Staying warm at home

Staying warm

When it's very cold, you can follow some simple tips to make sure you stay as safe and warm as possible.

You can do the following things to keep your home warm:

draw your curtains and close all doors to block out draughts and keep heat in your rooms
have a hot meal every day, at least once, and try to have warm drinks regularly. This will keep your energy levels up
keep active so that you feel warmer. Move around at least once an hour if you cannot take regular and more vigorous exercise
if you need to go outside, wrap up in warm clothes
dress warmly when inside too, but try to wear lots of thin layers instead of 1 or 2 thick ones
heat all the rooms you use during the day. If you cannot heat them all, heat the one you spend most time in and heat your bedroom in the evening before you go to bed
set your thermostat to around 21°C (70°F)
set your heating timer so that it comes on before you get up in the morning, and turns off when you go to bed at night
if the weather is very cold, set the timer so that your heating is on for longer before you get up in the morning. This is more efficient than simply turning your thermostat up

You can stay warm by doing the following:

heat your bedroom to just over 18°C (65°F)
use a hot water bottle or an electric blanket. Never use both together and always make sure your electric blanket is safe and that you're using it properly
wear sensible bedclothes to bed, including socks and thermal underwear

Electric blankets and heaters (fire safety)

You can help keep your home warmer, healthier and more cost-effective by making sure it's properly insulated. You could:

insulate your pipes and hot water cylinder
insulate all wall cavities
seal any gaps around windows and doors with draught-proofing materials
check your loft insulation. It should have at least 10 to 11 inches (270 millimetres) of insulation. You should have it increased if your home has four inches (100 millimetres or less