Ways you can keep warm without turning the heating up

With money tight and energy costs going up, the one question on everyone’s mind at the moment is, ‘how can I keep warm this winter?’

Here are some tips and advice on how to keep warm, save energy and keep our bills down.

Ten toasty tips that could help

Keep your doors closed so the warmth doesn’t escape and close off spare rooms that aren't in use
If you have a draft coming through your doors, get some draft excluders
If possible, put heavier curtains up at the window and even over doors. You can find some great bargains at charity shops
If you can, try and wear layers of clothing including a hat and gloves if you need to keep warm
While indoors, wear heavy house slippers especially if your floors have no carpet
Use the oven and stove when cooking because the heat generated warms up the room
Leave the oven door open after baking so the heat can warm up your room
Use a blanket under the duvet not over to keep warmth within while you sleep
Try to have hot meals and drinks or soups as often as you can
Don’t forget to use your hot water bottle too and foot warmers if you have some.

Cheap purchases that’ll keep you warm

MoneySavingExpert Martin Lewis listed a number of items that can be bought at reasonably low cost to help keep yourself warm and minimise the use of your heaters. Some of the items he listed include:

Heated insoles £8
USB hand warmers £9 (These are plugged into your computer/laptop to heat up, and can also be used as power banks to charge your phone if you’re out and about)
Microwaveable wheat bag £4
Hot water bottle (1.5L) £5.50
Reusable hand warmers at £5 (you boil these in water on a hob).

To see a full range of all the items you could buy and how much money the initial cost compares to the money you’re spending on heating per hour/week, visit www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/heat-the-human-not-the-home-save-energy/.

Financial advice and support

You can get advice, support, and guidance with your energy bills from your supplier and from Ofgem too. Visit www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-householdsyou.

If your rent is inclusive of your energy bills and you find yourself falling in rent arrears, please speak to your supplier or give us a call on 0300 365 100.

Our Rent Assist team is here to support you.