Prudently keep it cosy this winter

Now that you have consumed too much of electricity in the scorching heat of summer and humid weather during monsoon, it’s time to cut down on electricity bills. You could be a struggling college student or want to curb carbon dioxide emissions but may just be frugal sometimes. A cold snap, if not addressed properly, can very quickly put your budget on ice. This winter, pollute less and also save your hard earned money.

The winter season is approaching, so here are some ways to keep it warm without wasting money on electricity.

• Use smokeless wood in a state-of-the-art stove with a catalytic converter and precision airflow controls to keep it warm. Learn how to reduce the production of smoke from your fireplace to prevent messing up the neighbourhood.

• Cheap and clear shower curtains are readily available in the market. Use these over the windows that receive sun light to naturally warm up your house without letting cold air coming in. You can alternatively use insulation on window panes.

• Invest in a set of heavy curtains to block heavy drafts of air, but make sure to open them when the sun is shining bright.

Now that you have protected your house, snuggle up few unconventional ways to keep yourself warm. Here are some tips coming right from the kitchen.

• Bake your favourite cake, cookie or pie this winter, without any guilt as your oven will help to dry the air and heat the kitchen.

• No steaming during chilly weather as the steam will increase the humidity in the air and make your house damp, decreasing the temperature of your house.

• It’s once again time to caress your favourite mug of coffee and hot chocolate. It’s the return of warm beverages and broth, which will raise your core temperature. Chocolate is said to cure cough and cold almost as well as codeine does, all thanks to the percentage of theobromine in it. This chemical is the reason for chocolate’s feel-good factor and the best part is that it has none of the side effects of codeine, known to makes people drowsy.

Light up your house; it will negate winter blues and keep your house warm and comfortable. However, you should know the most efficient heat source.

• Switch to incandescent lights for your bedside lamps, which are believed to release almost 95 per cent of its energy as heat rather than light. Compact Fluorescent and LED lights, on the other hand, does nothing to heat up your room, but be aware that incandescent bulb consume more energy than CFLs.

• You must have crossed the lavish fancy candles section in a departmental store many a times, but never picked them up thinking it’s a waste of money. Well it's a good bargain this winter as it can produce a lot of heat. Just be careful of where they are kept and do not leave them unattended if you have kids playing around.

We are half way through October and winter will be sneaking up on us very soon, so get your act together and brace up to fight it without burning too much energy and thereby, digging a hole in your winter budget.

 

picture courtesy: huffington post