Caitríona Redmond: Stay warm without burning money this winter

Using a thermostat to set the temperature, rather than using the 'boost' button can really save money. Setting the household or room temperature to a minimum and a maximum, and ideally on a timer, can gently heat the house and costs less on the heating bill

Caitríona Redmond: "Open all your curtains during the day and especially in south-facing rooms. The sun will heat the house."

I don't think Irving Berlin quite accounted for dark Irish winters when he was writing White Christmas — the song goes “may your days be merry and bright” but it’s more like ‘short and sweet’ around here. We are firmly in winter so it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep the house and the family warm.

I have a love/hate relationship with my boiler. On one hand, I luxuriate in a cosy home with plenty of hot water and snuggly blankets... but I’m very aware of how much heating costs and resent spending excessive amounts on the home heating. I have tried to reach a happy medium of staying warm and keeping the energy bills low. Maybe some of my tips may help.

Consider what you’re up to during the day in the house. If you’re moving around then 18°C is a good temperature for your thermostat. I sit at a desk all day and the house will need to be slightly warmer at 19°C because I will get cold staying static.

Using a thermostat to set the temperature rather than using the ‘boost’ button to turn the heating on when it’s cold and off when it’s too hot can really save money. 

When the boost is switched on, that can actually require a higher amount of fuel to heat the house from cold to warm. Setting the household or room temperature to a minimum and a maximum, and ideally on a timer, can gently heat the house and costs less on the heating bill. 

It’s all about using as many tricks to keep warm, despite the cold

outside.

You can set an alarm to get up and move around vigorously. You don’t have to leave the house in bad weather, nor do you need a fancy walking pad to do this. Instead consider walking up and down the stairs and you’ll naturally heat up without having to turn on the boiler.

I’m not the biggest fan of AI. But still, my kids have introduced me to the wonders that are immersive interactive warmups on YouTube. 

These simple and very silly videos have racked up millions of views since September and guarantee household hilarity... they’re easy to complete, suitable for all ages, and typically last less than three minutes. 

If you pop one on the TV and complete the tasks you’ll definitely warm up in no time at all.

Here’s one which might help burn off extra Christmas-related energy.

https://exa.mn/mov — Immersive interactive warmup

Are you wandering around your house in your shirtsleeves in the height of winter? Put a jumper on before increasing the thermostat. 

Honestly, sometimes I feel like a nag with my own kids on this topic. They’d blithely waltz into the sitting room and ask can they boost the heat because they are cold while standing there in shorts and a t-shirt. Easy to tell they don’t pay the bills!

Layer up to stay warm. As far as I’m concerned, once the mercury drops it’s time to wear a vest every day until May. That vest should be a thermal quality, preferably long-sleeved, that fits snugly to your body to retain heat.

I have learned to put on my coat, hat, and gloves for a full minute before leaving the house and allow them to warm up in the house. This stops me from feeling the chill as soon as I walk out the door.

Years  ago I invested in an insulated waterproof coat with a power bank. The power bank isn’t for my phone though — it’s actually for the coat which heats up at the touch of a button. Let me tell you, that can come in very handy if the boiler has clapped out.

That layering up that I mentioned also applies at night. We don’t need to actively heat our houses through the night, the thermostat can be set to low and to only kick in to protect your pipes and appliances. That setting should be around 7°C-12°C, depending on how well your house is insulated.

All duvets have a tog (thermal overall grade) rating and if you’re feeling the cold at night, buy a higher tog duvet, or layer two duvets up to increase the value.

For example, warm winter duvets tend to be 13.5-15 tog. Add a light summer duvet on top with a rating of 4.5 and you’ll be toasty every night. It also makes for easier storage when you don’t need the extra insulation.

Remember to place a thermostat in the busiest room in the house. There’s no point in placing it in a cold hall with drafts, especially if it’s near to the front door. This could cause a boiler to work overtime and some of the rooms would become too warm, while the hall could be stubbornly cold.

And don’t forget that heat rises. If your radiators have temperature controls, the upstairs rooms don’t need a high setting. Just enough to take a chill out of the air is my policy. In fact, my bedroom radiator stays off unless the temperature outside dips well below zero overnight.

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Here’s some more tips to stay warm this Winter:

· Hang a curtain in front of the door in your hall to insulate against drafts. Use a pop-up shower rail if you can't drill holes.

· Never plug up a vent because of a draft.

· Get your boiler serviced — this could improve efficiency and save you on your energy bills. Typically, a service costs less than €100. Find a registered plumber on rgi.ie · Leave the oven open after cooking to let the residual heat filter into the house.

· Open all your curtains during the day and especially in south-facing rooms. The sun will heat the house.

· Close the doors and turn off the rads in rooms you're not using.