James Whitmore
As the temperature drops, it's tempting to reach straight for the thermostat and crank it up. But before you do, it's worth knowing that a few simple adjustments can make a real difference to your winter bills—without turning your home into an icebox or spending a fortune on renovation. The best part? Most of these changes cost little or nothing, and you'll feel the benefit within days.
Start with the gaps: draught-proofing that pays for itself
Cold air sneaking in around windows and doors forces your heating to work harder than it needs to. Draught-proofing is one of the cheapest, quickest wins in any home, and you don't need any special skills to do it.
- Apply self-adhesive foam or brush strips to window frames and the edges of doors.
- Fit a letterbox brush and a keyhole cover to your front door.
- Use a fabric draught excluder along the bottom of internal doors—especially between heated and unheated rooms.
- For original sash windows, try silicone sealant in the gaps or a removable secondary glazing film.
- If you have an open chimney, a chimney balloon stops warm air escaping when the fire isn't lit.
These items cost just a few pounds each and can be fitted in an afternoon. They won't just cut your bills—they'll make rooms feel noticeably warmer and less draughty, which means you're less likely to reach for the thermostat in the first place.
Turn the thermostat down by just one degree
This is the simplest change of all, and it's the one most households overlook. Most homes are heated to around 20–22°C, but 18–20°C is perfectly comfortable for most healthy adults. Turning it down by a single degree can trim roughly 10% off your heating bill—often around £80 a year for a typical UK home.
If you feel a chill, reach for a jumper or a blanket before touching the dial. And if you have a programmer or smart thermostat, set it to come on 30 minutes before you wake and go off 30 minutes before you leave or go to bed. There's no point heating an empty house.
- Don't turn the thermostat up higher to heat the home faster—it won't. It just overshoots and wastes energy.
- Keep radiators clear of curtains and furniture so heat can circulate.
- Use thermostatic radiator valves to keep bedrooms cooler (16–18°C) and living rooms warmer.
Wash clothes at cooler temperatures—and skip the tumble dryer
Washing machines and tumble dryers are among the biggest energy users in the home. Most modern detergents work perfectly well at 30°C, and many cycles can run at 20°C for lightly soiled clothes. That small change adds up quickly over a winter.
- Wash full loads rather than half loads—it uses the same energy for more clothes.
- Choose the eco setting or a shorter cycle where possible.
- Air-dry clothes on a rack or line instead of tumble drying. Even indoors, with a window cracked open, it costs nothing.
- If you must use a dryer, spin clothes first to remove excess water, and clean the lint filter after every load.
These changes don't just save electricity—they're gentler on your clothes too, so they last longer.
Keep the heat in—and the cold out—with simple habits
A few everyday routines can stop your heating from escaping. None of them require any spending, just a little awareness.
- Close curtains at dusk to trap warmth, but open them during sunny days to let solar heat in.
- Use heavy, lined curtains—they make a surprising difference to draughty windows.
- Put foil behind radiators on external walls to reflect heat back into the room.
- Bleed radiators if they're cold at the top; trapped air makes them inefficient.
- Don't dry clothes on radiators—it blocks heat and adds moisture, which makes the room feel colder.
- Take shorter showers. Water heating is a big chunk of most household bills.
Also, if you have a hot water tank, insulate it with a jacket. And lag any exposed pipes in cold spaces like the loft or garage.
Small investments that pay back quickly
You don't need a full renovation to make a difference. A handful of inexpensive items can cut your winter energy use significantly, and most pay for themselves within a single season.
- Draught excluders, foam strips and a chimney balloon.
- Radiator reflector panels—simple foil sheets that sit behind radiators.
- A hot water tank jacket and pipe insulation.
- LED bulbs if you haven't already switched; they use up to 90% less energy than old halogens.
These are all DIY-friendly and cost from a few pounds to around £30. Start with the ones that address the coldest, draughtiest rooms in your home.
A warmer home without the waste
None of this means shivering in the dark or wearing three jumpers indoors. It means being smarter about where your energy goes. Start with the easiest changes—draught-proofing, a lower thermostat, cooler washes—and build from there. Add the small habits and inexpensive investments as you go. You'll notice the difference in your comfort and your bank balance, and you won't have to lift a single floorboard to do it.
