Energy saving: How to save money on heating

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The energy crisis has seen a number of firms enter into administration while pushing the energy price cap up an eye-watering £139 from the last cap set in April 2021. Most of us are unlikely to have thousands of pounds hidden away to pay for new heat pumps and double glazing. However, making your home energy efficient doesn’t have to be costly. Here are some cheap ways you can save on bills, and help reduce your carbon footprint.

Doors

Warm air tends to find any way they can to leave your home.

When it does so, it is replaced by a gust of cool air that is sucked in as the warm air escapes out.

In most homes, such draughts usually get in through the frames of the doors and windows.

While getting them replaced can be expensive, one quick fix is to simply add a draught excluder, or even a rolled-up towel to block the draughts.

Most campaigners and energy firms agree that using a draught excluder is one of the simplest solutions to keeping out the cold.

Combined with draught-proofing of windows and doors, BBC estimates that it could help cut around £25 a year off your bills.

However, most wouldn’t consider a rolled-up towel by the front door as an attractive household feature, which is why some opt to make and decorate one themselves.

When making your draught excluder, it is important to make sure that it is covering the entire width of the door.

Windows

Windows, especially ones that are poorly fitted or have a single pane of glass are another place where heat often escapes, allowing for a draught to come in.

However, if you can’t afford to get them replaced with double glazing, the Energy Saving Trust recommends getting some heavy curtains to help keep the heat in the room.

Loft Hatch

While insulating your loft is one way to keep the heat trapped below, your loft hatch needs attention too.

One suggestion online to seal this leak is to glue a plastic bag to the back of the hatch, fill it with some of the loft insulation and then seal it up.

Doing this should help insulate the hatch and it will flop over the edges when you pull it shut, stopping draughts escaping.

Behaviour

Finally, there are plenty of minor changes you can make that will help save energy and money without having to install anything.

The Eco-Experts blog recommends “heating the humans, not the building”, which means that you could try to only heat the rooms that you’re in, and turn off the heater if you’re not cold.

They also recommend putting lids on pots and pans when cooking to help it cook faster and using a microwave to reheat food rather than the oven.

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