Avoid sky-high heating bills this winter by following these quick and easy home hacks that promise to help keep you warm and snug in your home over the coming weeks
Winter is on the way, and there’s a definite chill in the air. The temptation right now is to reach for the thermostat and turn the heating up – but that can lead to nasty shock when the energy bill arrives.
Thankfully, there are some top tips to help you stay warm without breaking the back, and with just a few simple adjustments, you can stay cosy and reduce your financial outgoings.
Perhaps most importantly, it’s key to properly retain the heat you do have in your house. One handy tip is to use your curtains strategically to trap the warmth in; open them during the day to let sunlight in and warm your home and close them as soon as evening sets it.
You should also make sure you block any drafts. Use weather stripping on doors and windows or install draft stoppers, or – for a DIY solution – simply stuff old socks with rice or beans instead to create draft snakes for the bottom of doors. Experts also advise ensuing caulk or seal small gaps around pipes and window frames.
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Your furniture placement is also key. Rearrange sofas and chairs to avoid blocking radiators and move large items away from external walls, as these can also block heat circulation.
If you have an open fireplace, use that to heat a room – but if not, consider blocking off the fireplace to prevent heat from escaping through the chimney.
Also try to keep doors closed in rooms you aren’t using to keep the heat concentrated in the areas you’re in and maximise your radiators by bleeding them to release trapped air. You could also consider installing reflective panels behind them to direct heat back into the room.
There is one key mistake that many homeowners make during the winter seasons – and avoiding it could save you even more cash. While tempting, it’s key not to turn up the dial on your thermostat too high in the hope of warming up a room faster – a habit that wastes energy without making your home warmer.
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“When it’s cold, many of us will boost the thermostat, thinking it will heat our home faster. However, this isn’t the case,” Ryan Willdig, heating specialist at Heatforce, told the Independent. “Each degree above 19–20°C can add around 10 per cent to annual heating costs.”
To heat a room efficiently, it’s advised to set your thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature, usually 18-21°C (64-70°F), and allow it to maintain that temperature. Another top tip is to pay attention to the dials on your radiators. Last week, Which? posted a video on its TikTok account explaining how Brits could knock some money off their heating bills
The experts said: “Don’t have this dial higher than three. Unless it’s the room where your thermostat is. Whacking your thermostatic radiator valve up to five opens the valve to the max, letting loads of hot water into the radiator when your heating is on.
“That’s great when it’s a room you want to heat quickly, like the living room, especially if that’s where your main thermostat is. But if you have every radiator set to five, your heating bills could be higher than they need to be.
“In bedrooms you should keep the dial between two and three. This will keep the room temp between 15 and 20 degrees, which is comfortable and could save you money.”
