Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Five ways to keep your home toasty warm – and keep your heating bill down

Post Thumbnail

It’s thought that as many as 11million Brits are guilty of overheating their home this winter to make it as balmy as Barcelona (above 21 degrees).

This will add a whopping £1.4billion to energy bills, according to research from uSwitch. A recent report also found that more than half us mistakenly believe that turning up the thermostat to above the desired temperature is a way to heat a home quicker. But it’s inefficient and wastes money; turning up the dial by just one degree can increase energy bills by 10%.

Tom Lyon, energy expert at uSwitch, says: “It might be tempting to crank up the thermostat and overheat your home to combat the cold, but it’s unnecessarily adding millions to already exorbitant energy bills. There are simple measures that consumers can take this winter to keep warm while using less, wasting less and paying less for energy.

“Using, or installing, a timer to control your heating is a good way to match the temperature with your schedule at home; for example, programming it for when you’re coming back from work, or getting up in the morning. Now is also a good opportunity to consider switching to a cheaper energy deal. This takes a matter of minutes and could cut annual bills by as much as £300.”

Here are Tom’s top tips for avoiding overheating your home…

  1. TURN IT DOWN

You may think twice about cranking up the thermostat knowing that adding just one degree can cost you up to £60 extra a year. It may be difficult to turn the heating off completely, especially as temperatures are dropping right now, so try and turn it down to a low, constant temperature to save money. Turn it down, layer up and see the savings roll in.

2. SEAL UP DRAUGHTS

British homes can be very draughty, and even more heat is lost during the current windy weather, so be sure to draught-proof your home. According to the Energy Saving Trust, this can save you up to £50 on your annual heating bill, so be sure to keep an eye on the letterbox and any draughty spots under doors.

3. WHAT A LEDGE

A shelf just above a radiator helps to throw heat forward from the radiator into the room, rather than letting it rise to the ceiling. You can buy purpose-made radiator shelves, which clip easily on to most radiators.

4. REFLECT AND PROTECT

Radiator reflector panels can stop heat being wasted from the back of a radiator into an external wall. They are especially useful in older homes where the walls are solid, which rules out the option of cavity wall insulation. You can buy radiator reflector panels or radiator foil, or you can make your own by cutting a piece of cardboard to size and covering it in the type of aluminum foil you use for cooking. You’ll need a long stick and double-sided tape to attach them to the wall behind the radiator.

5. CHECK THE CHIMNEY

If you have open chimneys, a chimney balloon is a worthwhile buy. This blocks the cold air that falls down a chimney, as well as preventing internal warm air from being drawn up the chimney, when it’s not in use. The balloon can be deflated and taken out of the fireplace as and when you need to use it. If you are looking for a more permanent solution, and don’t have plans to use your fireplace at all, it is best to get a qualified tradesman to cap the chimney at the top and shut it off at the bottom, as this will be more energy-efficient.