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By Jasmine Birtles, financial expert from Moneymagpie.com
The recent deep freeze that Britain experienced was the coldest since the 1980’s, and the weathermen say it might not be over yet. If you dread watching your energy bills rise as the temperature plummets, read on – here are some easy tips for keeping your house warm, and your bills down, on the cheap.
DIY Quick Fixes:
Tin foil behind the radiators
Sticking some tin foil behind your radiators will make them heat your room more efficiently and allow you to turn the radiators down a bit. Simply attach the foil to the wall using sticky tape or wallpaper glue, and make sure the shiny side is as close to the radiator as possible.
This works by reflecting heat back into the room rather than letting it escape through the walls. You can pick up some specially designed radiator foil from Wickes for £13.48, but good-quality kitchen foil will work almost as well.
Thermal curtains
Another option is to buy ready-made thermal curtains – but with this you have a limited choice of colours and fabrics. Also the cheap ones often look it, while the expensive ones can cost over £100 in some stores.
It’s pretty easy to make your own thermal curtains though – by simply lining your curtains with an insulating material you can dramatically reduce heat loss.
You can get thermal curtain lining which can reduce heat loss by as much as 25% – have a look at the ones from Marshall Ward which start from just £12. Alternatively, you could easily make your own using cheap fleece or a PVC shower curtain with some lining sewn over the top.
For added insulation you can replace the shower curtain with foil insulation (again available from Wickes). If you’re not much of a sewing whizz, pick up some fabric glue and fix the fabrics together that way.
Insulate your windows, doors and floors
Check the draughts around your house. Loads of cold air comes in under the doors and through the letter box, floorboards, cat flaps, and window cracks.
You can find out where the draughts are in your house by lighting a candle and placing it near your windows and doors. If the candle flame starts to dance around like crazy then you know you’ve got a draught!
By using draught excluder seal around your windows and doors, you can eliminate chilly draughts running through your home. It’s really easy to install and makes a surprisingly big difference.
Insulate your fireplace
Whatever you do – don’t try this if you actually use your chimney. If you don’t use your fireplace, all you need to do is stuff the opening in your room with newspaper or cardboard to stop draughts from creeping in.
If you do have an open fire during the winter months, there’s an easier way to insulate your fireplace: A chimney balloon.
All you need to do is inflate it to block the draught from the chimney cavity, then when you want a fire, you can deflate it and easily remove it.
Keeping your house warm and cosy
Turn your heating off. Yes, really. If you’re going to be out of the house all day, simply set it to come on just before you return in the evening and it should be nice and toasty for your arrival.Just make sure you switch it back off again before you go to bed. You don’t want to be paying to heat the house while you’re tucked up warmly in bed asleep!
Keep all the doors closed and close off any un-used rooms so you’re not heating places you’re not going to spend your time in. Close your curtains when it starts to get dark, but keep them open during the day to let any sun in.
Turn the thermostat down. Sounds ridiculous we know, but turning you stat down just one degree can cut your energy consumption (and your bills) by 10%.
Only heat the room you’re in. If you’re spending the whole evening in your bedroom, don’t put the heating on for the whole house, just use a portable heater in that room for a few hours.
Don’t put your wet laundry on your radiators. Have a look at Lakeland’s heated tower airers instead. From £49.99 to buy, they’re also cheap to run, and will leave your radiators to do the job they were intended to do.
Get free money from the government
If you receive any benefits like income support, pensions or disability allowance, you may qualify for a grant of up to £3,500 (or £6,000 where oil, low carbon or renewable technologies are recommended) from the government’s Warm Front scheme [http://www.warmfront.co.uk/]. This can be spent on things like loft insulation, draught-proofing and cavity wall insulation
