The festive season is … a time for seeing family, exchanging gifts, indulging in favourite foods and enjoying cosy time in front of the telly. But spending so much time at home can lead to expensive heating bills, especially now that the cost has significantly shot up.
We have some top tips which should keep your bills down and allow you to still enjoy a toasty and warm festive season.
Move the furniture away from radiators
Placing large furniture very close to or against a radiator blocks the heat they emit. Sofas are the worst culprit for this, often absorbing a large proportion of the radiator heat which results in you turning the heating up! This can become costly and make for a cold living room, even when the heating is on.
Add radiator reflectors
Lots of the heat emitted by your radiator is lost into the wall and ceiling behind or above it. Adding radiator reflectors helps to reflect the heat back into the room.
Turn down your thermostat
Did you know that if you turn down your main thermostat by 1 degree, you can save around 10% on your energy bill? In fact, if everyone in Great Britain turned their thermostat down by 1 degree, we would reduce energy bills by £670 million, while saving 3.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year!*
Open and close doors accordingly
Opening and closing your doors appropriately is really important, especially in larger and open plan homes! Obviously keeping your external doors closed is essential – but did you know at times it’s better to keep some doors open? For example, when having a bath or shower leave the door ajar; the warm air from the room can then drift around the rest of the house (maybe not if you are having guests stay over!).
If you have a spare room that’s hardly ever used keep the door closed and the radiator tuned down low. If the room isn’t used at all during this time, there’s little point in heating it – just be sure to block any large gaps under the door with a draught excluder.
Invest in a draught excluder cushion
This is a cheap and cheerful solution. Use them to guard any particularly drafty doorways such as those connected to the hallway or porch, and behind front and rear external doors, and you’ll soon reap the rewards.
These days they come in all colours, shapes and sizes and in a variety of styles from novelty sausage dogs to personalised messages.
Shut the curtains when it’s dark
Keeping your curtains open during sunlight hours is essential for increasing the warmth in your house. Similarly, closing the curtains once night falls is equally important. Uncovered windows provide one of the draughtiest areas in the house (behind open doors and windows) and as such can see your energy bills soar through the roof.
And if you opting for a thick, thermal lined curtain on your windows it helps not just to keep the heat in, but the cool out too!
Block up unused chimneys
It may be too late to get this done for this Christmas but it’s worth thinking about for future winters.
Many open fireplaces within homes are now unused, and as such the chimneys provide no purpose – apart from creating hefty draughts! Blocking up the unused chimney could save you a fortune on your energy bills and help to keep your home snug this Christmas.
Have your boiler serviced
Our last tip is possibly the most important! Having an inefficient boiler, or skipping services is not only dangerous, it could cost you a fortune. The recommendation is to have an annual boiler service, although if you have any concerns about your boiler at any other time, it’s better to be safe than sorry and contact an expert straight away.
If you are a customer of Warrington Housing Association and you need help or advice with regarding your heating contact our Warrington Home Information and Improvement Agency (WHIA). WHIA is a non-profit advisory service for older, disabled or vulnerable people and families on low incomes who own their own homes or live in private rented accommodation and wish to repair, improve or adapt their homes. Contact them on 01925 246812 or learn more here.
