How to make your home feel warmer (without turning up the heat)

[tortoise]

You can use strategies to make your home feel warmer - without turning up the heat.

Lighting affects how people perceive indoor temperature. Brighter light (1400 lumens) increases tolerance for cooler indoor temperatures. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6757052/ In winter, I like to move my couch to in front of my south-facing patio door. I put lamps nearby so I can make one spot bright on a cloudy day.

Make a cozy corner or divide up spaces. People feel warmer in smaller spaces. (Why I'll never live in house with an open floor plan or vaulted ceiling and loft.) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6757052/

Smooth surfaces feel cold. The effect is partly psychological (see study above) and partly from rate of heat transfer. Swap smooth cotton sheets for flannel or fleece. Cover a leather couch with blankets or sheepskin. Cover hard floors with rugs - and don't be afraid to layer area rugs.

What else do you do to feel cozy without turning up the heat?

 

[tortoise]

I dont have science-y sources to back these up, but I think fresh baked goods, hot tea/coffee/cocoa, and candles help too

 

[baymule]

Sweat pants, sweat shirt, fuzzy house shoe booties. Toss an afghan over me. House may not feel warmer, but I am.

If I cook something in the oven, when done I crack oven door open to let the heat in the room.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Sweat pants, sweat shirt, fuzzy house shoe booties. Toss an afghan over me.

That's me right now except for the fuzzy house shoes. Just have socks on and a flannel blankie.

I've heard but never tried) that reversing your ceiling fan will bring heat down that rises to the ceiling - anybody ever do that?

And, I'm sipping a cup of hot tea.

 

[Mini Horses]

I reverse fans. It's about pulling or pushing the air by slant on fan blade.

Long johns!! A lot of vests here. The extra layer on your back and shoulders makes a difference. Plus, easy layer to put off/on.

Shades down over windows at night, up for sun days. Extra lights --- brightness costs less than heater. Oven meals often in winter. I have an open plan but normal ceiling heights. I hang a long shower curtain at bottom of staircase to keep heat in lower of house. Faces backdoor, so not real visually obvious it's there.

 

[Hinotori]

Stuff a dog under the covers with you. Nice portable heaters. I used to use my schipperke for that. The aussie/heeler would lay with me for a while then leave. The german shepherd says it's too hot. The mini aussie will stay if I snuggle him.

I've never had a 3 dog night though

 

[flowerbug]

...
What else do you do to feel cozy without turning up the heat?

caulk and seal up gaps that let drafts happen. also helps save on energy bills.

wear more layers of clothes (including a hat) around the house. piles of blankets always handy here on this perch. sometimes i end up typing/mousing with my hands under the covers.

 

[flowerbug]

if you leave the fan on most of the time the reverse fan thing may seem obvious but i really don't think it matters since the fan is mixing the air in the house anyways.

if you only turn the fan on for a few moments would be the exception. here we keep a small fan running most of the summer because we don't have a ceiling fan so it is aimed upwards to keep the air from getting too stagnant up there (and then the ceiling will drip condensation and the fireplace will get dark too from the moisture condensing out on it).

now that the air is less humid and the central heat is running often enough we can turn that fan off for the rest of the winter (hope the intermittent roof leak is fixed at last).

heating just my room warmer was nice when i could do that but now it doesn't work that ways since Mom is home all the time. before she was away during the week being a nanny - it made no sense to heat the entire house when i wasn't using it much at all.

the zone heating radiant floor circulating heat is a great idea, wear poofy clothes and use blankets and trap the heat as it comes up (like the Japanese did with kimonos).

 

[CLSranch]

caulk and seal up gaps that let drafts happen. also helps save on energy bills.

wear more layers of clothes (including a hat) around the house. piles of blankets always handy here on this perch. sometimes i end up typing/mousing with my hands under the covers.

We also put the clear plastic over the windows. (ours are very drafty) The hat is an excellent way to stay warmer. An old (German?) saying. If your feet are cold put on a hat. I think it comes from several old world places.

 

[The Porch]

That's me right now except for the fuzzy house shoes. Just have socks on and a flannel blankie.

I've heard but never tried) that reversing your ceiling fan will bring heat down that rises to the ceiling - anybody ever do that?

And, I'm sipping a cup of hot tea.

reversing your ceiling fan :: YES., in the other homes we had we always did that,