Keep your energy use down this winter

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Don’t freeze and don’t panic! Our top tips could help reduce your winter bill and give you a warm glow.

 

Hotting up your house

Hot, but not too hot, is the best motto when setting the temp in your home. If you have a thermostat, try to stick to 21°C. If you have room heating and you aren’t using a room, don’t heat it – just close the door. It may seem obvious, but don’t put things like furniture between your heat source and you. And if you need a little extra warmth: grab a blanket or pull on a jumper.

When turning off is a good thing

If you can, turn off your heater overnight and use timers to start them again in the morning. You may have heard that you should run your heat pump overnight: for accurate advice, look at the operating manual or talk to your heat pump specialist or electrician. (Until you get specific advice remember: a heat pump that’s switched on will use more energy than when it’s off.)

Size matters

Whatever you use to heat your home, make sure it fits. If you set a temperature and the heater struggles to get it there, or you really have to crank it up to feel the warmth, it’s probably not the right size. Similarly, overheating wastes energy you don’t need. (If you have a heat pump for a single room it won’t heat the whole house, so don’t try.)

Heat loss is your loss

To make your heating work at its very best, you need to keep it in the house: seal gaps with weather stripping, block unused chimneys, place draft stoppers under door cracks. If you have wooden floors, rugs will keep things warm. Think about closing your curtains early as the sun is going down, and opening them up when the sun can shine in.

Our best tip? Every little bit helps … each small change in your energy habits will keep you toasty warm and keep your bills down.