Top tips for keeping your home warm this winter

We all want to avoid the dreaded ‘lurgy’ now that the cold season is upon us and despite the rising energy costs,  it’s just as important as ever to ensure you and your loved ones homes are heated to an adequate temperature.

Heating your house to a minimum temperature of 18 °C is the ideal and is considered a healthy and comfortable temperature for most people. This is especially important if you have limited mobility, are 65 years of age or older, or suffer from any respiratory or medical conditions, although you may wish to increase this slightly. 

Below we have included some tips on how to ensure your home is retaining as much heat as possible for you this winter.

Keeping the heat in, is crucial! Did you know that poorly insulated walls and lofts allow the bulk of heat to escape from your home? Not only will insulation keep you warm, but it will also save you money on your energy bills.

• Install draught proofing to close up any openings around doors and windows.

• Ensure that there is a minimum 270 mm of insulation in your loft. If you have less than this,  you should get this topped up.

• If you have cavity walls, make sure that these are insulated well.

• Install lagging or similar insulation to any hot water cylinders and pipework.

• To preserve heat generated within rooms, draw curtains of evenings and on colder days.

• Bleed your radiators to ensure they are performing correctly and providing consistent temperatures.

While some of these energy-saving suggestions might seem quite obvious, they can have a significant impact on your fuel bill savings.

• Programme your heating to turn on when you wake up and turn off once you’ve gone to bed. Rather than turning up the thermostat as and when you need it. If it’s extremely cold, perhaps arrange your heating to come on a little earlier and turn off later.

• Heat your bedroom right before bed and the living room during the day if you are unable to heat every room you use.

• Keep in mind to close doors and curtains to maintain heat in the spaces you use the most.

• Placing rugs down on any cold/ hard flooring will also help warm a room.

• Consider adding draft excluders to maximise the heat in the house and minimise drafts and cold getting in around doors and windows.

• Make sure your storage heaters are configured as efficiently as feasible if your heating system makes use of them.

• Make sure that your boiler service is up to date – if not, book one to ensure this is functioning correctly.

• Hot water bottles and electric blankets are another simple way to help warm up and keep your heating costs down.

There are currently a number of government funded and ECO schemes available to homeowners to help access free insulation upgrades for their homes.

• ECO4
• Great British Insulation Scheme

Please visit our webpage for more information or contact our friendly team who can help with advice on these.

You may also be able to get additional help with your bills:

Citizens Advice – provide free energy advice and support via email, phone, or online. Their advisors can help with what grants and benefits are available to you, as well as providing support if you have any issues with your energy supply.

You can contact their helpline on 0808 223 1133

Winter Fuel Payment – if you receive a state pension and If you were born on or before 25 September 1956, you will receive the Winter Fuel Payment which is worth between £250 and £600.

Cold Weather Payment – between the 1 November and 31 March people claiming certain benefits will receive a payment of £25 if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be,  zero degrees celsius or below for 7 consecutive days. Check if you can get a payment in your area.

Warm Home Discount – this one-off payment gives eligible older and low-income consumers £140 off their energy bill.

For full details and eligibility, visit www.gov.uk/energy-grants-calculator

Help for Households: help with your energy bills – find out more about the Government’s energy bill discount payment for UK households as well as cost of living payments.