EASY WAYS TO CUT HEATING COSTS

you can cut heating costs by making a few simple changes that will make your home as energy efficient as possible and save you serious money and ensure you stay warm for less.

The first and most obvious way to cut your bills is to switch to a cheaper provider. Many people are looking at monthly bills of around £200 right now, so the most urgent thing you need to do is to switch to a cheaper energy company.

You don’t have to pay hundreds to make your home warmer and more energy efficient (and so cheaper to heat). There are all sorts of little tweaks you can do yourself that are easy and cheap, but make a big difference to your bills.

Here are some quick wins you can achieve this evening to cut your bills and keep you toasty through the winter:

1. Tin foil behind the radiators  

Sticking some tin foil behind your radiators will make them heat your room more efficiently and allow you to turn the radiators down a bit. Simply attach the foil to the wall using sticky tape or wallpaper glue, and make sure the shiny side is as close to the radiator as possible.

This works by reflecting heat back into the room rather than letting it escape through the walls. You can pick up some specially-designed radiator foil from Wickes for £14.99, but good-quality kitchen foil will work almost as well.

2. Thermal curtains

Another option is to buy ready-made thermal curtains – but with this, you have a limited choice of colours and fabrics. Also, the cheap ones often look exactly that, while the expensive ones can cost over £100 in some stores.

It’s pretty easy to make your own thermal curtains though – by simply lining your curtains with an insulating material you can dramatically reduce heat loss.

You can get thermal curtain lining which can reduce heat loss by as much as 25% – some start from just £11.
Alternatively, you could easily make your own using cheap fleece on eBay or a PVC shower curtain with some lining sewn over the top.
For added insulation, you can replace the shower curtain with foil insulation. If you’re not much of a sewing whizz, pick up some fabric glue and fix the fabrics together that way.

3. Insulate your windows, doors and floors.

Adding insulating tape to a window
Check the draughts around your house. Loads of cold air comes in under the doors and through the letterbox, floorboards, cat flaps, and window cracks.

You can find out where the draughts are in your house by lighting a candle and placing it near your windows and doors. If the candle flame starts to dance around like crazy then you know you’ve got a draught!

By using draught excluder seal around your windows and doors, you can eliminate chilly draughts running through your home. It’s really easy to install and makes a surprisingly big difference.

4. Insulate your fireplace

Whatever you do – don’t try this if you actually use your chimney.

But if you don’t use your fireplace, all you need to do is stuff the opening in your room with newspaper or cardboard to stop draughts from creeping in.

If you do have an open fire during the winter months, there’s an easier way to insulate your fireplace: a chimney balloon.

All you need to do is inflate it to block the draught from the chimney cavity, then when you want a fire, you can deflate it and easily remove it. You can get chimney balloons from Amazon from £20.

Source: Money Magpie