Thanksgiving is upon us and as the leaves turn orange and fall, so does the temperature (...right?) This summer ran a bit long but alas, it’s finally sweater weather! That means wearing your favorite coat on a night out, and a cup of coffee or cocoa, sharing a pot of hot stew with your friends and family, or simply sitting in front of your fireplace.

When you’re indoors, there may be days when a fireplace alone may not be enough to heat up your home. Even your heater may not be strong enough! What can you do to improve your warmth and comfort? We have a few home solutions which we’ll list from the most affordable to the premium options.

Use Your Curtains (Utilize the Sun)

Open your curtains when the sun is out to take advantage of the free heat. Letting sunlight into your home will naturally warm it up so if you ever leave your house, opening your curtains will let you enjoy the warmth of the sun when you come back. If you’d rather keep your curtains shut, you may use transparent shower curtains over your windows that receive sunlight while still getting privacy.

At night, you will definitely want to keep your curtains shut to block heavy drafts of air from breezing in. It also acts as another layer of insulation which keeps the warmth in and the cold out. Make sure there are no leaks or gaps in your windows as well.

Close Off Bottom Gaps in Doors

If your doors or windows have gaps in the bottom, any heat that’s generated in your room can escape leaving your room cold and discomforting. Using a draught excluder blocks those gaps and cracks that create drafts to eliminate cold draught and mitigate heat loss. You can make your own draught excluder using fine gravel, sand, beanbag balls, or rice as the stuffing, or purchase one. Either way, draught-proofing can go a long way in retaining heat in your home.

Install a Register Booster Fan

Whether it’s old, has malfunctioning parts or you just want a stronger output, your current whole house HVAC system may not be strong enough to heat up your home. In these occasions, a register booster fan is the push you’ll need for adequate airflow. Set in your existing register, it begins running when it detects the airflow crossing a temperature threshold. This enhances the output of your HVAC system and spreads the heat out faster to improve the warmth of your home. Use a register booster fan to replace your simple air vent grid with an advanced airflow boosting system.

Install or Upgrade Your Fireplace Blower Fan

Some fireplaces have a small slot below them where a blower fan is installed. Air is sucked into this space, blown up through the fireplace and out a ventilation grid above it to act as a heater fan. Installing a fireplace blower fan is another way to give your existing heating the slight push it needs to enhance your warmth while letting you enjoy the fireplace aesthetic. Replacing your old fireplace fan will give you proper warmth for many winters to come without the need to maintain it.

Replace Your Boiler

Over time your house’s boiler will show signs of breaking down including higher fuel bills, leaks, needing frequent repairs, and yellow flames. Energystar.gov recommends replacing your boiler if it is over 15 years old, but if you see any of the signs listed above you may need to do so earlier. Most new boilers cost about $1500 or more, but they are a vital part of your home so you should not skimp on it.

Apply Insulation

While all homes are insulated, many older houses’ insulation is not as effective as they once were. Any house that is more than 10 years old may not be up to today’s standards that the U.S. Department of Energy has come up with. A few indicators of your insulation’s effectiveness is if your home heats up quickly in the summertime or gets too cold in the wintertime. Other signs include large ice dams hanging over eaves.

Reinsulating your home is by no means cheap, but the energy bill savings add up when you don’t need to use your air conditioning or heater as often or as long. In most cases, you only need to reinsulate your home once and the old insulation doesn’t need to be removed. So while a project ranges from $1500 to $5000, it is very cost effective and pays for itself over time. Hire an insulation professional for a consultation if you believe you need to install new insulation.