As a sizable chunk of the time we spend in our homes is spent in the land of nod or our bedrooms, reducing the energy our homes use during these hours is key to reducing our total energy use. Your home could be kitted out with every energy saving mod-con available, but if it refuses to go to sleep when you do, it is wasting vital energy.

Image via: The Anderson Studio of Architecture & Design

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Ceiling fans may be your answer

During the winter months, I have been guilty of leaving my heating on overnight, like many people, I’m unable to sleep if there is the slightest bit of chill. I’m not sure what the weather is like where you’re reading this from but, here in the U.K, there is still snow on the ground as we enter April, playing havoc with all our energy bills! While keeping the heat on a low setting seemed like the responsible thing to do, the room temperature come morning made it impossible for me to escape my 13 tog duvet.

The answer to my problems came from the most unlikely of places, the ceiling fan. Using more energy to power something designed to keep the room cold may seem odd, but it’s not as ridiculous as it sounds.

As you may already know, fans in the summertime can be more of an irritation than anything else. Yes, they may offer a refreshing breeze in your face, but they have an annoying tendency to just waft hot air all around the room. It’s time to put this irritation to good use in the winter.

Image via: Steve Passmore 

As you will certainly know, heat from the radiators rises, that’s why we install loft insulation to trap it in. This process means that the hot air in your bedroom is most likely to be found hanging around by the ceiling. By replacing your bed with a bunk, you can spend the night basking in warm air, however, if you are above the age of twelve, you may not like the idea of this.

Most ceiling fans have a function that allows them to spin two ways. If you have one, set it to spin downwards at a slow speed. This will help recirculate the warm air around the room, making your heating system far more efficient, allowing you to leave it on a lower setting. I now wake up to a room which is warm and inviting, although vacating my 13 tog duvet is still an uphill struggle.

Joe is a blogger who writes about property, interior design and green living for Force 8.

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