KEEPING A WARM HOME There are a range of things that can be done to help keep your home warmer during winter. If you need help, contact your local council or the organisations listed in this guide. CONSERVING HEAT Conserving heat within your home – and keeping cold out – will make for a warmer home without building up high energy bills. Free, independent energy advice can be obtained from the Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on Free phone 0800 512 012 or call the Warm Front Scheme on Free phone 0800 072 0151 DRAUGHTS Draughts let cold air from the outside, and into warmer rooms from cold rooms within the home. These can be or reduced with relatively simple inexpensive measures. Draught seal around window and door openings.
Fit draught strips to the bottom of the doors, fit internal letterbox covers.
If possible, hang heavy curtains on windows and doors.
Use plastic or clear film secondary glazing to cut draughts and heat loss in window areas It is important that draught strips should be fixed securely to the bottom of doors.
Loose–lying materials can be a hazard that causes falls. Ventilation ducts and bricks should not be blocked up, especially in rooms with gas or open fires. They ensure circulation of some fresh air. INSULATION Heat is always escaping through the structure of the house: the roof, widows and doors and the walls. Insulation and double glazing will reduce the rate of heat loss, keeping your home warmer and helping to reduce energy bills. LOFT You should insulate your loft as hot air rises and most heat escapes in this direction.
A 270mm thickness of insulation quilt is recommended. Often older houses may have no insulation at all in the loft, or less than the recommended amount. WALLS Older houses with a cavity wall may benefit from having insulation material injected into the cavity. DOORS AND WINDOWS In the evening and at night, close your curtains to reduce heat loss. Double glazing or secondary glazing will keep rooms warmer (and quieter) LAGGING HOT WATER CYLINDERS AND PIPES Energy may be going to waste in your home if the hot water system is not properly insulated. A jacket to insulate the hot water cylinder can be bought quite cheaply and is usually easy to fit –the jacket should have a British Standards “Kite mark” on the label. Newer hot water cylinders are supplied with insulation already in place. Hot water pipes can be lagged to prevent heat escaping. Exposed pipes in the roof space, or other areas where they may freeze in cold weather, should also be lagged. HEATING YOUR HOME How warm is warm? The ideal living room temperature for older people is 21◦ C (70◦F). This is not simply a question of comfort. Once room temperatures start to drop, the threat to health is greater, and the risk of respiratory illness, stroke, heart attack and hypothermia increase. Whatever the heating system, try to make sure that your main living room is kept at this temperature while you are using it. USING HEAT EFFICIENTLY Make sure you know how the controls work on your heaters or heating system. Set the thermostat controls for each heater or central heating radiators to maintain room temperatures at 21◦ C (70◦ F) during the periods you are using them. Don’t let rooms get too hot. Adjust the heating controls if they do. Set you timer to bring heating on automatically in living rooms about half an hour before you get up. In very cold weather, set the timer to bring heating on earlier. The bedroom should be warmed before going to bed This information has been provided by the National Health Service, for further advice call Free phone 0800 085 7000. | 
