How to make your home feel instantly hotter using just an Allen key and no, it’s not for the radiators
WE'RE all focused on keeping our houses warm this time of year - whether it's putting on the central heating or a hot water bottle to keep toasty.
All of these hacks cost money which can go straight down the drain if your home isn't insulated properly.
Thankfully, a savvy man has taken to YouTube to show how you can instantly make your home hotter and keep the heat in.
Most people have heard of bleeding a radiator to make them work more efficiently and keep the home warm but this trick has nothing to do with them, the DIY whizz instead focused on the windows.
And all you need is an Allen key to keep your home warm this winter and put your windows into winter mode.
Many people may not realise that their UPVC windows have summer, neutral and winter options.
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In a revealing YouTube video, A Man About The House demonstrated how to put UPVC windows into winter mode.
By opening your window, you should see stick-out bits either on the inside of where you close the window, or on the window side itself.
These circular stick-out notches have an indent to demonstrate which setting the window is in.
If the lined indent faces north, it means that your window is in neutral mode, but it can easily be turned with an Allen key.
"All you want to do is turn this so it pulls the window into the frame a little bit tighter," said the hero.
If you turn it anticlockwise, "it will slacken and make it more draughty."
But if you turn it clockwise, "it will tighten the window sash and put it into winter mode."
This minor adjustment will make windows tighter, and more stiff to close.
But it also means less warm air can escape and less cold air can enter the home.
The simple draught-excluding adjustment hack will help lower your energy bills as you won't need the heating on for as long.
"You don't want to over-tighten it," he cautioned. "Because you're at risk of basically squashing or damaging the seal."
He added: "Under adjustment will mean that you're allowing drafts and the actual window sash isn't closed into the frame correctly.
This is why "it's worth having a little bit of a play about" to find the right adjustment for your home.
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Once he made the best adjustment for his window, the DIY whizz said he "can't really feel any draughts".
"It's just a matter of going around all the windows checking and adjusting where you need to," he added.
5 ways to keep your house warm in winter
Property expert Joshua Houston shared his tips.
1. Curtains
"Windows are a common place for the outside cold to get into your home, this is because of small gaps that can let in air so always close your curtains as soon as it gets dark," he said.
This simple method gives you an extra layer of warmth as it can provide a kind of "insulation" between your window and curtain.
2. Rugs
"Your floor is another area of your home where heat can be lost and can make your home feel chilly," he continued. "You might notice on cold days, that your floor is not nice to walk on due to it freezing your feet.
"Add rugs to areas that don’t already have a carpet, this provides a layer of insulation between your bare floor and the room above."
3. Check your insulation
Check your pipes, loft space, crawlspaces and underneath floorboards.
"Loose-fill insulation is very good for this, and is a more affordable type of insulation, with a big bag being able to be picked up for around £30," Joshua explained.
4. Keep your internal doors closed
"Household members often gather in one room in the evening, and this is usually either the kitchen or living room," Joshua said.
"This means you only have to heat a small area of your home, and closing the doors keeps the heat in and the cold out."
5. Block drafts
Don't forget to check cat flaps, chimneys and letterboxes, as they can let in cold air if they aren't secure.