Unless you’ve packed up and headed south for the winter, there’s eventually going to be cold weather coming your way. When British Columbia gets hit by winter storms, cold snaps and even polar vortexes, you want to keep yourself, your loved ones and your home safe.

Here’s a few things you can do to help keep your house, condo or townhouse warm over the colder months:

Winter prep checklist

• Add a humidifier to carry heat through your home
• Replace your furnace filter
• Weather strip your windows and doors and keep doors closed
• Block drafts under doors with door draft stoppers
• Seal wall holes and cracks with spray foam
• Cover cold floors with area rugs
• Insulate everywhere
• Reverse your ceiling fans
• Wrap yourself in sweaters and blankets!

Top tip: If you’re shopping for new sweaters, BCAA Members save 10% at RW&Co., and if you're searching for a new rug, BCAA Members save 5% at Bouclair.

Now your home is set for the colder temperatures ahead, here are some more creative tips to keep your home warm till the spring thaw.

Tackle the cold with these 6 smart winter hacks

Cook soups, stews and casseroles

Not only do piping hot, hearty meals warm you up from the inside, but they also need to cook for a long time, thereby slowly but surely warming up your living space.

Heat while you sleep

Everyone enjoys climbing into fresh bedding, but you may enjoy it even more during cold times if you switch the soft cotton for cozy flannel. Get your sheets from Linen Chest and BCAA Members earn 5% back in CAA Dollars®.

Move the couch and expose your radiator

Is your couch blocking the radiator or baseboard heaters? Then it’s blocking heat from getting into your room (and you). Move your sofa away from the radiator or baseboard heaters and your room will warm up fast. Of course, if you were using the couch to hide your radiator, you can always install a radiator cover to camouflage it while still allowing it to send you heat.

Release the ducts!

Is your area rug covering a heat register or air duct? Go through all your rooms to make sure all heat sources have space around them to let air flow freely (and let your furnace work more efficiently). Plus, if your radiator is attached to an outdoor wall, stick or pin-up aluminum foil behind the radiator. The foil’s reflective nature will stop heat from vanishing through your wall and will instead reflect it back into your room.

Get steamy

Every time you shower, leave the bathroom door open. The hot steam will travel throughout the house and can help reduce the dryness of winter air which is bad for your skin, hair, plants and wood flooring.

Let the sunshine in!

It might seem counterintuitive to open your windows to expose your home to the winter cold. But during sunny days, open your curtains and let the sunlight in. Even on winter’s coldest days, the sun rays will help warm your whole home.

5 little luxuries to heat you up

1. Everyone gets a hot water bottle!
   Not looking forward to climbing into a cold bed at night? Fill a hot water bottle and put it under your duvet at the foot of your bed. If your feet could talk, they’d gladly thank you. What’s more, BCAA Members earn 1% back in CAA Dollars at Walmart.
2. Buy a heated desk chair or seat cushion
   If you’re working from home, a heated desk chair will keep you warm and increase your circulation. Better yet, many heated chairs come with multiple massage functions to break up your workday and relieve any tension.
3. Install a towel warmer
   How many times have you stepped out of the warm shower and wished you had immediate relief from your chilly bathroom? A towel warmer will extend the warmth of your morning shower and dry your towels faster to keep them mildew-free. BCAA Members can earn 2% in CAA Dollars when they shop at Rona.
4. Get a thermal curtain or blinds
   On the days that aren’t sunny outside, thermal curtains and blinds can help seal in the heat by covering your cold windowpanes and drafts.
5. Install a programmable smart thermostat
   This one is a little more pricey but it’s a great way to keep the temperature no lower than 65 degrees (18.33 Celsius). You want to make sure your pipes don’t freeze and expand as this will cause their connecting faucets and pipes to freeze and burst. Install a small thermostat which will alert you to unusually low temperatures in your home which could save you from freezing pipes. Here are some options from The Source, where BCAA Members can save up to 20%.

Protect your winter fortress with home insurance

One of the best ways to keep warm and cozy this winter is by insuring your home against unexpected storms, freezing, floods and theft.

There are many ways to save on BCAA Home Insurance. You’ll save 5% when you buy online. Plus, BCAA Members automatically save an additional 10% on a BCAA Home Insurance policy and a further 1% (up to 10%) for every consecutive year you’ve had your home insurance with us.*

You’ll sleep soundly with BCAA Home Insurance. From 2019 to 2020, BCAA paid out on average 95% of home insurance claims related to fire, water, weather and theft.** Learn more at bcaa.com/home 

<sup>Home Insurance is sold through B.C.A.A. Holdings Ltd. dba BCAA Insurance Agency, a licensed insurance agency, and underwritten by BCAA Insurance Corporation.

*BCAA Member savings on insurance products are only available with Basic, Plus or Premier Membership plans. For full details, please visit bcaa.com/plans

**From 2019 to 2020, BCAA paid out on average 95% of home insurance claims related to fire, water, weather and theft. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.</sup>