Simple Ways to Cut Your Home Energy Bills This Winter
Practical, low-cost ways to use less gas and electricity at home this winter, from draught-proofing to smarter heating habits.
Every autumn the same thought comes round: the heating goes on, and the bills start to climb. You can't control the price of energy, but you can control quite a lot of how much you use. Most of what follows costs little or nothing, and none of it means sitting in a cold house wearing three jumpers.
Start with the heating controls you already have
Most homes in the UK have a boiler with a timer or programmer, a room thermostat and radiator valves. Many of us never really set them up properly. It's worth spending twenty minutes with them.
- Set the timer to match your day. There's little point heating an empty house. Have the heating come on a little before you get up and before you get home, and go off when you leave or go to bed.
- Turn the thermostat down by one degree. It's a small change most people barely notice, and it's one of the simplest savings there is. Try it for a week before deciding.
- Use thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs). These are the numbered dials on the radiators. Turn them lower in rooms you hardly use, such as a spare bedroom, and keep the door closed.
If you have a combi boiler, ask your heating engineer at the next service whether the flow temperature can be lowered. Many boilers are set higher than they need to be, and a lower setting can let them run more efficiently. It's a quick job for someone who knows the model.
Stop the draughts
Warm air escaping through gaps is money quite literally going out of the window. Draught-proofing is one of the cheapest home improvements you can make.
- Fit self-adhesive foam or brush strips around doors and windows that rattle or whistle.
- Put a brush or flap over the letterbox and a cover over the keyhole.
- Use a draught excluder along the bottom of external doors. An old rolled-up towel works in a pinch.
- Seal gaps around skirting boards and floorboards with a suitable filler.
- If you have an open chimney you never use, a chimney balloon or a removable chimney sheep can stop heat disappearing upwards. Remember to take it out before lighting a fire.
Don't block air bricks, trickle vents or extractor fans, though. Homes need some ventilation to prevent condensation and damp.
Make the most of curtains and radiators
Close curtains and blinds at dusk to hold heat in, and open them during the day to let any sunshine warm the room. Thick or lined curtains help most. Make sure curtains don't hang over radiators, or they'll send the heat straight up behind the fabric and out of the window.
Bleed your radiators if they're cold at the top. A radiator key costs very little, and the job takes a few minutes. Moving sofas a little way back from radiators also helps heat circulate around the room.
Hot water and washing
Heating water accounts for a good chunk of most energy bills, so small habits add up.
- Take showers rather than baths, and try shaving a minute or two off each one.
- Wash clothes at 30°C. Modern detergents work well at lower temperatures for everyday loads.
- Run the washing machine and dishwasher only when they're full.
- Dry clothes outside when you can, or on an airer in a well-ventilated room, rather than using a tumble dryer every time.
- If you have a hot water cylinder, check it has a well-fitting insulation jacket.
In the kitchen
- Only boil the water you need. Filling the kettle to the top for one cup wastes energy every time.
- Keep lids on pans and match the pan to the size of the hob ring.
- Use a microwave, slow cooker or air fryer for smaller meals rather than heating a whole oven.
- Defrost the freezer if ice has built up, and keep the fridge door closed as much as you can.
Lights and gadgets
Switching to LED bulbs is one of the easiest long-term changes. They use much less electricity than old-style bulbs and last for years. Replace bulbs as they fail if you don't want to do them all at once.
Lots of devices draw power when they're on standby. Switch televisions, games consoles and computer speakers off at the wall when you're not using them. A plug-in timer or a smart plug makes it easy for things like a set-top box overnight. Check first that anything you switch off, like a recording box, doesn't need power to work properly.
Get help if you need it
If you're struggling with bills, contact your energy supplier early. Suppliers are expected to work with customers who are having difficulty paying. Independent organisations such as Citizens Advice and the Energy Saving Trust have free guidance online, including information on grants and schemes for insulation and heating upgrades that change from time to time.
A small plan for this week
Don't try to do everything at once. Pick three things this week: set your heating timer properly, turn the thermostat down a degree, and deal with the worst draught in the house. Next week, pick three more. Better ways to live life usually start with small, steady changes, and a warmer home with lower bills is a good place to begin.