There are dozens of simple — and zany — steps you can take to keep warm AND cut your bills. Here are some of the best: Put foil behind the radiators — it will reflect warmth back into the room. Get draught excluders to stop chilly breezes. You can buy a red spotty dog one for £9.99 at Homebase. Heat is also lost through keyholes and letterboxes — so cover these up, too. Put on an extra jumper and cuddle up under a blanket. Or what about buying a slanket or snuggie (a blanket with sleeves)? Stick plastic tape around draughty windows (15m of Stormguard tape costs £4.99 at Homebase). A layer of clingfilm on a window is a cheap way to create double-glazing: 6sqm of Stormguard double-glazing film costs £8.99 at Homebase. Dont heat an empty house. Put radiators on a timer so they only come on when you are in. Hallways and stairwells don’t need heating — so shut your doors! ... and turn off the radiators in the rooms you aren’t using. Believe it or not, turning down the thermostat just one degree to, say, 19 degrees can save you £65 a year. Close the curtains at dusk — and tuck them in around the window sill to stop draughts. Keep active to keep warm — do some vigorous cleaning or get the heart-racing by vacuuming. Just used the oven? Open the door to let the heat in to the kitchen. But not if you have young children, pets or are accident-prone. If your water is piping hot, turn down the thermostat to no more than 60c/140f. Set your washing machine to run at 30 degrees. Use energy-saving lightbulbs — this can save £60 a year and they also last ten times longer than regular bulbs. Buy a hot water bottle (Asda sells one for £3, or Poundland has a small one for just £1). Turn the lights off when you leave a room. EVERY TIME. Unplug appliances. Your TV, DVD player and even your mobile phone charger — can cost you up to £90 a year when they’re not being used. Dont fill up the kettle for just one cup of tea. Put in just what you need. Fill up the dishwashers and washing machine. A half-full load uses the same energy as a full one. Put lids on saucepans — it’ll stop heat escaping and mean things will cook quicker. Read more: thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-2461318/ENERGY-BILLS-Is-time-solar-panels-roof.html#ixzz2hxoXagRr
Posted on: Thu, 17 Oct 2013 07:55:13 +0000
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