How to keep warm when working from home

More people than ever before are working from home rather than going into an office. Even though many will have been forced into this change by the Covid-19 pandemic, this new of working could continue even after society and the economy has reopened.

In this article we look at how you can keep yourself warm while working from home. Staying warm should have a beneficial impact on your productivity so it's a matter well worth taking seriously.

Put on extra layers

Running your central heating all the time can get expensive, so a simple way to get around this is to put on extra layers.

Busting out your jumpers, cardigans and long sleeve t-shirts are a great way to build up layers without feeling too bulky and uncomfortable.

Putting on some thing football or merino wool socks will do a great job in keeping your feet and ankles warm - areas which typically get cold very quickly.

Don't forget to stand up and move around on a regular basis too. Sitting down in the cold for long periods of time without moving is terrible for your back, neck and hips, so be sure to remember to move.

Supply of hot drinks

It's amazing how much warmer we feel while drinking a nice hot drink. The steam, the internal warmth and the lovely feeling of clasping your hands around a hot mug all contribute to a contented feeling of warmth.

You don't have to over-caffeinate yourself by drinking endless cups of tea and coffee. Herbal and fruit teas, as well as old classics like hot chocolate can also provide that much-needed feeling of warm, beveragey goodness too.Why not consider changing it up and going for a non-alcoholic mulled wine as well?

Keep radiators clear

While you're working, maximise the heat output of your radiators by ensuring they're not blocked by furniture or overloaded with towels or clothing.

Even if it's not possible to rearrange your furniture to fully expose a radiator, just moving whatever's in front of your rad by a few inches will help more heat to circulate in the room.

Again if space allows, don't work in the same room as drying laundry, even if it's not hanging on your radiators or towel rails. This will create a cold humidity and won't help you feel comfortable or very productive.

Work in a small room

If space allows, then try and do your work in a small room, rather than a large open plan room. If the small room is upstairs then even better, as heat rises.

Getting a small room up to a comfortable temperature is usually quicker than a large room, plus closing the door means the room can retain heat for longer.

If the room you're working in gets up to temperature quickly, you're more likely to feel like getting on with your work than you would in a large, cold room.

Central heating maintenance

During cold spells, working from home means you're going to have the heating on much more than you would if you were going out to work.

If you're starting with a central heating system that isn't functioning properly then you're going to struggle to heat your home comfortably or efficiently.

Get a heating engineer to check your boiler and it's components to make sure all is working properly and to prevent any costly breakdowns. Bleeding your radiators of trapped air and ensuring your chemical inhibitor levels are topped up will help to prevent internal corrosion and the build up of radiator sludge.

Home Office Radiators

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