Conserving energy is now more important than ever before. With rising fuel costs and climate change, people around the world are searching for ways to keep their homes warm by conserving heat. So, what can you do to save heat in an apartment?
Table of Contents
Here are 9 tips on how to save heat in an apartment:
- Keep doors and windows closed.
- Turn off exhaust fans.
- Improve the insulation.
- Buy a humidifier.
- Cook meals often.
- Have your heat system serviced.
- Eliminate possible drafts.
- Clear space around radiators.
- Improve airflow throughout the apartment.
Continue reading for a breakdown of how you can conserve heat in your apartment. I’ll examine ways you can save on your heating expenses and methods you can employ to retain the heat already present in your home.
1. Keep Doors and Windows Closed
The first thing you need to do to save heat in an apartment is keep all doors and windows closed inside the apartment. Even a tiny gap in the door or window will allow warm air to escape from your apartment and cold air to enter from outside. As a result, it’ll quickly reduce the temperature inside your home.
Keeping doors inside your apartment closed will also help trap in the heat, especially when you’re home. Humans give off heat (as we’re warm-blooded animals), and as a result, when you stay in a small enclosed space, the temperature will inevitably increase.
Another vital point to remember concerning windows is sunlight. If the windows in your apartment recurve a lot of direct sunlight, open the curtains but keep the windows closed. This allows your windows to act like a greenhouse, trapping in heat and not letting it escape.
Read: How To Heat An Apartment Efficiently?
2. Turn Off Exhaust Fans
Exhaust fans are used to pump air out of your apartment. Exhaust fans can be found in bathrooms and above stovetops. These fans pull heat out from your apartment and reduce the overall temperature.
Therefore, if you want to keep your apartment warm, you’ll need to switch off the exhaust fans. This prevents the warm air from escaping and maintains the heat.
Exhaust fans also remove humidity from the air inside your apartment—especially the exhaust fan above the stove in your kitchen. Higher humidity levels help to keep your apartment warm.
3. Improve the Insulation
If you want to save heat in an apartment, good-quality insulation is the best way to do it. Adequate insulation will form a barrier inside your walls, flooring, and ceilings that trap heat when your apartment is warm.
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The quality of insulation in your apartment is measured and scored as an R-value. An R-value score of R-25 is recommended in colder climates, while an R-value of R-11 is advised for warmer temperatures.
If you feel that your apartment doesn’t save heat effectively, it likely has an R-value below the recommended levels. You can increase the R-value of your apartment by hiring a professional to install more insulation in the walls, ceilings, and floors.
Alternatively, you can insulate your apartment by placing thick rugs on the floors and keeping curtains closed. This will not be as effective as installing insulation, but it can help trap heat in your home.
Read: What Type Of Heating Systems Do Apartments Have?
4. Buy a Humidifier
Humidifiers release water into the air in rooms in your apartment. Increasing the humidity will reduce the chill you feel in the air, but it won’t increase the temperature. However, maintaining specific humidity in your apartment will reduce the energy required to heat your home.
You can set your humidifier to a specific humidity to maintain an ideal level. During the cold winter months, a humidity level between 30% and 50% is best for energy efficiency and living conditions.
Check out these humidifiers available to buy online:
Levoit 3L Humidifier (available on Amazon.com) is an affordable humidifier you can use to increase the humidity throughout your apartment. This humidifier increases humidity up to twice as fast as alternatives, and it’s convenient to refill. It’s also dishwasher safe, making it easy to clean.
Raydrop Cool Mist Humidifier (available on Amazon.com) is a silent machine that increases the humidity in your home. It comes in a variety of colors and has an affordable price tag. This humidifier is suitable for a large room, so you’ll likely need two to cover your apartment.
Read: What Is Convection Heater?
5. Cook Meals Often
An easy way to keep your apartment warm is to cook meals. Cooking meals using an oven or stove will release heat into the air. This will save you money on heating and help to keep your apartment warm.
Cooking with boiling water will also increase the humidity in your apartment. The steam given off by the boiling water will directly increase both the temperature and the moisture in your apartment.
Additionally, similar to cooking a meal, you can increase the humidity in your apartment by leaving the bathroom door open when you have a warm shower.
If neither of these tips work for you, another easy option is to leave bowls of water out in your home. Cold dry air will absorb the moisture from the bowl and increase the humidity.
6. Have Your Heat System Serviced
If your apartment has its central heating system or heat pump and you don’t share it with other apartments in your block, you should consider hiring an expert to service it. Heating systems require regular maintenance to ensure running efficiently and effectively heating your home.
Servicing your heating system also reduces the risk of it breaking down, resulting in costly repairs. However, you’ll likely have to ask the landlord about servicing. Or, if you are the landlord and you’re looking to save heat in your apartment, this is the way to go.
Read: 7 Best Heating Systems For Apartments
7. Eliminate Possible Drafts
Drafts are when you can feel a wind blowing through your home. This usually happens due to poor insulation, and it can drastically drop the temperature in your apartment. Therefore, it makes sense to find the source of any drafts so you can stay warm.
Unfortunately, drafts can come from anywhere in your apartment that’s not adequately sealed. A small gap in the skirting boards, a hole in the ceiling, or an unsealed window or door could cause a draft in your apartment.
The easiest way to find the source of a draft is by using the flame on a match, candle, or lighter. Follow these steps below to find the source of a breeze in your apartment:
- Light the match, candle, or lighter and hold it close to the surface you wish to inspect.
- Watch for any flickering caused by a breeze.
- If the flame blows to the side, there is a draft The draft should be coming from the opposite direction to the way the flame is pointing.
- Follow the draft, and it should lead you to the source.
- Once you find the source, seal it up, and the draft should be eliminated.
Remember, it’s important not to hold the flame too close to any surfaces, as you don’t want to burn your home down or damage any surfaces in the apartment.
You can seal over any cracks or gaps that you find with caulk. Caulking over any small holes or cracks will form an airtight, resilient, and flexible seal.
Read: Why Air Conditioner Is Not Heating?
8. Clear Space Around Radiators
Many apartments have radiators to keep them warm. But did you know that there are some things you can do to help your radiator keep your home warm? Firstly, you should move any furniture away from the radiator as the furniture will absorb some of the heat emitted when placed too close.
Next, you should move any objects or fabrics placed on the radiator elsewhere. Heat rises upwards, so anything placed on top of the radiator will reduce its efficiency.
Another little trick you can use to get the most out of your radiator is to place aluminum foil on the wall behind it. The aluminum foil will reflect the heat away from the wall and into your apartment. On top of this, the wall beneath the aluminum will absorb less heat from the radiators.
9. Improve Airflow Throughout the Apartment
If air ducts heat your apartment, improving the airflow can help to keep it warm. If there’s only one duct in your apartment, keep the doors open so the heat can distribute throughout your home.
It would help to keep the air ducts clean so the warm air can easily pass through them and into your apartment.
Key Takeaways
Saving heat in your apartment is an excellent way to save money and stay warm through the cold winter months. However, keeping the heat in an apartment can be tricky without the correct information. Remember these key points to keep your home warm year-round:
- Close and seal doors and windows.
- Increase the humidity.
- Switch off fans.
- Improve your insulation.
- Get rid of drafts.
- Ensure your heating system is running smoothly.