As the winter settles in everyone knows how uncomfortable a cold house can be – but how can you exist comfortably? Keeping a home warm in the winter takes a great amount of fuel or energy to keep the temperature at a comfortable range. Most would be happy if there house was around 70 degrees but the reality is that it can be expensive to heat up a house. Several things can make warming a house even more difficult including vaulted ceilings, older leaking windows and generally drafty doorways.

Aside from the economics of heating a house several issues can pop up, most notably the drying of the air which can cause havoc for those suffering with sensitive allergies. Your sinuses can become dried out and your skin very itchy as well as inflamed. Beyond the actual heating of your house there are several relatively low cost methods to stay warm inside a cold house.

The most obvious is to cover up – whether it is long sleeve pajamas or ankle length pants while you’re lounging. The simplest solution is to keep your feet and hands warm – this will trick your body into thinking you are warmer then it feels. Another solution is to minimize your heating systems output and turn the heating to a minimal level while you’re not in the house. If you have a programmable thermostat it is easy to set a schedule by day and times to activate when you want it. Since most people work during the day, you can program your thermostat to come down a couple degrees while you’re gone. This will also help you save some money. When you’re sleeping and confined to one room you can use a down comforter to keep you snug in bed and maintain your body temperatures.

When you’re not sleeping in a cold home and lounging there are other steps you can partake in to stay comfortable. While relaxing on a couch you can use a down throw or a down blanket to stay warm and snug. You can also make use of thick robes whether they are made with cotton or plush microfiber fabric. There many styles of plush novelty socks which come in all kinds of cute patterns and are made using a very silky feeling stretch microfiber.

Recently there has been a large number of warmth products designed for use on the couch that are basically robes worn in reverse. Pop culture has enjoyed a rash of competing products all designed with the same goal – to keep you warm on the couch while allowing easy mobility when needed – whether it be for reading or knitting or just plain old channel clicking.

The reason why down as a filling material works so well is that it helps to trap air which in turn keeps your ambient body temperature around you keeping you in comfort. This compares with woven blankets made with wool or polyester which require excessive layers to keep you warm. Down itself is light, airy and cloud like in its ability to keep you warm with little weight.