With the climate crisis and the rising cost of living, there’s a huge importance on looking for alternative and environmentally friendly ways to keep warm this winter.

Small changes in habits can make a big difference to help decrease your household’s impact on the environment. In the UK alone, heating and cooling rooms amounts to 37% of the country’s carbon emissions. Reducing the central heating you use in your home means a reduction in your monthly costs, and your carbon footprint.

Here’s a few quick interior additions you can easily bring to your home to help achieve a more environmentally friendly way to keep warm.

Blankets And Throws

A simple but effective method to staying warm is the trusty blanket. Opting for a designer throw or luxurious blanket can give you a lot of benefits from warmth to an added level of texture and design.

Throws are a great option, as they are easy to move from room to room. Meaning whether you feel the chill watching television or at night, you can use the same blanket rather than reaching for the thermostat.

Choose a style like this Cranbourne Check Tartan Throw from Laura Ashley for a blanket that offers style and warmth. 

a red tartan rug draped over a sofa for ways to keep warm this winter

Made from pure wool, this is a sustainable choice. Wool also holds incredible properties for insulating, making it a very warm option.

Shop all blankets and throws here

Hot Water Bottles

There’s nothing quite like the comfort and warmth that a hot water bottle offers. Opt for an iconic YuYu hot water bottle for a luxurious and environmentally friendly way to keep warm. We love this classic grey YuYu hot water bottle in a classic cashmere cover.

YuYu grey cashmere hot water bottle in a white cut out image

The YuYu hot water bottle is an eco and sustainable option, by offering direct heat versus heating a whole house. Plus, it needs less than a litre of water to be filled. Which uses up significantly less energy than central heating would.

The YuYu bottle cover is also made using a specific waffle design, trapping heat and keeping it warm for longer for up to several hours. Read about the other reasons you need a YuYu hot water bottle here.

More than just an economical choice, these luxury YuYu bottles are made in Sri Lanka using A grade rubber that is fair rubber certified. Making these a truly sustainable choice.

Shop luxury hot water bottles here.

Bedding

When it comes to the colder months, it’s often that on a cold winter’s night – your bed is your sanctuary. When those cold winds whip, it’s your warm and cosy bed that you’ll be thinking of.

So ensure it’s the warmest it can be by choosing your bedding carefully. Choosing thicker and more insulating fabrics can be an easy switch that’ll see you not needing an extra bit of heating for the night time.

Choose a bedding set that has a high thread count. Meaning the bedding is more tightly woven and therefore traps the heat in – helping to insulate. Cotton is similar to wool in that it helps to keep you warmer in the cooler weather and cool in the warmer weather.

We love this Lodden bedding set by Morris & Co in a Primrose print. In a cotton fabric with a thread count of 180, this is a stylish and environmentally friendly option to keeping warm this winter.

William Morris bedding in a modern and bright bedroom

Alternatively, opt for a brushed cotton for a soft and snuggly warm cotton choice. For a children’s bed or simply a more whimsical choice for you bedroom go for the classic Mr Fox brushed cotton bedding set.

Mr fox brushed cotton bedding in a bedroom as ways to keep warm this winter

Shop all bedding sets here.

Pillows and Duvets

Beyond a bedding set, a high-quality duvet and pillow set is a great investment to keeping warm in winter.

A tog rating is a measurement of how effectively a duvet insulates the heat, the higher the rating the more effective it is. Opting for a higher tog rating can mean that your night’s sleep will be much warmer, needing less input from heating.

Invest in a duvet like this supreme British duck down duvet, with a 100% cotton cover for perfect insulation.

A cut out image of a duck feather 13.5 tog duvet in its packaging

Duck down is a more environmentally friendly option versus the synthetic versions. Duck down is biodegradable so has less of a long term impact on the environment.

Match with the duck down pillows for a luxury and warmer sleep for the winter months.

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Dressing Gowns 

An instantly easy and effective way to keep warm in winter is to wrap up using a dressing gown. A dressing gown is a great way to keep warm while still being able to walk around, unlike with a blanket.

Investing in a luxurious style is a better and more environmentally friendly option, as it’s likely to last you longer and reduce excessive consumption.

Choose a style like this Abyss and Habidecor super pile dressing gown in a clean white shade.

A woman leaning against a wall wearing a thick pile fluffy white dressing gown

This style is made from 100% Egyptian cotton with exceptionally long fibres which means it’s sumptuously warm and cosy for winter time.

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Curtains

When it comes to being more environmentally friendly ways to keep warm, insulating your home is a logical step to ensure you don’t need to use excessive amounts of heating.

Windows lose around 18% of heat from a house, so insulating with curtains can mean you can keep a house or flat warmer and use less heat.

Choose a thick set of curtains that are fully lined to help insulate your home. Once again, this will also keep your home cooler when kept shut in the summer months, as well as keeping the heat in for the winter.

An option like these Escala lined curtains to offer your home a layer of warmth. This lined version will also help to block light out, giving you a better night’s sleep when used in bedrooms.

Dark grey lined curtains in a living room space

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Thoughts?

A few small investments and home accessory additions can mean your home will remain warmer in the cold winter months, to reduce the amount to spend on heating. Reducing the amount of heating you use can reduce your bills and your carbon footprint.

If you want more ideas of how to keep your home warm this winter, read our guide to winter rugs to help you save on energy bills here.

Let us know in the comments what additions you’ll be bringing into your home this winter!