Keeping Your Heating Bills down This Winter

Winter is an expensive time of year but if you can make a few small changes to your home and lifestyle then you will be able to make some good savings on your energy bills and be more environmentally friendly.  Obviously you need to check your windows are preventing hot air escaping from your home, but you would be surprised at the difference that even the little things can make!

Small changes such as leaving the oven door open once you have finished cooking and showering with the door open will both generate heat and allow it to circulate round your home.

Heat can of course be lost through windows that aren’t shut properly or that have a broken seal. One way to check this is to hold a candle flame or lit incense stick round the window frame. If there is any disturbance in the flame or smoke then it is quite likely your windows seal is broken. Even well installed uPVC windows only last so long, if your windows are coming to the end of their energy efficient lifetime, you will be better off in the long term biting the bullet and replacing them. Trying to drag things out will only increase your heating bills.

Once you have checked your uPVC windows and fixed any draughts that might be coming it, it would be a good idea to next put up some thick heavy curtains to insulate the room and stop any cold air from outside getting in. This is also a good idea for your doors as well. Keeping your doors shut and closing off unused rooms will also improve the temperature in your home. Rooms that aren’t used in the winter months should be closed off, this will create a barrier between your inner rooms and outside. Also smaller rooms are a lot cheaper to heat so try to use these instead of larger ones.

Eating healthy fats and dressing with plenty of layers will ensure you stay warm too and don’t have to spend so much on heating. Candles will also generate some heat and also create a warm cosy atmosphere.