In this edition of our ‘Cost of Living Crisis’ blogs, we are sharing some steps that you can take to insulate your home this winter in an effort to help you save money on your heating bills. These suggestions are relatively low cost and quick to implement.

1. Thermal Curtains and Blinds

The addition of thermal curtains in your home will help to trap cold air before entering your rooms. If you don’t want to change your curtains then opt instead for some thermal lining, which you can then sew into your existing curtains yourslef.

Here are some thermal curtains that we have found for under £15.

• Easy Care Eyelet Thermal Blackout Curtains | Deconovo UK
• Silver Blackout Roller Blind | Dunelm
• Matrix Ready Made Thermal Blockout Curtains Latte | Terrys Fabrics

2. Draught Excluders

The tiny gap at the bottom of the doors in your home may not seem like a big deal, but if you shut the door and put your hand in front of it – chances are you will feel a draught coming through. Help the rooms in your house to retain heat by placing a draught excluder at the bottom of each one. Draught stoppers can also be used at the base of your windows if needed too.

Here are some places selling draught excluders for under £10.

• Heart Herringbone Draught Excluder | Rinkit.com
• Double-Sided Under Door EVA Draught Excluder Insulation Seal Cold Air Stopper | eBay
• Under Door Seal, Double Sided Foam Door Draft Excluder : Amazon.co.uk

Can’t afford a draught excluder? Watch this video to learn how to make your own: How to make a draft stopper for Doors or Windows // DIY – YouTube

3. Insulation or Kitchen Foil

Placing tin foil behind radiators that are affixed to external walls is a good way to keep the heat in. For less than £10, you could buy enough tin foil to put behind all of the radiators in your home. By doing this, you can prevent any heat being lost through external walls as the tin foil will reflect the heat back into the room. Whilst you can use kitchen foil, it is recommended that you buy insulation foil that will do a better job for you.

Here are some places you can buy insulation foil:

• Radiator Reflector Foil 470mm x 4m (1.88m²) | Screwfix.com
• Diall Radiator heat reflector roll, (L)10m (W)0.5m (T)4.5mm | DIY at B&Q
• Yuzet Reflective Radiator Foil Insulation 4210-B 4| at Zoro

4. No Carpet? Place a Rug Down

Hardwood flooring is not very good at keeping the heat in your home. The cracks between each piece of wood makes it very easy for heat to escape and for cold air to come up from below. Consider purchasing rugs to keep your rooms nice and warm.

Large rugs for under £10

• Yellow Grey Herringbone Rug | Bombay | Kukoon Rugs Online
• Rug Laury Grey (benuta.co.uk)
• Bodhi Rug | Dunelm

Thin hallway rugs for under £10

• The Rug House Grey Rubber Backed – Amazon.co.uk
• Soft Geometric Grey Brown Weatherproof Summer Runner Rug | Kukoon Rugs
• Fairmont Park Jaqueline Greekey Gel Doormat | Wayfair.co.uk

5. Keeping in the Heat and Blocking Out the Cold

This one is simple. If your radiators are blocked by any furniture, the best things to do increase heat in the room is to move the furniture away. Ensure that your radiator is not obstructed by anything that would absorb the heat coming from it. Moving your furniture may cause a little havoc, but in colder months you should really feel a difference in how warm your home is.

Another way to ensure that you are getting the most out of your radiators is to shut the doors to any rooms that you are not currently using. If you have the ability to turn off individual radiators, then this should be done in rooms you aren’t using. Try to keep the heat in the rooms you often frequent by shutting the doors to keep yourself nice and toasty.

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