Winter Warming Tips

Home heating solutions are always at the forefront of our minds whenever winter comes around. But with environmental impacts and rising energy costs, finding ways to keep your home warm during the cold season is becoming a challenge in.
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In Christchurch, and most of New Zealand, keeping your home warm and avoiding health issues can be more challenging than other parts of the world. Most of the effort to keep the cold out is lost through unsuitable or insufficient insulation and drafts. 
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You don’t necessarily need to have the most expensive, top of the line heat pump in your home to feel the warmth. There are simple easy things that you can make to make your Christchurch home warmer, and easier to heat during winter. Here are some of them:

1)  Find The Right Curtains

​While pattern or colour might be one of the major factors we consider when choosing curtains, have you considered your curtain’s thickness? Insulated curtains keep a room warm during the winter, but they are just as good as keeping it cool in the summer! Close your curtains before it gets dark in the afternoons and you’ll trap some heat in your Christchurch home before it cools down in the evening.

​2)  Invest In Insulation

No matter what form of heating you choose, the best way of lowering your power bills is good insulation. If you make it harder for heat to escape your home, it’s easier to keep warm.

In winter, layering up just doesn’t only apply to you but to your house too! Uninsulated wood floors can be a major factor in letting out the heat. Whether you go for carpets, rugs or underfloor insulation, another layer can improve a room’s coziness level.

Unfortunately, many homes in Christchurch and around New Zealand were built with very poor or sub-standard insulation. Under-floor or ceiling insulation can be fairly easy to retrofit, but Heat Pumps NOW recommends getting solid advice before getting insulation retrofitted to your walls.

3)  Open Up During Mornings

​You have the most affordable heat source every morning, the sun! You can catch that free heat as much as possible when you open up the windows every morning. This has the added benefit of airing out your home. Opening up the window lets in the fresh air, helping to remove mould, damp and condensation. Stale air also breeds germs that can cause those nasty colds and flu, so opening up the windows as much as you can will help you and your home stay healthier.

​4)  Try Rearranging Furniture

​It might seem like a great idea to have your favorite sofa directly in front of your heater, but you are actually keeping the heat from flowing through the room. This is why hi-wall heat pumps are so common in New Zealand. By being up high and out the way, hi-wall heat pumps can spread an even eat over the whole room.

5)  Consider Heat Pumps

Energy efficient, convenient and environment friendly. These are just a few reasons why government agencies and energy experts endorse using heat pumps. Just like opening up the windows, heat pump circulate the air inside your home, keeping you and your house warm, healthy and dry.

With ECan cracking down on old wood fires and log burners, a heat pump is one of the most cost effective ways to stay warm. Plus, heat pump technology is getting better, meaning they will still keep you warm even when it’s freezing outside. 
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Want help staying warm this winter in Christchurch? Contact Heat Pumps NOW for a free, in-home consultation on 03 377 7393.