Winter can be a tough season all around. From the shorter daylight hours to the chilly weather, this time of year is difficult for many, regardless of their age. As an older adult, you may feel this more than most—along with being more susceptible to winter illnesses, you may also experience a fair bit of isolation due to challenging weather conditions. While there are many strategies you can use to stay safe and social during the colder months, keeping your house warm and cozy can help you to feel happier, stay healthier, and make the most of the winter season.
Areas to Look Out For
When winter proofing your home, there are several key areas to consider. Your home should have an ambient temperature of about 68℉ (20℃), but many factors can affect this—even if you’re consistently heating your home. The number one culprit? Drafts. The walls of your house have a fair bit of insulation, making them pretty good at retaining heat. However, any places that create openings in these walls, like your windows and doorways, are prone to letting in the cold air from outside.
To check for drafts in your home, try examining anywhere that feels consistently cooler than the rest of your house. On windy days, you can try feeling for drafts by holding your hand close to windows and door frames; slightly wetting your hand can make it even easier to feel these air currents. Alternatively, you can check for drafts using a candle, by holding them close to the wall and watching for any flickering. When using a flame, be very cautious, especially around curtains or clothes.
Aside from windows and door frames, you should also examine letterboxes, keyholes, and floorboards. While your door itself may not be letting in a draft, uncovered letterboxes and keyholes to outside can let in more cold than you think. Similarly, though your floors probably don’t have any obvious holes in them, small cracks can let in a lot of cold air.
Even if you can’t feel any obvious drafts, most windows don’t have a great level of heat retention as glass is a poor insulator. If you pour a hot or cold drink into a glass, you can feel the heat or cold through the glass almost immediately—the same is true for your windows. So, when winter proofing, pay special attention to windows, along with any areas where you can feel a draft coming in.
Draft Proofing
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, reducing drafts can cut your energy bills by 10% to 20%, making draft proofing one of the most effective ways of keeping your home warm. Now that you have identified the drafty areas of your home, you can start reaping these benefits by draft proofing. This can take many forms, ranging from cheap and quick fixes to expensive renovations. In the long run renovations do hold up better, but they aren’t always the best option. As an older adult, your budget for home renovations may be on the smaller side. Because of this, you likely want to save these funds for pressing issues such as mold or broken appliances. While replacing windows and floorboards offers a long term solution, these measures are expensive—for those looking for more budget friendly options, we have listed several down below.
For general draftiness, try using caulk or silicone sealant to fill in gaps. This works great for areas around doors, windows, vents, and attic hatches, as well as any other openings in walls, like pipes and wall-mounted air conditioners. When caulking, avoid caulking any moving parts, areas with lots of moisture, or caulking over old caulk. Taking the time to do this properly will reduce the chances of having to redo the process over again, and make sure that you’re getting all the benefits you can.
After caulking, giving your windows a bit of extra attention can take your draft proofing to the next level. By hanging thick blankets, thermal curtains, or using window film, you can dramatically improve how much of your house’s heat is retained. As mentioned above, glass is a poor insulator, so adding an extra layer of insulation will help to keep the heat in, and the cold out. You can do similar things for your doorways too—hangin insulating blankets and curtains over any doorways leading to the outdoors, or to highly drafty rooms, can cut down on the amount of heat you lose.
Doorways also have problem areas like keyholes, letter boxes, and under-door cracks. While some of these cracks can be filled in with caulk, large gaps should be filled with things like foam and brush strips. Letterboxes and keyholes should also be covered to minimize airflow.
Finally, if you have noticed cold air coming through your floorboards, try investing in a nice carpet and carpet underlay. This will both insulate your floors and provide you with a warmer floor to walk on—perfect for those whose feet get cold easily. Using a carpet underlay alongside your carpet will help to protect your carpet, as well as the flooring underneath, from moisture and mildew. Underlays also often help to prevent sliding, making them ideal for older adults who have a higher risk of falls. According to the National Library of Medicine\, rugs and carpets—especially those without non-slip underlays, and those with curled edges—increase the risks of falls in older adults, which can result in serious injuries. Taking precautions to prevent unsafe carpets is crucial!
Optimize Existing Systems
Especially if you have an older home, your current heating systems may be in need of some improvement. To start, check your home’s heating and cooling equipment. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends replacing heating units that are more than 15 years old, as newer models are more energy efficient. You should also replace any old filters, broken parts, or poor quality insulation around pipes and ducts. If you haven’t done so already, you should also consider hiring a professional to clean your heating equipment once a year.
Once you’ve made sure that your heating units are working properly, you can start optimizing further. One way you can do this is by programming your thermostats to optimize energy use. As a general rule of thumb, your main living spaces should have an ambient temperature of 68℉ while you are at home, but this can be reduced to 60~65℉ while you are out. Some sources also suggest lowering your thermostat while you are asleep, but the National Institute on Aging has discouraged this for older adults. As you age, your risk of developing hypothermia increases, and sleeping in a cool bedroom can be dangerous. As such, when you are at home, keep your thermostat programmed to 68~70℉, and be sure to only decrease your thermostat when you will be out for several hours; if possible, you should also program your thermostat to return to 68℉ by the time you get home.
You can also improve your home’s warmth without blowing your budget by avoiding heating unused rooms. If you have guest rooms or summer kitchens that aren’t used on a daily basis, consider closing the vents in those rooms and covering the doorways with blankets or thermal curtains. That way, the heat that would usually be funneled into those rooms will instead be redirected to the rest of the house, making your living areas feel warmer. Spending more time in your warmest rooms, like those with big south facing windows, can also keep you feeling warm without upping the heating, especially if you make sure that heating vents are unobstructed—by moving any furniture that’s currently blocking airflow from your heating vent, you can make a world of a difference.
More Heating Options
After draft proofing and optimizing your current heating systems, you should notice a significant improvement in your home’s overall warmth. However, if you still find yourself feeling cold, it may be time to look at additional heating options. If you spend most of your time in one room, investing in a space heater for that room can help to keep you comfortable. While there are many kinds of space heaters, they can be sorted into two main categories: combustion heaters, and electric heaters.
Combustion heaters have two subtypes: vented and unvented. As per the U.S. Department of Energy, unvented combustion heaters are “not recommended for use inside your home because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning”, which can be deadly. Vented space heaters, which are generally quite efficient, can be used safely indoors. However, these do often require a bit more set-up, with some requiring you to install vents through your wall or ceiling. This also means that they are permanently fixed in that location, making them a poor choice for those who want to move their heater from room to room.
If you are looking for a portable heater, a small electric heater is probably a better fit. While they can be more expensive than combustion heaters, they do not pose the same risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, and can be moved around from room to room. Some electric heaters work by blowing air over a heated coil, like in a hairdryer. These fan heaters heat up fast, but also cool down quickly, meaning that they have to stay switched on to provide heat. Others use a heat-transfer liquid to catch, retain, and slowly radiate heat from an inner heating element. One example of this type is an oil-filled radiator, which works slower but retains heat for longer. While heating the oil inside takes time, once the oil is heated, the radiator can be turned off while the stored heat slowly releases. Therefore, if you are looking for a fast heater to switch on and off quickly, a fan heater will work best, while those who prefer slower, more consistent heat release will probably prefer a heater with a heat-transfer liquid.
A heater that doubles as a dehumidifier is also an excellent option for many. If you find yourself having to open windows or doors to get rid of excess humidity—for example, after showering—you’re letting out valuable heat alongside the moisture. On top of this, water vapour in air acts as a kind of insulator, making it more resistant to changes in temperature. Dry air has less water vapour in it, meaning that it can heat up faster. Using a dehumidifying heater can help to remove excess moisture from the air, making it easier to heat up in the process.
If you’re looking for a quick fix, simply opening the curtains on big south facing windows can help. During the day, the sunlight coming through these windows will create a greenhouse effect, warming the air inside. After peak sunlight hours, simply close your curtains again to trap the heat inside! If your windows are very drafty, the warming effect might be outweighed by the cold air coming in, so you may want to keep them covered all day instead.
Heat Yourself, Not The Room
If all else fails, warming up your body will keep you content, even if your environment is cold. One easy way to do this is by filling a hot water bottle. While hot water bottles may not seem dangerous, you should exercise caution when using them. According to the National Library of Medicine, those with reduced sensitivity to heat, such as elders and those with diabetes, may not be able to tell when an area of the body has been in contact with a hot water bottle for too long. This can result in burns, which are both uncomfortable and potentially dangerous to your health. When using a hot water bottle, make sure to follow the general guidelines of use; these include using hot (but not boiling) water, moving the bottle to a new area of the body every 20 minutes, and keeping a cover or blanket between you and the bottle at all times. In addition to this, avoid sleeping with a hot water bottle—many hot water bottle burns happen while people are asleep. Instead of sleeping with the bottle, try placing the bottle in your bed a few minutes before going to sleep, then removing it before climbing in. This will warm up your sheets without posing any risk to your health.
If you tend to walk around the house throughout the day, a hot water bottle may not be very practical, as you will need to carry it around. Opting for a wearable blanket or dressing in thick, warm clothes instead can keep you nice and toasty, while also leaving you unencumbered. Materials such as wool, cashmere, and fleece are excellent for layering, and will help to trap your body heat. Adding a down jacket or vest can also help to retain your warmth.
Final Remarks
In this article, we have covered many strategies to keep your home warm and cozy this winter. While some are simple and don’t require a lot of physical strength, some—like putting up draft proofing over doorways—may be a bit challenging for you. This is not something to be ashamed of! In fact, asking friends or family members for help can be an excellent way to bring people together in your home, and create some lasting memories. Just put on some of your favourite tunes and get to work together! Trying to do everything yourself can result in serious injury, which can be especially detrimental for older adults, so don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
