5 ways to STAY WARM FOR LESS

Keep cosy every winter with these money-saving tips

1 Rethink your room

Is there a sofa, table or armchair in front of your radiator? If so then you’re definitely wasting money by blocking your main source of heat. If you can, rearrange your furniture before the weather turns really cold to get the most out of your central heating.

4 Line your curtains

Keeping your curtains closed does prevent some heat loss but you can easily reduce this by another 25 per cent by buying a thermal lining to attach to your existing curtains. Dunelm’s thermal lining for curtains starts from just £10 a pair. ■ Buy in-store or at www.dunelm.com

5 Grab a blanket

Save hundreds of pounds by turning the heating off at night and using an electric blanket instead. The average cost of heating a gas centrally heated home is estimated to be around £775 a year. Using an energy-efficient electric blanket daily for two hours over six months could cost a mere £2.99.

2 Reflect the heat

Maximise the heat from your radiators with heat-reflective foil. A sheet placed behind a radiator will save money and energy by reflecting 95 per cent of the heat straight back into your room. Radiator reflective roll can be bought from most DIY stores for around £5 for 5m.

3 Get a chimney balloon

If you’ve got an open fireplace that isn’t being used, precious heat is quite literally floating away! A £158 chimney balloon can save you up to £50 a year. ■ Buy one from Chimsoc, call 01494 483289 or visit www.chimsoc.co.uk