The coldest part of winter might still be around the corner for many, but if you live more in the northern part of the U.S., winter has likely arrived. Still, if you’re waiting for temps to drop before you declare winter, don’t wait too long. If you wait too long, you could end up being unprepared.
Before too much time passes and you find yourself in the middle of a chilly winter, here are some tips to make this winter a little warmer.
- Do your winter supply shopping online
It’s much easier to shop for winter supplies online, especially when it’s already getting cold. Nobody really wants to scrape ice off their car just to drive to the nearest hardware store. Chances are, they’ll be out of something, which will necessitate several trips to different stores.
Thankfully, there are plenty of online shops where you can get all your winter heating supplies in one place. For instance, eFireplaceStore has a wide selection of fireplace and wood stove supplies as well as parts and in-depth guides.
You can get just about anything you need to heat your home with a wood stove, whether it runs on pellets, gas, or traditional split wood. You can even get a new stove with a catalytic converter to increase the efficiency of all that you burn.
- Split your wood before letting it season
If you’re someone who heats with a wood stove, make sure you split your wood before letting it season. There are a few reasons for this. First, splitting your wood to the exact size you’ll use means you won’t have to split it again when you want to use it in a fire. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to stand out in the cold splitting already-split wood in half for a few hours just to keep a fire going for the week.
Another reason you want to split your wood before letting it season is because wood seasons better and more completely when it’s been split and stacked. If you buy logs and cut them into rounds before splitting, or if you buy rounds to split, you’ve probably seen both advertised as “seasoned.” For example, “seasoned logs” and “seasoned rounds.” Neither are actually seasoned because the moisture content will be well above the 15-20% you need for burning.
Logs and rounds, no matter how long they sit around, will retain far more moisture than split wood. Logs and rounds with a lot of moisture can’t just be split and burned on the spot. Once split, they need to season and dry out a bit before they’ll be ready to burn.
If you use a good amount of firewood each winter, make sure you split your logs and rounds when you get them so you can stack the pieces and allow them to begin the process of drying out.
- Use your electric heater
If you want to stay warm this winter, don’t be afraid of your electric bill. Heat is something that is absolutely worth the cost. Without it, you’ll feel miserable. If you love feeling warm, use your electric heater this winter to stay nice and toasty. You don’t have to use one in every room or keep them going at all times. However, use your space heaters as you feel necessary to stay warm.
The best electric space heaters will produce infrared heat. Infrared heat is ideal because it’s the most efficient type of heat. It sticks to objects, your clothes, your skin, and it penetrates more deeply into the body. When heat penetrates your body, you’re going to stay warmer longer. Convection heat, on the other hand, only heats the space around you, which won’t make you feel as warm.
- Layer up
Staying warm in the house is easy, but what about going outside? The only way to stay warm outside is by layering up. Forget about cotton – layer up with a wool thermal base layer and add layers of fleece and finally a waterproof jacket if it’s raining or snowing.
Stay warm this winter
Unless you live in a place with year-round sun, you’ll need a plan for staying warm this winter. The best heat source is natural fire, but if you can’t burn wood in your home, then get yourself an electric space heater and don’t be afraid to use it to stay warm. For the look and feel of real wood, get a heater that looks like a fireplace so you can at least feel like you’re watching real flames dance.
Photo by Stéphane Juban on Unsplash
