How to keep warm without having the heating on all day

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Simple solutions for staying cosy this winter without racking up the heating bills, from insulated curtains, hot water bottles, to the best theromstat

We are loth to condescend to you, as the nation faces ever-escalating electricity and gas costs, by saying “put an extra jumper on” or, even worse - “trying buying a new kettle, it’ll save you £10 on your bills.”

But the distressing fact remains that Ofgem has announced typical household energy bills will skyrocket in October - with further climbs expected next year. Naturally, people are looking to cut their electricity bills however they can.

And as the temperatures are due to drop over the coming months, heating the household is one of the primary electricity or gas drains.

So, what can you do to limit your outgoings and remain toasty?

(Some of these you may rightly dismiss as common sense, but we’d like to be thorough).

Ensure your heating is on intermittently throughout the day, not on 24/7 - use your timer to keep it off when you’re in bed, so it switches on half an hour before the household rises.

Make sure you have well insulated curtains/or blinds.

Double glazing costs a small fortune, so it’s far more cost effective to change your blinds or curtains to reduce heat loss.

Switch any curtains with thin materials for thicker fabrics or ones made with thermal fibres.

Dunelm have an excellent range of thermal curtains that start from £35, while Wayfair offers Blackout Thermal curtains that start at £20.99.

The thermal curtain range at The Range is impressive, or if you’re looking for something a little ritzier the velvet range at Made.com is utterly sumptuous.

Make sure the floor is covered, too

Remember how your mum always told you you lost heat through your head, as a means to encourage you to put a woolly hat on when you left the house? Well, houses lose an estimated 10% of their heat through their property’s floor.

If you want to curb that, making your house more energy efficient, cover any solid hardwood floors with soft rugs to ensure the gaps

If you have suspended flooring - that is, it’s raised off the ground - it needs to be insulated with a batt of insulation or spray expanding foam, which a professional can install for you.

The range of thermal rugs at Wayfair are very reasonably priced, as are the lush, thick carpets from Made, available here.

Cosy up with a good ol’ fashioned hot water bottle

Hot water bottles are good for shaking off a chill - the lush White Company option, £35, is covered with faux fur and ideal for helping keep you toasty.

Additionally, applying heat of more than 40C to the skin where an ache is felt blocks the body’s ability to detect pain, so it will alleviate any muscle discomfort associated with cold weather.

For a budget option, the Wilko hot water bottle will get the job done for £6.50, while if you want to invest in a hot water bottle you can wear - great for walking around, the This is Silk hot water bottle will keep you cosy on the move - for a pricy £74.99 (yes, we realised that suggesting an expensive hot water bottle during a cost of living crisis is a bit of a contradiction - but if it saves you turning the heating on all day, it could be a sound long-term strategy).

Keep the chill out with a draught excluder

You’ll likely heard a lot of chat of late about draught excluders - they are essential for keeping the house warm if you don’t have a properly insulated property. They will keep the cold air at bay and the warm air in the house.

You can buy cost effective, stylish draught excluders