Temperatures have plunged to below freezing in recent weeks in Manchester and with no sign of energy bills decreasing, many families will be feeling the pinch this winter.
Balancing keeping warm at home while also saving money on your gas and electricity bills can be particularly difficult at this time of year, especially as the energy price cap is set to increase to an annual level of £4,279 in January 2023. For some, there is support out there and we've detailed what's available from energy suppliers and the government here.
There are plenty of other cost-effective ways to keep the heat in at home, as well as staying warmer for cheaper and longer too. We've rounded up some of the tips and ticks below which will mean you don't even need to turn the heating on, with one of them including advice from Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert team.
READ MORE: Argos shoppers looking to slash heating bills can get 50p hot water bottle
Andy Kerr, energy expert at BOXT boiler company, has offered his advice on what Britons can do at home to keep warm.
He 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.”
As “Help to heat” searches rise by and the UK eagerly awaits support from the government through various schemes, we share our top tips for heating your home and saving money.
Amazon's £11 tape and draught excluders
Draughts mean cold air coming into your home will equal warm air going out. Energy expert Andy advised families to block draughts around doors and windows as well as letterbox and keyholes to keep the cold air out.
He said: "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."
The government currently offers support for homes with a low energy efficiency rating through the ECO+ Scheme, which will provide consumers with grants to cover the cost of additional insulation for their homes. This could lead to an approximate £310 saving per year.
Amazon has a range of draught excluders for the door, window and more. Some are detachable to and stick to the surface. 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 said: "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 online retailer also has this Yotache draft excluder which is washable and can be used on both sides of the door. They also have novelty draft excluders including this dog one for £9.45.
Invest in an Oodie dupe
Australian brand Oodie sell oversized hoodies and sweatshirts that not only offer comfort but can be way to save on energy bills as some may not need to put the heating on when wearing them. They can be pricey though and even though the site is offering a £25 off sale their items still start from £80.
Many retailers offer 'Oodie dupes' though that are purse-friendlier. Wowcher has this oversized poncho in grey or blue with a promise of delivery by Christmas, and it's only £19.99. Whereas Go Outdoors have children's Silentnight hoodies from £20.
Dunelm also has this teddy oversized blanket hoodie for just £16 and Amazon has this oversized hooded blanket for £19.99, which has gained a near five star rating from shoppers.
USB gloves and hot water bottles
USB heated items can be a savvy way to avoid putting the heating on at home. Reviewer Bethan Shufflebotham tested out these USB heated gloves off the back of advice from Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert team to ‘heat the human’ instead of the home.
According to the MoneySavingExpert guide, USB heated gloves are one of the cheapest heating options on the list, with an initial investment of around £5, costing less than 1p an hour to run, and around 5p a week to use, based on being used for five hours a day. Read our review here.
Meanwhile, there's a money-saving trick to get a hot water bottle for 50p if you're in need of a new one, or haven't got enough at home to keep warm. Hot water bottles can be a savvy and effective way to stay warm at home without turning on the heating and shoppers can get one for as little as 50p thanks to a new deal that's just launched.
Shoppers are loving this hot water bottle from Argos which comes with a chunky knit cover. Priced at £10.50, the hot water bottle has received a five out of five star rating, with many Argos customers praising it for its "cuddly" feel.
But there's a way to get it even cheaper thanks to a new money-saving cash back deal that's just launched. New customers at 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. Find out more about the deal here.
Below are some more tips on how to save on energy.
Heated airer
A number of shoppers are investing in heated airers as a way to save on their energy bills. By avoiding the tumble dryer and using a plug-in heated airer instead, householders can actually slash hundreds off their energy bills, they are also a good way of keeping your house warm too.
One shopper on the Aldi website, when reviewing their previous sell-out airer said: "This works brilliantly if you’re savvy about how you put your washing on it. I fold arms, hoods etc so they’re on the bars rather than hanging down. Same with small items like socks - just double them over and put them on like that.
"Extra bonus is that it’s great as a very cheap form of heating in my living room and I use it for that even when there’s no washing to dry!"
Aldi's airer will be back in stock this month. Costing less than 7p an hour to run the £39.99 Specialbuy is much cheaper than using the tumble drier (more than 30p), and shoppers will be able to pre-order it online from December 18, or find it in stores after Christmas from December 27.
The budget-friendly supermarket aren't the only retailer to offer heated airers either. Dunelm also sell them as do The Range. Our reviewer Emma Gill also tried out Lakeland's Dry:Soon Drying Pod which kept her warm for just 30p an hour.
The tripod shaped drier aims to dry clothes faster with less creases, and Emma said: "And it makes the room you're using it in warm too. Within minutes of it being on I had to take my jumper off as I was getting too hot - a rarity these days, but I wasn't complaining. Read more here.
Turn your thermostat down by one degree
Making a small change to the temperature in your home can make a big difference. According to Andy, you could save over £100 a year by turning the heating down by just one degree.
An estimated 17 million households in the UK could save as much as £1.4 billion by turning their thermostats down by just 1°C from the current average temperature of 20°C.
Turning down your radiator levels in each room can also help to save money.
Don’t turn your boiler off
This may sound counter-intuitive, however, as the weather turns frosty there is a chance the water in your boiler system could freeze if it’s not being used at all.
"A frozen pipe could cause a lot of damage to your heating system, resulting in a hefty bill upward of £300 to repair it," said Andy, “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
The best boiler for you will depend on your lifestyle, the size of your home 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.
He said: "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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