpets lately.
3. A heat-reflecting foil shield between the radiator and the wall
To create the screen, it is recommended to use any construction foil attached to the foam. But even ordinary food baking foil will help keep warm. However, this option is also controversial. On one side, the screen will reflect infrared waves from the radiator towards the room. But on the other hand, it will heat up the wall worse and it will take more heat energy from the air in the room.
If you have thin walls and the radiator is hot, then the area behind it heats up “through and through” and heat loss increases. In this case, the screen that directs heat into the room will be quite effective. But if walls are thick and batteries are not quite hot, the effectiveness of the foil decreases.
4. Turn on the ceiling fan
Air circulation in the apartment with the help of a fan will definitely increase, but how much this will increase the overall temperature in the room is a big question. A ceiling fan will actually help spread warm air throughout the room. This can will slightly raise the temperature in the lower part of the room.
If you direct the fan to the radiator, then this will not have a noticeable effect on the already heated room. But if the heating was just turned on, this method will really help warm up the cold room faster. The fan directed to the radiator enhances convection and allows the heated air to be distributed faster and more evenly throughout the room but the radiator can’t give off more heat than it has.