![\"Senior](\"https:\/\/www.juddbuilders.com\/juddbuildersblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Cozy-Home.jpg\")
<\/a>As the temperature drops, so too does your tolerance for outdoor activities. This means you\u2019re spending more and more time in your home, bundled up under blankets watching movies, working on your laptop, cooking comfort foods, and drinking hot chocolate. There\u2019s a lot more to keeping your home warm than just jacking up the heat. Here are a few ways to stay cozy in your new home.<\/p>\nOpen the Drapes<\/strong><\/p>\n On sunny days, open those curtains, drapes and blinds wide to let in the natural warmth of the sun. Close them again as night falls to lock in that extra heat.<\/p>\n Switch Your Fan Direction<\/strong><\/p>\n Switch your ceiling fans so they are going in a clockwise motion to push the rising warm air down. This could help you save up to 10 percent on your home heating bills.<\/p>\n Seal Drafts<\/strong><\/p>\n Your windows and doors are likely leaking precious energy, so use rolled-up towels under your doors and caulk around your windows to keep those drafts at bay.<\/p>\n Invest in a Smart Thermostat<\/strong><\/p>\n Program and control your thermostat remotely from the device of your choosing to start up your heat when you\u2019re on your way home from work, for example. This will ensure it\u2019s nice and toasty by the time you arrive. Turn it down at night to save energy and load up with blankets instead.<\/p>\n Light a Fire<\/strong><\/p>\n Not only can fires be cozy and romantic, they can heat up your living room with a natural glow. If you spend a lot of time in your living room in the winter, you can turn down the heat in other rooms and take advantage of the crackling fire as you watch TV, write out Christmas cards, play games or work. In the same vein, close doors and vents to rooms you hardly ever use, such as guest and craft rooms. No sense in heating those rooms if you don\u2019t use them.<\/p>\n Make a Simmer Pot<\/strong><\/p>\n A surefire way to make your home smell cozy and warm just in time for the holidays is to make a simmer pot of your favorite scents. Bring water to boil in a small sauce pan and fill with cinnamon sticks, apple peels, orange rinds and whole cloves. Turn heat down and simmer, adding water every half hour as it depletes. Try this natural alternative to candles that will save you money.<\/p>\n Warm Things Up<\/strong><\/p>\n Rather than crank the heat up another few degrees, have lots of throw pillows and blankets draped on your chairs and couches so it\u2019s easy to bundle up. Keep slippers handy \u2013 even a few pairs for when guests come over \u2013 to keep those toes warm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As the temperature drops, so too does your tolerance for outdoor activities. This means you\u2019re spending more and more time in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[24,34,29,31],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juddbuilders.com\/juddbuildersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/946"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juddbuilders.com\/juddbuildersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juddbuilders.com\/juddbuildersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juddbuilders.com\/juddbuildersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juddbuilders.com\/juddbuildersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=946"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.juddbuilders.com\/juddbuildersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":964,"href":"https:\/\/www.juddbuilders.com\/juddbuildersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/946\/revisions\/964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juddbuilders.com\/juddbuildersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juddbuilders.com\/juddbuildersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juddbuilders.com\/juddbuildersblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}