As temperatures plummet across Scotland and beyond, many people across the country will be looking for ways to keep their homes warm without breaking the bank.
Balancing the books and keeping the heating on can be a particularly difficult task at this time of year, especially with rising living costs, reports the Manchester Evening News. The energy price cap is set to rise to an annual level of £4,279 in January 2023, meaning people will need to budget for this increase in gas and electricity cost.
There are plenty of ways to keep the heat in the home without breaking the bank, with ways to stay warm for cheaper and longer as well. We have compiled a list of the best tips to keep the heat in without even switching the boiler on, including advice from Martin Lewis and his Money Saving team.
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And energy expert Andy Kerr, from BOXT boiler company, has also shared his expertise on what UK households can do at home to keep warm. Andy said: "Now that December has arrived, the drop in temperatures will undoubtedly see much of the country’s worries about the cost of heating their homes be exacerbated.
"There’s a lot of information available right now about how to keep heat in the home, but few tips that can lead to a big impact on savings.”
Read on below for more tips on how to keep your home warm throughout the winter.
Amazon draught excluder tape - £11
A draught is cold air seeping into your home through cracks and crevices in the building. It also equals warm air escaping, so it will cost more to heat the rooms.
Andy has advised families to block any draughts they spot, which can be found at windows and under doors, as well as letterboxes and keyholes.
He explained: "Windows, chimneys, and gaps between doors and floors generally lose the most heat but investing in proofing these areas can save around £125 a year on your energy bills."
Amazon has come up trumps with a number of draught excluders, including this £11 tape that can be used all around the home. This £10.99 self-adhesive foam tape can be stuck around windows and doors, and aims to block out cold air due to its insulated surface.
One Amazon shopper said: "My front door has been letting a draft in for years so this year I decided to do something about it since the UK is robbing us on our heating . No more cold sneaking through the front door."
Another wrote: "Works very well. I bought the 1.5mm thickness incase the thicker ones were too thick.
"Glad I did as it was enough for some sides of the window whilst I could double or triple up on the worse gaps. Works perfectly, keeps the wind out and saves the cost of getting the windows resealed."
The tape can be found on the Amazon website.
USB gloves and 50p hot water bottles
Items that be warmed up through a USB charger are becoming more popular this winter, as many more people work from home and in the offices.
According to Martin Lewis' guide to 'heating the human', not the home, USB heated gloves are one of the cheapest ways to keep your hands warm throughout the winter.
Costing £5 initially, these gloves cost less than one penny an hour to run and approximately five pence a week. This is based on a five-hour use each day.
Meanwhile, there's a money-saving trick to get a hot water bottle for 50p if you're in need of a new one. Thanks to a new deal on TopCashback, you can snag a hot water bottle worth a tenner for just 50 pence.
This chunky knit hot water bottle costs £10.50 at Argos, but new customers of TopCashback can get the Argos hot water bottle for just 50p, instead of £10.50.
Those who sign up to the free site here can get £10 cash back when they spend £10 or more at Argos.
TopCashback is a deals site that offers new and existing customers money back when they buy retailer's offers through their site.
Turn the thermostat down by one degree
Making a one degree change in the heating temperature can make a big difference in the long run. According to energy expert Andy, you could be saving £100 annually by doing this.
Approximately 17 million households in the UK could save as much as £1.4 billion by turning their thermostats down from the average temperature of 20 degrees.
Turning down your radiator levels in each room can also help to save money.
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Don't turn your boiler off
As much as this sounds like a waste of money, as the weather worsens, the boiler system in your home could freeze if it is turned off.
Andy said: "A frozen pipe could cause a lot of damage to your heating system, resulting in a hefty bill upward of £300 to repair it.
“It’s generally advised to keep the thermostat set to a minimum of at least 10°C to avoid the risk of your pipes freezing."
Check your boiler type
While this may seem silly, the best boiler for your home will depend on your lifestyle, how big your home is, and the number of people living there. The main thing which will affect how expensive your boiler is to run is its efficiency, according to Andy.
The expert explained: "Having an A-rated condensing boiler will be cheaper to run than an older non-condensing boiler, for example upgrading your boiler might seem like a big investment on the offset.
"But it could mean you save the difference in costly energy bills, with research showing you could save up to £840 a year on energy bills simply by upgrading to a more efficient boiler."
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