During a typical year, students can spend up to 10 months at university. Many students live away from home, which means paying rent and bills to keep a roof over their head while they study.
Due to the pandemic, 2020 has been less about working hard to play hard, and more about staying indoors and concentrating on assignments. With colder weather already setting in – and winter lasting from 21 December 2020 to 20 March 2021 – students face the reality of trying to stay warm for prolonged periods of time indoors.
Although lots of people will be heading home for Christmas between 3 December and 9 December, some students may stay at university, and the Government is already looking at getting people back on campuses in January by introducing mass testing.
Today we cover how to heat a student home without the reliance on central heating – which comes at a cost.
Keep window and doors closed
One of the easiest ways to keep heat indoors is by ensuring windows and doors stay closed. Cutting off draughts that would normally flow through the house is a simple tip to be more resourceful with the heat already inside.
This will help you cut down on heating bills by only having the heating on at certain times and keeping that heat in rooms like the living room or bedroom.
Cling film insulation
If you’re feeling a draught in the house, it may be caused by small pockets of air coming from cracks around the windows. In true student spirit, there’s a clever hack that can help create added insulation. Fitting an airtight layer of cling film over a single-glazed window will trap air and help stop heat escaping – making your house warmer in the process.
Cling film for windows is widely available online and is a cheap way for your windows to feel more like double glazing.
Use a portable heater
Sometimes it’s more economical to keep one warm room if other space in the property isn’t occupied. This could be to heat a bedroom up while the living room is empty, or vice versa.
One way to do this is via indoor portable gas heaters. They can be moved from room-to-room and can be turned on and off whenever necessary. Fitting nicely into the corner of the room, they won’t clutter up the place either.
Ready, steady, cook
Bring new meaning to “it feels like an oven in here”, by cooking regularly, you can use the heat from the oven to warm up the kitchen and other rooms close by. Look to cook things slowly that will keep the oven warm for longer instead of heading straight for the takeaway menu.
Leaving the oven open after using it can also create a warm flow of air.
Invest in radiator reflectors
If you feel like it’s time to turn the radiators on to get some warmth into the house, then make sure you invest in radiator reflectors. They help to cut energy bills and can help reduce heat flow to the wall behind the radiator by up to 45 per cent, pushing heat back into the room.
Wrap up warm
While all these tips have been around generating and reserving heat as much as possible, one of the quickest ways to warm up is by wearing extra layers. Sticking a jumper on over a t-shirt or wearing extra thick socks will insulate your body more and make you feel more comfortable during colder months.
When you go to sleep, look at using an extra duvet or invest in a nice, thick winter duvet that will make you feel less of a chill before nodding off.
That completes our list of how to heat a student home during winter term time. The end of 2020 will be feeling of relief for students, but with January just around the corner, the winter months are still ahead. It’s important that students can stay warm during prolonged periods of isolation and staying indoors.
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