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

tortoise

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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?
 

Hinotori

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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
 

Britesea

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I ordered a whole leather hide during the summer because it will just fit over the queen bed. It goes over the blankets to keep all the warm air in.
One year, DH bought me a reindeer hide for Christmas. Instead of wrapping it, he waited until I was asleep and draped it over me in bed. That night, I kept dreaming I was in really hot places, like Death Valley. I finally woke up enough to try to push blankets off, and my hands encountered the fur; what a shock! DH had been sleeping lightly because he wanted to see my reaction, lol.
 

Britesea

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we use propane here for heating during the winter. 68F during the day, 63F at night. i would keep it several degrees cooler but Mom feels the cold a lot more now so we've gradually been bumping it up over the past several years. when she was away being a nanny i could isolate my room and keep the rest of the house at 55F all day without any problems but that doesn't work now. as you acclimate you can lower the temperature but also wearing more layers and a hat will make you plenty warm enough. i was normally fine at 60F as long as it wasn't too damp outside.

caulking cracks and spray foaming gaps (and then caulking and staining over those to make it all match) is worth the time and effort - even a small crack can lose a lot of heat (or cost more for AC during the summer).
Used to be an old saying "If your feet are cold, put on a hat"
 

baymule

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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.
 

Hinotori

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I wear a flannel shirt over a t shirt. Then I put on a jacket if needed. I do acclimatize myself to the cold. No jacket needed unless we drop into the 30s. 70° is almost too warm for me right now.

I know, enjoy the ability while I can. Mom used to not have issues with cold but she does now
 
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