Winter is fast approaching, the air is much cooler and the nights are getting darker much sooner.

It is very tempting to put the heater on – after all, you only need to flick a switch, but needless to say this is not the only way to keep warm, there are other practical and low cost ways to keep warm. With energy bills rising even switching energy suppliers may not help much.

So, here are my top 7 money saving tips to help you keep warm and save some pennies this winter.

Heat the Most Used Rooms

Heating the whole house up even the rooms that are not being used is a waste of energy and money. Using a thermostat can help you keep your heating bills down, and your efficiency high. If you set the temperature between about 18-21 degrees in your main living room and about 16 degrees in the other rooms you use, can help you save costs and prevent you and your family from getting too cold or risk of falling ill.

 Drink Hot Beverages and Eat Hot Foods

What is better than having a cup of hot chocolate with melted marshmallows on top on a long cold winter day? Not a big fan of hot chocolate? What about a cup of tea or coffee? Drinking hot drinks can help warm your body up, or if you are feeling hungry, eating stews or having soup also help fight the cold off (it can be quite healthy too!)

Exercise 

Quick bursts of exercise can help heat your body up quite rapidly. Jumping and moving around with your family will keep your family fit and healthy (it can also be great fun too!) Save money by turning the heat down, go outside for a run or do something active like a game of football with your family, before you know it you will be glad to come back to a house that is not steaming hot! No time for exercise? Doing household chores can help you keep warm too! Some say having a tidy house can clear the mind, so doing housework could be a win-win situation for you – tidy house, less stress, not spending money and keeping warm!

Layer Up 

Wearing lots of layers can keep you really warm, start off with a thin vest or top and keep adding on more layers then top it off with a big jumper. Wear socks, and long sleeved tops and bottoms also helps if wearing a big jumper is too warm. At night, wear long sleeved pyjamas and thick socks (you will feel cosy and warm!)… still cold? Wear a scarf around your neck – it helps!

Keep Curtains Shut 

Once the sun goes down, shutting the curtains will give you two benefits. One advantage is, it prevents heat loss and the other advantage is, it helps block the coldness out like a barrier. If the location of your house is in a geographically cold area, consider investing in thermal curtains especially for the main rooms you use. Thermal curtains are thick fabric that provides high levels of insulation, which aids in preventing some of the warmth from escaping. They are not that expensive, but if you prefer to use what you have got at home, you may choose to use sheets or hang curtains over doors to add that extra bit of insulation for extra warmth at night.

Blankets, Quilts & Duvets

Doubling up two thin duvets inside one duvet cover can be a simple solution to keep you warm in bed. If you are in the living room feeling cold, grab a blanket, quilt or a fleeced throw to keep warm. You can invest in some reasonable priced ones from the high street. Covering yourself up with a blanket is cosy especially, when you are snuggled up watching a movie with family or friends.

Wood-burners & Fireplaces

Lighting a fire can be romantic and provide a lot of heat in the room. If your wood-burner or fireplace is what you use as your main source of heat and you use up a lot of quality firewood then you may consider using Firemizer. Firemizer has been proved by independent tests to reduce fuel consumption by up to a third, it is a great money saving device. Don’t use your fireplace enough? If you have an open fireplace which is unused it might be worth installing a chimney balloon to prevent heat loss, the savings on heating costs could be significant and if you change your mind, you can have it removed.

Remember: each individual have different heat senses, some people get warm quicker than others or some people feel the cold much easier than others. It is important to make sure you and your family are comfortable at the right temperatures.

These are just some of our tips for keeping warm. What are your tricks for keeping warm?

Text Santa is back! This year the Firemizer team will be partaking in the annual Christmas Jumper Day on the 18^th of December 2015 in aid of Save the Children, Macmillan Cancer Support and Make-A-Wish UK. Last year was a great success all members of staff put on their most festive Christmas jumpers on and had completely lifted the Christmas spirit up! This year we want to do the something even greater to raise money, we will be organising a Christmas Jumper Competition within the office on who’s got the most stylish snazzy Christmas Jumper on – what a fun way to raise money for the charities!

Text Santa will give hope to families all over the UK and overseas, remember, every penny you donate can help someone fight illnesses and get the help the children need.

Remember to check out our Festive Christmas Jumpers and find out how much we money we raised after the event! Stay tuned…

For more information about Christmas Jumper Day, please visit: http://www.itv.com/textsanta

So why not enjoy it for longer?

Don’t you just love staring into a glowing roaring fire when it is cold and wet outside? … I do, but there is one downside to having a real wood-burning fire! Some of you may agree and some may not but that is, there is nothing more of a nuisance then having to get up to keep refueling the fire to keep that roaring fire going… there I said it… as much as I love a great fire there is that annoyance. This of course, does not put me off starting a fire because sitting by the fire is just so relaxing; but surely there is a solution to this?

A few months ago, I came across Firemizer, a unique solid fuel saver that can save stove owners more than a third of their fuel? What’s this? For a small price I thought I could give it a try… what is there to lose?

I was thrilled to try this innovative product that I smiled from ear to ear when I received it. I read all of the instructions… instruction number 1: place the Firemizer at the bottom of your stove or on the grate… okay… instruction number 2: build your kindling and fire as normal… there I am still smiling while I was putting the kindling on top of the mesh… instruction number 3: light the fire… at this point I was getting all very excited to see what would happen! Once I got the fire going I stepped back a bit and waited for the stove to heat up. To my surprise at this moment in time, I could see all the logs burning evenly! Usually, the logs would just burn around the centre but not fully! It really was doing exactly what the packaging said it would do!

I decided to let the fire do its thing while I sat next to it with a book in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. This is just perfect! I noticed that I didn’t have to get up as frequently to refuel the fire as I did before (this means I can spend that time pouring more wine into my glass!) I am amazed by how one Firemizer mesh can last me one winter season and not only save me time but also a third of my firewood costs! This has definitely made my day… and will get me through the cold months ahead with a smile on my face!

There is a growing number of people using wood-burners in their own homes as their main source of heating, here are 3 advantages of a wood-burner:

Decorative and Provides Heat

One of the main benefits of a wood-burner is that it provides heat, but it can also be a remarkable decorative focal point in the centre of your home. When not in use during the summer season, just add a few plants around the wood-burner or a large vase next to it, to give it a sense of freshness and brightness to the area. If you are not a fan of plants, then consider putting up a painting above the stove so it will draw your visitor’s attention to the area. A decorated wood-burner will make the home feel warm and when lit, it makes the room even more inviting and a great place to socialise as many people like to gather by a warm fire with friends and family.

Eco-Friendly & Economical

Wood is a renewable resource and burning seasoned wood is carbon neutral, meaning wood burning stoves do not increase the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Although wood does release carbon dioxide when they are burned, it will then be absorbed and counterbalanced by the growing replacement trees.

Reliable

Another advantage of a wood-burner is that it works even without electricity… so this means you do not have to worry not being able to keep warm when there is a power cut or worry about increasing gas bills! Wood-burners are not dependent on electricity and they make a good reliable heating system, just ensure your wood-burning is installed correctly by a qualified stove installer and have your chimney swept regularly to prevent chimney fires.

We hope you enjoy all the benefits your wood-burning stove has to offer. We would love to hear the benefits of your stove… feel free to add your advantages below…

Autumn is finally here!

Did anyone attend the Autumn Fair last week at the NEC Arena in Birmingham, UK? We did! The Firemizer team got to see some of the biggest brands come together to showcase their upcoming seasonal products. There were so many amazing new products; we did not know where to look first!

The event allowed us to speak with buyers and traders about the innovative Firemizer, a great must-have seasonal item for all stove and fireplace owners who wish to save up to 38% of solid fuel costs (may I add!). We also had the opportunity to catch up with our existing stockists as well as a chance to introduce ourselves to new customers. Those who are curious about Firemizer, check out our website www.firemizer.com

Firemizer certainly has gained a lot of interest and no doubt this event was worth going to. We just cannot wait to attend again next year!

It is that time of year again, the weather is warm but not boiling hot, yet it is not cold enough to light a fire indoors either BUT just because it is not cold enough to light a fire indoors, does not mean you cannot light a chiminea or a fire outdoors. As tempting as it may be to go back inside the house when it is cold outside is a natural reaction, but there is a way to enjoy your summer outside for a bit longer (and a bit more bearable!). How? By using a chiminea or a fire pit! Both are often used as a patio heater; its primary use is to provide heat, keeping you warm outside. A great benefit is, it can be a good source of light in your garden. Top Tip! use Firemizer to ensure your fire gets hotter quicker, and last even longer!

Lighting a chiminea or a fire pit is similar to lighting a wood-burner or a fireplace. Here are our tips on how to light a chiminea:

Please note: You should keep children and animals at a safe distance when lighting a fire and you should never leave them unsupervised in front of a burning chiminea or fire pit.

Location

Where you want to put your chiminea is important, it is wise to choose a permanent position for your chiminea because once it has been used, it may crack when you move it. Cast iron chimineas are tremendously heavy so you want to avoid moving it each time you use it. Ensure the location of the chiminea gives enough heat to everyone who is gathered around it, but not too close as the fire from the chiminea may spit out of the top of the flue.

Top Tip: Make sure the chiminea is not placed too closely to anything that could easily melt or burn as the chiminea can get very hot and avoid anything flammable from the chiminea!

Advice: Ensure your chiminea is placed on a flat leveled stable base to avoid the chiminea from tipping over.

Pour Sand or Gravel

To keep the smoke blowing out from the top, pour about 4 inches of sand and gravel inside your chiminea.

Use Seasoned Logs

Lay a couple of dry, seasoned, split firewood inside the chiminea. Burning seasoned logs have many benefits but the two main reasons are: they burn better and get hotter. It is wise to look out for logs that has a 2-3 burn time, once you have the logs in place and before you lay the firewood inside, you may want to consider using a Firemizer if you want an even longer burn time.

Scrunched-up Newspaper

Between the pieces of firewood, fill in the gaps with some scrunched-up newspapers.

Top Tip: You may wish to add a block of solid paraffin firelighter but only the type you would use to start an open fire or a charcoal barbecue. DO NOT use liquid fuel such as petrol or lighter fuel to start your fire, it is not safe to do so!

Kindling

Add some dry kindling such as sticks or twigs on top of the newspaper. Alternatively you can use Firemizer’s all in one firelighter and kindling called Firebulder! all you have to do is light the product and you can add your fuel straight away!

Lighting the Kindling

Using a butane grill lighter or a long fireplace match, start to carefully light the newspaper and/or firelighter.  Once the newspaper and kindling are lit, carefully add another handful of kindling into the chiminea. You will begin to notice the fire is burning with more intensity.

Advice: Take extra precaution when lighting the chiminea, make sure children and pets are kept at a safe distance.

Add More Logs

Almost immediately, the kindling will ignite the fire logs and you will soon begin to feel the chiminea generating heat. Once the kindling has gone, carefully add a few more fire logs into the chiminea. By this point, the fire should be burning fully inside the chiminea.

Glowing Embers

Finally, at this stage look out for glowing embers inside your chiminea. What you want to avoid is a roaring fire because that indicates your fire is sucking in cold air, meaning your fire will not burn as hot and you will need to use more logs to keep the fire going. What you want is the embers to reach a white hot stage so that it omits more radiant heat. To ensure your chiminea is burning consistently, prepare to top up with more fire logs to ensure the fire stays burning.

Enjoy!

If you follow the instructions above accordingly, you will not only ensure you and your guests have a brilliant time enjoying the heat outdoors, but you have also learnt how to light a chiminea safely.

This is our advice on how to safely light a chiminea. If you wish to act upon any of the information given you should do so at your own risk. We will accept no liability or claims from the activities arising from the information set out in these web pages.

We would love to hear how you got on… please write your experiences below!

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