With temperatures plummeting, triggering a Level 3 Cold Weather Alert and multiple Met Office warnings in force for snow and ice, there's no doubt many of us will inclined to switch the heating on. However, thanks to the cost of living and energy crisis, turning up your thermostat at home may not be good news for your bank account.
Fortunately, numerous experts have been on hand to offer a variety of money saving tips that can keep you warm without leading to a hefty energy bill. One particular British Gas engineer has been among those sharing his knowledge, which could help save people as much as £145.
Sunny Solanky, who believes "little things that we can all do that can make a big difference", has spoken to The Express on how homeowners can get the most of out their utilities for cheap. He said: "Most of the questions that I get asked is, what's the best way to run the heating? Or what's the best way to save a little bit? It's quite simple.
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"If you've got your heating on, put draught excluders under doors, when the heat is on. Also, drawing blinds and curtains, because you lose a lot of heat through your windows and things which a lot of people just don't think about.
"Keeping furniture away from radiators. If you've got the sofa right against the radiator, it's blocking off the heat, it's not able to then heat the room. You can get a big piece of cardboard, wrap it in some foil and put it behind your radiator. That helps stop the heat getting lost through into the walls rather than into the room, which is what you want."
It's no secret that one of the biggest problems homeowners face during winter is frozen pipes, which can wreck havoc by stopping the heating and hot water from getting around the house. But Sunny has stressed the importance of of pipe insulation to avoid this - on top of other tips that together could help shave £145 off your bills.
"By insulating some of your pipes, you can stop them being frozen, which could save you about £20 a year." He said. "Putting the foil and cardboard behind radiators, possibly around £25.
"There's a lot of different things so draught proofing, that could save £100 a year. It's not a lot of work and it's not expensive things that we're talking about here either."
He continued: "We've always given people the best advice on efficiency in their house, whether it be thermostatic radiator valve, hide thermostats, Smart Controls, newer boilers, power flushing, getting the boiler serviced. We're always giving people and we have done in every house that we go to, we're always giving them the best advice possible and the most relevant advice to each house.
"Little wins right now are draft excluders, getting that foil behind the radiator, making sure the boiler stays working, with the cold snap picks. Keeping radiators clear and free and not obstructing them.
"Otherwise, you just end up blocking the heat. And again, close the drawing curtains just to keep the heat in the house. It's little things that we can all do that can make a big difference."
Other effective and money-saving tips British Gas has issued include:
- Heat your home, not your walls
- Pop on some pipe-lagging
- Draught-proof your home
- Bleed your radiators
- Get your boiler serviced
- Close the curtains
- Use the oven to heat the house
- Roll out a rug
- Get creative with your insulation
Know your ideal temperature
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