Top tips for keeping your home warm in winter

The design and materials used in our homes will keep you and your family healthy – with insulation and ventilation tailored to keeping you warm in winter and cool in summer.

Here are some things you can do to help keep your home warm in winter:

Let your home breathe

Ventilation is key to having a healthy home and is an important tool in the battle against mould, mildew and condensation. That’s why every Platinum home has a built-in ventilation system.

The size and positioning of the windows and patio doors in your home will have a big effect on air flow through the building – letting moist air escape in winter and allowing a gentle breeze to come inside on summer days.

During the cooler winter months, it’s good to open windows and doors whenever temperatures allow – even if only for a short time each day.

It’s also important to use extractor fans in your kitchen and bathrooms whenever you are cooking, showering or bathing, so damp air is taken outside.

Adding ambience to your space

When we think of a cosy home, we often think of a fireplace. If you want to spend winter nights in front of a fire in your living room, then there are some great options available to you such as wood or pellet burners (depending on your local council rules) or a gas fireplace.

You’ll also need to think about how to heat other parts of the house.

Heat pumps are a reliable option for any room or hallway and provide energy efficient, year-round comfort thanks to their heating and cooling options. Nothing beats arriving home on a cold winter’s day to a welcoming cosy home or being cool and comfortable at home in the hot summer months.

Smart home

If you’re keen on making technology work for you, you may want to consider creating a smart home.

We can install a PDL Wiser Smart Home solution in your new home, allowing you to customise and control your home atmosphere from your smartphone. This means you can open the blinds to let in the sun, close them as it gets dark, turn on heating or air conditioning before you arrive home and have your lights automatically dim as the evening draws on – whether you are in the house or out and about.

Smart, energy-efficient technology will let you set timers for appliances like heated towel rails or bathroom fans, as well as power points for plug-in devices like lamps and gaming consoles.

With Wiser’s voice control compatibility, you can use smart voice devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Home to set the lighting to a dinner mood without leaving the table, or create a low light, sleepy environment before bedtime. It’s all done with a single app that’s easy to install, set up and modify as your needs change.

Choose window coverings carefully

You’ll be spoiled for choice when it’s time to choose how to cover your windows, with a dazzling array of blinds, shutters and curtains to choose from depending on the look you want to achieve.

For winter warmth, thermal lined or thicker curtains will provide much greater insulation than thin curtains or blinds on their own.

You may be tempted by attractive ready-made curtains, perhaps even curtains that are threaded on a rod or hanging from rings. Whatever style you choose, you’ll get better insulation from curtains that go all the way to the ground, cover the whole window and have thick linings – preferably made from thermal fabric. Better still – have blinds and curtains together.

Our final piece of advice is to harness the heat from the sun – by opening your curtains during the day to let the sunshine in and closing them again as the day gets cooler to keep all that warmth inside.