Winter is coming and my apartment is cold

My apartment gets cold in the winter. Last winter it got as low as 17 degrees and it mostly hovered around 18 (64 for all you Fahrenheit users). This is far to low to be comfortable so last year I called my landlord about it. They came and checked but since all the radiators are working there's not much they can do and they left again. The reason, I suspect, is a lack of insulation in one of the walls. On google maps it looks like there used to be another house against mine that has been removed. Meaning the wall there is an internal one acting as an external one. This also happens to be the longest wall in my apartment stretching over three different rooms. To make matters worse I get cold easily.

Here I will explain some of the things I have/will do to solve this problem and hopefully give you some inspiration if you happens to be in a similar situation.

Catbed

First thing first. I have to make sure my cats has a warm place to nap. This is rather simple since one of them decided a few years ago that the carrier is her bed. Anyone who has ever tried to put a cat in a carrier will know this for the blessing it is and I don't want to discourage this. So once summer ended I put it next to the radiator and then placed a flat catbed in top of it for the other cat. This will give both warmth. Unfortunately it looks ugly so a cover will have to be constructed. However this will be a post for a later time. This is a larger part of making better use of my heat sources. Last winter I moved my kitchen chair so it was closer to the radiator. 

Prevent heat loss

This is really the key to a comfortable living space. It doesn't matter how much warmth your radiators produce if it just goes straight outside. A common tip is to use thick curtains to stop draft from windows and doors. However I wont be doing that my windows are all modern I can't actually sense any draft. I will therefore keep the curtains I have prioritizing not blocking the radiator and letting in what sunlight there is. 

The wall on the other hand is a problem. But just to be sure I bought an Infra red thermometer to get quick readings of the different parts of my apartment to see where the biggest problems are. Each morning for seven days I measured my bedroom wall and two places on my living room wall. The three places were mostly the same with only a 0.1 degree different. But I can say the problem wall was almost one degree colder than the other walls.

I said the wall stretches over three rooms namely the entryway the living room and the bedroom. The entryway is the first of them but here that wall is mostly covered by wardrobes so not as big an issue. However getting some boxes to go on top of the wardrobes would plug the gap between them and the ceiling. I don't think this will do much but every bit helps and I'd rather have them here than in the attic.

So far I have only put one box up there, filled with my summer clothes, but it lets me test it's efficacy. When I measured the back wall was 19 degrees. The edge of the wardrobe on the part covered is half a degree warmer than the same spot on the uncovered wardrobe. This is more difference than I had hoped for and I will keep filling the space up. 

For the bedroom and living room this wouldn't work so here I'm taking a page out of history. Tapestries were used to not only look nice but also provide insulation during winter. It's like a blanket for your walls. It's also the renter friendly alternative to anyone who wants a mural.I did a small test before I did anything too involved. I have a painting on this wall and measuring the temperature on the painting, behind it and beside it there is definitely a difference. I am going to have to move that painting though.

This is technically a tablecloth but I bought it last year to stop drafts from my door. Only to realize it's not the door that's the problem, instead it will be given a new home on the wall. Unfortunately it's not very thick but every little bit helps. If it's insufficient I'll just have to change it for next year.

 For this I sewed a channel for the curtain rod. Then did a bunch of measuring, both the cloth and the wall to get it centered how I likes it. Before getting the tall ladder from the attic moving the furniture away and putting up the adhesive hangers. It's similar to command strips but a different brand that I like better. I feel command over-promises their carrying capacity. 

Since my cat pulled it down half a year ago it's been showed in the back of the my closet so before I hung it I took the time to iron it. Let's face it if I don't do it now it will never happen. 

Hanging it was fairly straight forward. I'd chosen to center it to the wall which means it looked pd with the bed pushed up to the wall. I've moved it for now and I'll see how I liked it. I might lower it a bit but that's for later. 

Measuring the temperature the next morning and I can rapport that the cloth is half a degree warmer than the wall. Eagle eyed readers will note the extra blanket on the bed. It does make a differences and I have blankets on every chair I sit in.

For the living room I plan to make a new tapestry. But that deserves its own post. Also it will be a project for next year. 

Heat sources

When I write this it's mid September. Outside the temperature has been falling and it's in that awkward state where you need a coat and gloves in the morning and just a thin sweater in the afternoon. However the low temperatures at night still means that it's cold indoors. 19 degrees according to the thermometer on my nightstand. So I contacted my landlord asking them to turn on the radiators. They answered that the radiators are controlled by a thermostat and that they can't turn them on or off. This was not the answer I wanted but it does give me some important information. Since the thermostat is by the radiators it mean that whatever heat sources I want to add should be placed as far from the radiators as possible. I don't want the heat I add to turn them off.

So apparently I'm getting radiators which annoys me. I already pay for heating as part of my rent and I feel like I shouldn't have to pay for the electricity too. Now, I won't say I'd never needlessly suffer to make a point but in this case it will hurt me far more than them (I'll still inform my landlord about the temperature just because). So radiators and with some app controlled sockets I can time it for when electricity is the cheapest. However it turned out the socket I bought requires you to by a hub too. A hub that's far more expensive than I want to pay for a thing meant to save me money. So I'll be using one of the manual timers I already have and a space heater. We'll see how long I'll bother reprogramming it.

Clothes

Putting on a a sweater is a tried and true advice when it comes to temperature. I'm of course going to o that but since I already have several sweaters there isn't much to do. However along with sweaters I would recommend long woolen skirts. 

An advice I have read in a lot of places is Uniqlo Heat tech. Last winter I bought two of differing thickness and honestly they are... fine. One of them is a bit tight in a way that shows of my ribs more than I want but they are just one layer and I will wear a sweater on top. Any claims that they are as warm as a sweater is a lie and I don't really understand the idea that the fabric turns sweat into heat, or rather when you are cold you sweat less so it doesn't seem like it would do much.

What I am going to do though is finish my cape. It has been half done for a while (several years) but I want to wear it when I sit at my laptop to prevent my shoulders from getting cold and stiff. The post where I did this is here.

Last but not least indoor slippers. I started to make a pair last year but before I was done I got a pair for Christmas. These I wore everyday until they were worn out. Now I have the dilemma should I buy new (better quality ones) or finish the ones I started. Bearing in mind that I don't have enough material to finish them like they are and that I might have made them too small I would more likely just re do them. I will mull over this for a while longer and in the mean time I'll just use my thick socks.

Habits

Since I'll be home during the day studying I'll have opportunity to do things differently. One of these things I can do is that rather than buying bread I'll bake it. Letting all that nice warm oven air out into the apartment. I haven't done the math on this but I suspect that the money I save from making my own bread will offset the added cost to my electricity bill. Also fresh baked bread is nice.

The second thing is regularly blow drying my hair. Partially to again add heat but mostly to not cool myself down by walking around with wet hair letting it air dry. 

And lastly pray to the old gods and the new for a mild winter. This has gotten me thinking though. The plan with this apartment was to live her for two years, see if I liked the neighborhood and then buy a condo. However one of the reasons it's cold is that my apartment is old perhaps when I move the temperature is something I should keep track of. Perhaps I should prioritize showings in the winter and bring a thermometer.

What are you best tips for staying warm in the winter leave a comment down below.