Winter is here!

That means snow, wrapping up for long walks outside, and of course Christmas. It also means cold weather, which comes with a bundle of associated problems that can affect your house. Assuming you have done all the necessary pre-winter checks, there are a few additional investments you could make to help keep a warm home over the following months.

A fireplace

Just the idea of a blazing fire feels cozy. Having a fireplace, particularly a wood burner, is a favorite of rural locations because it guarantees a way to heat your home if the electricity gets knocked out.

As well as that, wood-burning fires can be fitted so that they use existing ductwork to spread heat throughout the home, not confining it to just heating the room where the fire is. They are also incredibly eco-friendly, using a sustainable energy source, and some wood burners are so efficient they qualify as smokeless heat sources.

But if a wood burner does not sound appealing to you, an electric fireplace offers a cheaper to install, low-maintenance alternative. You never need to worry about getting the chimney cleaned, or about removing ash from the fireplace, or buying fuel.

Underfloor heating

Floor heaters are another great alternative heat source to standard central heating systems. A radiator system works by hot water passing through a series of pipes to give off heat, and the water needs to be at 65-75 degrees Celsius before significant heat is given off.

By contrast, the electric wires used in most underfloor heating can run at 29 degrees Celsius or sometimes under, which has the potential to improve your energy bills massively.

Also, because radiators take a while to heat up, you can end up with cold spots in rooms. An advantage of underfloor heating is that the whole room warms up at the same time, meaning you don’t get any cold spots.

Underfloor heating also frees up room space, as you can replace radiators and give yourself more areas to consider placing furniture. You also don’t have to worry about accidental burns from touching a hot radiator.

The main downside here is the installation. Though long-term it is an energy-efficient alternative to radiator heating, underfloor systems are expensive and take a long time to install.

Wall insulation

Any cold surface is leeching up the heat and costing you on your energy bill. Paint on the walls of a room is not a particularly good insulator, and even most ‘insulating paints’ are not much better at keeping your house energy efficient than standard options.

Wallpaper is usually a much better option, and it’s a much cheaper investment than either of the two previous suggestions. If you have a couple of weekends spare, it’s a great time of year to pick yourself out some nice wallpaper and start a little bit of winter decorating. If you choose light, warm colors, you can make your home look very cozy as well as cutting down on bills.