I’m fed up with coming home to an icy hallway – these are the 5 things I’m doing right now to warm it up

As a whole, my house is pretty chilly – a combination of it being built more than 100 years ago, original windows and doors and, I'm a little ashamed to admit, a lack of substantial insulation and draught proofing measures.

That said, not all the rooms feel as artic as one another – while the newer sections, such as the kitchen extension and my son's bedroom, feel pretty toasty most of the time, other spaces can become almost uninhabitable when outside temperatures drop – the entrance hallway being one of them.

This really bugs me – after all, this is the space that should set the tone for the rest of the house, somewhere to welcome in guests and to look forward to returning to. A few weeks ago I finally got round to draught-proofing the front door but I am keen to put further measures in place before the cold really begins to creep in. I asked the experts for their advice on the matter – here, I share their top tips.

1. Detect and deal with each and every draught

Having lived in this house for around 13 years now, it was only a couple of weeks ago that we finally got around to upping our draught-proofing game by addressing the very ill-fitting original front door. We added a letterbox cover, a brush seal to the bottom of the door, a pretty brass escutcheon and some weatherstripping.

It is too early to tell how much of a difference this will make but, according to Martyn Fowler, founder of Elite Renewables, we have made a strong start and he advises other homeowners to begin in the same place we did. 'The front door is always the first place I check for draughts. Run your hand around the frame, underneath the door and around the letterbox. You can normally feel where the cold air is getting in. Worn weatherstripping or an unsealed letterbox are simple fixes – just don’t block any ventilation that is there intentionally.'

Georges Cornah, owner of Warm4Less, has a couple of additional tips when it comes to draught-proofing the space. 'Laying a draught excluder at the bottom of the door will catch whatever draughts are left and you can buy these very cheaply. It’s also worth checking understairs cupboards – they can be a source of draughts that get forgotten about.'

Shop draught-proofing essentials

Martyn Fowler

Founder of Elite Renewables, Martyn Fowler is one of the UK's leading renewable technology experts, working with heat pumps for the last 2 decades. His passion for decarbonisation matched with a deep technical experience of the technology make him one of the industry's go-to experts for all things renewable.

Georges Cornah

Georges Cornah is an infrared heating specialist and Managing Director of Warm4Less, a leading UK supplier of infrared heating solutions. Since taking the helm in 2014, Georges has played a key role in growing the business, combining technical understanding with a sharp focus on practical, real-world performance.

2. Switch the cold stone floor for something else

While the hallway flooring we chose is fairly practical, it is utterly freezing underfoot. The slate tiles are easy to clean and have proved really durable, and using dark grout was a smart move as it never seems to show signs of wear, unlike the pale grout we have used other rooms. All of that said, if I were choosing new hallway flooring, I think I'd definitely go for something more comfortable and snug.

'Your flooring definitely changes how warm the hallway feels underfoot,' picks up Martyn Fowler. 'People always notice their feet getting cold first. Tile and stone flooring can feel very cold in winter. If you’ve already got a hard floor, I wouldn’t necessarily replace it just for this. A good runner can make the space feel warmer without a major flooring job.'

Patrick Garner, a gas safe engineer at Heatable, suggests that in some cases swapping stone for something soft can be a wise move, although for maximum benefit, he also recommends upgrading floor insulation – something on my to-do list for when we remodel the hall next year. 'Adding carpet and a good underlay can really help, particularly when compared to tile or bare timber flooring, but if you’re really losing heat, adding insulation beneath a floor can make a bigger difference in older homes.'

Patrick Garner

Patrick is a seasoned Gas Safe certified engineer and the dedicated leader of the heating system installations team at Heatable, with extensive experience in boilers, heat pumps, and home energy solutions.

3. Address the poorly-sized and badly-positioned radiators

The only source of heat in our hallway is the column radiator, which sits behind the row of hooks that holds a mountain of coats and jackets that someone really needs to sort through. Lack of proper hallway storage aside, what this means is that absolutely no heat manages to get from the radiator into the hallway – although the coats at the bottom of the mound are nice and toasty when you put them on.

Add to that the fact that the radiator stopped heating up at the end of last winter (we think due to a thermostat that needs replacing) and it is clear that we need to address the hallway heating pretty soon. I had been thinking about using an electric heater to supplement things but, having spoken to Martyn Fowler, I'm not sure that this is the best idea. 'If there’s already a radiator in the hallway I’d start there rather than adding another heater. Make sure it’s heating properly and that it isn’t boxed in or hidden behind furniture.

'Electric heaters wouldn’t be my first choice for an entrance hallway,' continues Martyn. 'You’re using relatively expensive electricity to heat a space that loses warmth every time somebody opens the front door. I’d spend that money on stopping the draughts first. If the hallway still needs more heat after that, then you can look at the heating properly.'

4. Consider adding a porch or lobby

For some time now we have been looking a some more substantial front porch ideas for our house to replace the open design we currently have. While the existing porch is original to the house, the idea of an enclosed style structure, perhaps oak-framed, really appeals and would add another layer of protection between inside and out too.

'A porch can work really well because you’re basically creating an airlock between the house and outside,' picks up Martyn Fowler. 'When you open the outer door, you’re not immediately letting cold outside air into the main hallway.'

That said, this is a far greater undertaking (and cost) than some of the cheaper upgrades to keep the house warm in winter that I've been looking into – something Martyn is keen to point out to others. 'I wouldn’t build a porch purely because the hallway feels draughty. Check the existing front door, seals and insulation first. There’s usually a much simpler problem that can be fixed for a fraction of the cost.'

5. Install thermal curtains and blinds

And, finally, this is yet another job I have been meaning to get around to doing but haven't just yet – installing thermal curtains inside the front door, and fitting a lined blind to the hallway window.

When we bought the house it had been changed very little since it was built and there was a thick, heavy velvet curtain at the front door which was deemed 'creepy' by the children and was quickly taken down – after which it quickly became apparent how big a role it was playing in keeping out draughts.

While I had always thought of this as a rather old fashioned idea, having had a look at the thermal window treatment ideas on offer I am now quite excited about how it could add a really cosy vibe to the hallway decor as a whole.

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FAQs

Is it worth using an electric heater in a cold hallway?

It seems that the answer to this very much depends on the hallway in question, as well as the type of electric heaters you are considering.

On the one hand, in hallways like mine, with no porch, little insulation and where the staircase leads directly off to the second storey, there is often little benefit to traditional fan heaters, as Patrick Garner explains. 'I wouldn’t recommend using a portable electric heater, as it will cost you more in the long term.'

However, Georges Cornah says that infrared heaters can be a wise investment. 'Hallways are a tricky part of the house to heat because you pass through rather than sit in them, and every time you open the front door, the warmth rushes out.

'Infrared heaters are brilliant for hallways. They heat objects instead of a big volume of air that gets lost through draughts like traditional convection heating,' explains Georges. 'Infrared heat warms the walls, the floors, furniture, and people. It works exactly like the sun – even though the air might be cold, the sun still feels warm on your face. Another benefit is that you can install infrared heaters on the ceiling to maximise wall space in what can often be a narrow part of your home.'

If you are really keen to delay turning on your heating this winter yet don't want to be left shivering, there are plenty of ways of keeping a house warm without central heating to try out before flicking the on switch.