4 Smart Things You Can Do To Make Your Home Feel Warmer (Without Touching the Thermostat)

What’s worse: feeling cold while you’re inside or getting a sky-high heating bill at the end of the month? If your efforts to control heating costs have left your rooms feeling kind of frosty, we’ve got four easy and inexpensive things you can do — no special tools required! — that will make your home instantly feel more cozy.

1. Check Your Vents. Take a look at your room’s layout. If furniture or rugs are blocking any of the heating vents, warm air may not be able to circulate throughout the room (and it’s not good for your upholstered or wood furniture to have warm, humid air blown on it all day long either). Simply rearranging furniture so vents are not covered can solve the problem and allow more warm air into the room. You can also help heated air circulate better by installing Frost King Heat & Air Deflectors on floor and wall vents. They’re made of unbreakable, clear plastic and attach with a magnet for super simple installation. Just point the curved deflector down to direct warm air into the room. (An added bonus: they’ll help you control cooling costs in the summer too – just point the vents up to send cold air towards the ceiling.) You may also want to move seating areas closer to the fireplace so you can get more warmth out of a roaring fire. For more tips about decorating around vents, check out this video:
   


2. Shut Out Drafts. gov estimates that one-third of a home’s heat loss occurs through windows and doors. For the quickest and easiest way to cut drafts, install Frost King’s Door or Window Double Draft Stops at the bottom of windows and doors to add a physical barrier to keep out the cold. Made of a pair of foam tubes housed in a neutral fabric cover, our Double Draft Stops fit openings up to 36” wide and can be cut to fit a smaller door or window. To install on doors, just slide the Double Draft Stop under the open door and shut the door; for windows, open the window and center the Double Draft Stop on the windowsill, then close the window to secure the tubes in place. Need another reason to use our Double Draft Stops? They do double duty by also blocking dust and insects from entering your home.


3. Let There Be (Sun)Light. The sun is a natural heat source, so open up blinds and drapes and let the sun do its work on sunny winter days. The warmth of the sun pouring through your windows will heat up your home, especially south-facing rooms that get the most light. On the flip side, at night you should close blinds and drapes to keep out cold air—this simple step can reduce heat loss in a room by up to 10%, according to energy.gov.


4. Insulate Windows. You probably already know that upgrading old windows is one of the best investments you can make for a more energy efficient home—Energy Star estimates new windows can save homeowners a whopping $465 per year!—but let’s face it: replacing drafty old single- or double-pane windows with new, state-of-the art windows costs a lot of money. If new windows just aren’t in the budget, Frost King’s EZ Roll Shrink Window Kit is a quick and inexpensive fix that provides an extra layer of insulation to save you money and energy in the winter. Our easiest-to-install window kit, the EZ Roll film comes in a cylinder and has a pre-taped edge and built-in razor that makes installation a breeze. All you have to do is cut the film to size, press it in place, and then go over it with a hair dryer to shrink the film into place. Each kit can cover up to 3 standard windows, and the film shrinks crystal clear and tight so you’re left with an unobstructed view out your window.

For more project ideas that will help you keep heating bills under control, check out Three Easy Ways to Cut Your Heating Bills this Winter.