Simple tips to keep your home warm this winter
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As the days get colder and the nights longer many UK households will be cranking up their thermostats, but how can you heat the home without losing your shirt?
The people at NetVoucherCodes.co.uk have advised Brits on how you can keep more cash in your wallet as the winter creeps in.
According to the Office for National Statistics, fuelling the house is one of the largest expenses for UK families.
But by closely monitoring your heating temperature and installing DIY insulation, this easy guide will have you wealthier and warmer in no time.
A spokesperson said: “Many of us have accepted that the high cost of heating ours houses is just a fact of life, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
“There are lots of different tricks we can all use to keep more pounds in our pocket and also enjoy more comfortable homes as winter sets in.”
Here are NetVoucherCodes.co.uk’s top tips to keep heating costs down:
1 Tin foil behind the radiators: Cutting sheets of this kitchen essential to fit behind radiators will work wonders for the temperature of a room. The tin foil will use its scientific properties to reflect hot air back into the room, rather than allowing it to drift away through cold walls.
2 Move your furniture: Directly blocking a radiator with something like a bulky sofa or chair will trap the heat and not help anyone get warm.
3 Close your curtains: Why let all that cosy hot air seep through cold glass windows, when you can block its escape by simply drawing your curtains or blinds.
4 Turn that thermostat down: Every single degree lower could save you several pounds per week. Experts recommend 18C as an ambient level, rather than a costly 20C or 25C.
5 Leave the oven door open after cooking: A box full of toasty 200C air released into the kitchen will be the perfect remedy to stave off the cold in the evening.
6 Buy a rug: It may sound simple, but you won’t be so cold walking around the house if you cover those wooden or laminate floors with an insulating cotton rug.
7 Keep a jumper on: Throwing an extra layer down as soon as you get home from work is literally throwing money away. The more clothes you put on, the less the heating will be on and you’ll be saving cold hard cash in no time.
8 Draft-proof: Plugging all those little holes around the house will make a big difference to your heating bills. Simple gaffer tape can be used to seal cracks in floors and walls, whilst the bottom of doors could be blocked with old clothes, towels or specifically purchased draft-excluder.
9 Forage for firewood: Any fuel you find in the woods is free and if your fire burns for longer, the heating will need to be on less and those bills will be smaller.
10 Get a hot water bottle: Sometimes the old habits are the best; using a traditional hot water bottle in bed could lead to a significant reduction in overnight heating bills.
11 Open doors: If you have a lovely south facing room that gets loads of direct sun light, it will naturally be the warmest in the house – leaving the door to that room open will allow the heated air to circulate around the house.
12. Close doors: Yes, both. Once the sun has set, close the door to your living room or bedroom to keep all that cosy air trapped inside.
