With the recent energy price increase, many people are on the lookout for ways to slash their bills.
And with the cold winter months creeping in, heating up your home for as little as possible and making the heat last has never been more important.
With this in mind, heating bill experts at Utility Bidder have shared some of their top tricks for homeowners who want to heat their house for longer, but don't want to rack up an expensive bill - and one of them is as simple as where your curtains sit around your radiators.
According to the experts, you should never have your curtains covering your radiators when the central heating is turned on.
Doing this will direct heat towards the windows where it'll escape, rather than heating up the room that actually needs it.
Instead, make sure the radiator is exposed by gently placing the curtains behind the radiator, which will help to heat the entire room.
Chris Shaw, CEO of Utility Bidder, has commented on some of the other steps UK homeowners can take in order to heat their homes for longer during the winter months.
He said: "The UK is currently facing an energy bill crisis, with homeowners around the country waiting anxiously to see how the October energy price increase will impact them. With the colder months closing in, many people will be wanting to heat their homes but with extortionate energy prices looming over our heads, switching the heating on isn’t as straightforward as what it once was.
"Here are Utility Bidder, we wanted to share some small hacks homeowners can incorporate into their daily lives in the hope that they can heat their homes for longer, without seeing their energy bills increase drastically.
"Simple tips such as knowing where to place furniture in your home, leaving the bathroom door open when showering and allowing as much sunlight in as possible throughout the day will enable people to feel warmer for longer and with financially uncertain times ahead, simple changes around the home could potentially go a long way."
You can read four more tips from Utility Bidder for making your home heating go further below.
Utilise daylight
The UK often experiences spells of bright sun throughout the autumn and winter months, so it’s important to use this to your advantage. Make sure all curtains and blinds are fully open so that the light projected by the sun can help to heat up different rooms within the house.
Strategically place furniture
It’s unlikely you’ll be able to last all of the autumn and winter months without putting the heat on, so to use as little energy as possible, make sure there are no items of furniture such as a sofa in front of the radiator, as this will soak up the majority of the heat. Instead, leave the radiators exposed in order for it to heat the whole room.
Make the most of shower steam
When taking a hot shower, you’ll often find the bathroom becomes filled with steam which in turn produces heat. Before taking a shower, leave the bathroom door open so that some of the steam and heat warms the surrounding areas of the home, which will hopefully leave you feeling warmer for longer.
Keep out any drafts
It may sound simple, but any areas exposed to drafts can bring in cold air and let warm air out. With this in mind, make sure all doors and a draft excluder at the bottom of them and don’t forget about pet flaps and letter boxes. If you can, fixing your letter box so that any drafts can’t enter the home will have a big impact.
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