How to Prepare Your Apartment for Cold Weather

Before the frost, nothing is impossible, and the heating season sometimes pauses, so on gloomy days we clearly feel: a draft is blowing through our legs. We check places where heat might leak from the apartment and do everything to retain it, saving money at the same time.

35%

of heat is lost

in apartments in multi-apartment buildings due to the lack of wall airtightness.

Over time, these losses also affect so-called monolithic buildings and brick or stone-built structures. Narrow rooms with a long side along an external wall cool down faster than more proportionally sized rooms.

18%

of heat loss

is caused by window and door openings.

Add more heat loss if your balcony is not glazed.

15%

of heat

is lost to ventilation.

This arithmetic explains where the sums for heating and electricity in your housing fees come from.

up to 25%

of heat

is lost through the roof.

Residents of first and last floors are in the most disadvantageous position.

10%

of heat loss

is caused by cold floors in apartments on the first floor.

The lower the first floor, the colder it will be in the apartment.

Insulating Doors and Windows

A few rules for doors: the seals must be new and fit tightly to the frame, and two doors are better than one. Gaps between the door frame and wall should ideally be insulated with construction foam, but that’s for future repairs. For a quick fix, insulating materials made of foam-based adhesives, soft tubes, and wedge-shaped strips help.

Double-glazed windows (with quality profiles, at least double-chambered with special glass coating) retain more heat than old wooden windows. Quality installation is also important: will there be gaps, and are the sealants of good quality? In autumn, window companies often offer discounts, which is great if you decide to glaze your balcony or loggia, even without internal thermal insulation — this can add several degrees inside the apartment.

Secure the hardware at the top edge of the window sash or contact the service department of the company that installed the windows and promised to carry out preventive maintenance under warranty. Remove mosquito nets from the windows, which also provide a gap of at least one millimeter. Check if the rubber seals have hardened: if they're too rigid, it's better to apply self-adhesive sealing tape around the opening frames from inside for winter. Check the integrity of the sealant between the window frame and internal sill (as well as the balcony threshold) and in the joints of plastic trim, if any. If necessary, use a silicone, waterproof sealant in a tube (white or transparent), remove old sealant and carefully go over the joints. If you feel a cool airflow under the sill, the sealant is also needed there.

Strengthening Walls and Floor

Check the baseboards, especially if you have laminate flooring and the baseboards are mounted on fasteners but not sealed with adhesive: remove them and insulate any inevitable gaps. Consider wall mats made of cork fabric, which are not only practical but also decorative. There are insulating wallpapers up to 4 mm thick and heat-reflective screens behind central heating radiators. Finally, there are always wall and floor rugs.

Heaters and Radiators

We already told you that old cast iron radiators must be serviced for free by the technical staff at your property management company before the heating season begins, upon your request. The tip above about heat-reflective screens made of foam plastic with foil on the wall applies to all types of radiators and is easy to implement.

By the way, dark-toned radiators, not white ones, emit more heat, and if this doesn’t violate the style of your living space, it might be worth considering a color change.

To maximize heat emission, the radiator should not be covered with curtains or furniture.

Electric heaters are good helpers in the off-season and cold weather, but you should also keep safety in mind. The most reliable are oil-filled radiators with adjustable settings and programmable shut-off, mobile units in various colors that match the interior.

Don’t forget about the air conditioner: many have a heating function. It’s important to remember that the temperature difference between the outside and inside should not exceed eight degrees, otherwise it’s unsafe to use the air conditioner. Since cold air collects near the floor, the vents should be directed downward when supplying air to warm up the room faster.

Rugs and Textiles

Tactile sensations of warmth are also important: who likes sitting on a cold surface? Cushions for chairs and armchairs and additional pillows will help.

For winter, choose thicker curtains with lining, as they more effectively block the cold. It’s even better to combine them with roller blinds or fabric blinds placed as close to the glass as possible, and during sunny winter days, they protect from the rays of the low-hanging sun. The more layers, the warmer.

Rugs on the floor can be layered on top of each other in an eastern style if they are different sizes. When hanging rugs on the walls, keep in mind modern trends for attachment (this is here): this way, the rug stays intact and the wall underneath is ventilated.

A few words about ventilation: it's usually on the kitchen, and it’s not possible to fully close it during winter. But you can replace the grille with a new one with adjustable openings.

After reducing drafts in your apartment, look into the entrance hall and talk to your neighbors: maybe it’s worth insulating the entrance door and windows too?