Heat your home for less!
January is peak time for cranking up the heating – and our fuel bills! Yours Money editor Sarah Jagger has tips for keeping warm for less
Draught-proofing your home requires very little outlay and is very effective
Take control of your heating. One of the top energy and cash ways to waste is leaving radiators on in empty rooms, so fit thermostatic valves so you can turn these off and only warm rooms you use. Turn down your thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature, ideally 18°C to 21°C. Just one degree less can save you £80 a year, says the Energy Saving Trust. Rather than keeping your heating on, set it to come on just before you get up, and off just before you go to bed. If it’s very cold, don’t turn up the thermostat, set the heating to come on a bit earlier instead. Install a smart thermostat so you can control heating remotely from your mobile, tablet or laptop, meaning your home is only warm when you need it. Google’s Nest (£249 including installation, www.nest.com) adapts your home’s temperature to your behaviour by monitoring your daily habits. To understand more about how they work, read our 5-minute guide to smart thermostats at www.Yours.co.uk Use a smart meter to monitor and reduce your daily energy usage. Every energy company will be providing these free to our homes between now and 2020. Check your supplier’s rollout plan via www.smartenergygb.org Invest in an efficient gas central heating system which will save you money in the long run. If your boiler has seen better days, replace it with a new energy-efficient one, which you can do for free if you’re on a low income through the Energy Companies Obligation (ECO) scheme. Get help with your energy bills. Ask your energy supplier if you’re eligible for any schemes or check the Ofgem.gov. uk website. Find out about government energy grants at www.gov.uk/energygrants-calculator. Get free energyefficiency advice from The Energy Saving Advice Service in England (0300 123 1234) or Home Energy Scotland (0808 808 2282). Add draught proofing. Seal windows and fit a draught excluder to doors to stop warm air escaping. Make sure your water tank is insulated and plug gaps where pipes go into walls and under kitchen cupboards. Add a thick lining to curtains or buy curtain liners that attach to the heading tape to insulate draughty windows. Put blankets on sofas and use as bed toppers. Shop around! If you’ve never moved providers, use a comparison website to reduce your bills. You could find a cheaper deal in minutes using Yours Switching Energy, (0800 008 7777, www.energyhelpline.com/yours).