I’ve just had an email from our Energy supplier, e-on, letting us know that our energy bills are likely to go up over the next year due to the Ofgem price cap increasing from the 1st October.
This is the estimated costs for the next year, compared to this year:
It’s not a huge increase to be fair but it just feels like another bill that’s increasing!
We were planning to switch to Octopus energy for this house when we move to our new house as that’s who supplies my old house (where a now 20 year old Master Frugal lives) as I’ve been really impressed with them since they took over Bulb as the supplier.
In the meantime though, it’s all about making sure that this house is as ready for Winter as possible.
We absolutely aren’t the kind of people who will reach for a jumper or an extra pair of socks when we’re cold, we’ll always turn on the heating if we’re cold so for that reason, we want to make sure that the house is as energy efficient as possible so it stays warm for as long as possible and retains the heat when we do switch the heating on.
So here’s my top ten tips on what you can do to reduce your heating bills without feeling the need to sit and shiver under a pile of jumpers and blankets…
Bleed your radiators – I had no idea about this one but apparently trapped air stops your radiators from heating up properly, so you need to bleed them to make sure they’re working at full efficiency. We have a little key that my partner uses to do ours every now and again but I don’t actually know what it is that he does. 😁
I’d recommend having a watch of this video to understand more about this.
Check for drafts – If you have any little drafts then get them sorted before the cold weather descends. Use draft excluders on drafty doors and seal any gaps around windows. Honestly, even a rolled-up towel can help. We did some work in our kitchen last year before Winter as we had a draft from around the big window which we sealed up and it’s made a world of difference.
Close your curtains at dusk – when the sun goes down, so does the temperature so we always close our curtains when it starts to get dark out and we’ve found that our thick curtains really help trap heat inside. Our new house is a period house with sash windows so I suspect we’re going to need to invest in thick curtains for each room as I can imagine it could be a bit drafty until we’ve had chance to get them sorted.
Use radiator reflector panels – This is one thing we don’t have but I know about how effective they can be aas I’ve been researching them for our new house. From what I understand, they bounce heat back into the room instead of letting it escape through external walls. They’re not expensive at all – these ones cost just £12.99 for a 5m roll.
Turn your thermostat down 1°C – This is one of my biggest tips as I am a huge advocate of this one. I did this when the kids were younger in my old house as they used to love a really hot house which I hate because (a) I hate being hot and (b) it cost a bloody fortune! They didn’t ever notice that I turned it down, first by 1 degree then after a while by another 1 degree. Most people won’t notice the difference in comfort with such a small decrease, but it can cut bills by up to 10%.
Set heating timers – I hate heating on over night and it’s a total waste to have the heating on through the day when we’re not here so I really recommend that you set a timer for when you need the heating on so you only heat your home only when you need it, not 24/7.
Move furniture away from radiators – I’ve always been guilty of this one in previous houses but this house is so much better laid out so we don’t have to have any sofas and beds blocking heat circulation by being pushed up against them.
Add insulation – Heat rises upwards and I’ve read that 25% of your heat can leave the house through an un-insulated lost and that a quick layer of insulation can reduce that significantly which will keep your house warmer for longer meaning less heating needed. It’s not expensive when you put it into contest around how much money it could save you – have a look here.
Layer up rooms you use most – Our living room is super cosy in the Winter with a big thick rug covering most of the floor, faux fur blankets on the back of each chair and we re-hung the door last year to address a cheeky draft. It’s the room where we spend most of our time in the Winter so we focussed on cosying it up.
Service your boiler – this one is one that you might put off as it feels like a really grown up thing to do but genuinely prevention is better (and cheaper) than fixing an issue so a quick check-up makes it run more efficiently and could prevent breakdowns mid-winter.
It’s worth putting in some time now to prepare your home for Winter so you can reduce your heating bills before it gets cold. I promise, it’s worth it!
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Good money-saving tips here. One thing that actually helped us was checking the seals on interior doors too — if bedrooms are leaking heat into hallways, it makes the boiler run longer than necessary. A couple strips of weatherstripping made a bigger dent in our bills than we expected.
Thank you! Reversing ceiling fans in winter actually works. I thought it was one of those internet myths, but switching ours to clockwise on low made the room feel warmer without touching the thermostat.
Great tips here and very practical. One thing that really helped us was reversing our ceiling fans in winter so they push warm air down instead of pulling it up. It’s such a tiny tweak, but it genuinely makes rooms feel warmer without touching the thermostat.
Good tips here. Something that really helps is reversing your ceiling fans to spin clockwise on low in winter — it pushes warm air down from the ceiling and can make rooms feel warmer without touching the thermostat.
Nice article! I also like the idea of having kind of fall and winter curtains. We usually use blades in summer or tulle, but in cold weather thick thermal curtains can really make rooms feel warmer and better retain the heat.
Nice checklist! One thing I do at the end of summer that almost no home prep lists mention — check and tighten the screws/fasteners on your attic access ladder or pull-down stairs. Those hinges and screws take a beating from heat and humidity all summer, and when they loosen, the ladder can bend slightly. That tiny shift creates a gap when you close it up, and come fall/winter that gap becomes a path for cold air. A quick torque with a drill and a bead of caulk around the frame seals it up for both comfort and critter prevention.
Yeah, sealing drafts is the key. Heat loss is one issue, but the other is pests heading inside. They don’t need much space at all. I like using silicone caulk for narrow cracks since it handles temperature changes really well, and for gaps around door frames or sills, adhesive weatherstripping works great.
Good tips. By the way, if your indoor humidity gets too low in the fall, the house actually feels colder even when the thermostat says it’s warm. A small bump in humidity makes he place feel way more comfortable without touching your thermostat.
Really useful tips! I’ve found that adjusting the thermostat schedule makes a bigger difference than most people expect — lowering it just a couple of degrees at night saves a lot without feeling colder. I also like bleeding the radiators before winter; it’s such a small thing but really helps the heating work evenly.
Another easy way to cut your heating bill before winter: bleed your radiators to remove trapped air — this helps the system heat more evenly and efficiently, so you’re not throwing extra fuel at parts of the room that don’t warm up. Also, check the valves and bleed points to make sure they’re tight and not leaking — even a small slow leak wastes heat and money.
Thanks! One small HVAC tip that helped me a lot: reverse your ceiling fan’s direction in fall so it pushes warm air down instead of letting it rise up. It’s an easy fix that makes your heating system feel more effective without cranking the thermostat.
Great tips! If you have a hot tub or spa, it’s worth checking the cover and insulation before winter. A tight, well-insulated cover keeps the water warm longer and prevents constant reheating, which can really eat into your energy bill.
Thank you! Just want to toss in one little trick: vacuum or dust your vents and grille covers now, especially before the heating season kicks in. A dirty return or supply vent can actually drag your system down and make your bills creep up without you noticing.
The article is very helpful, thanks. Also it's important to vacuum or wash floor registers and return vents. Dust and pet hair can build up there over summer and make your system work harder, which means higher energy bills.