Well, it's November and, after a balmy October, it officially feels like autumn. Of course, one of the first things most of us do is switch on the heating - and I'm not going to suggest that you don't - but there are ways to keep your heating costs down.
1. Turn the thermostat down - I constantly read (and put into practice) switching the thermostat down by 1 degree (or more) as it really does make a difference to your bill.
2. Wear more layers in the house - switching the heating on early or for longer can be the difference between putting on an extra layer and not, so try putting on a cardi first. (I work from home and often find myself in my woolly fleece for outdoors simply to avoid putting the heating on for another hour - I draw the line at icicles from nasal passages or wearing gloves while I type!
3. Don't put the heating on at night - if you're all tucked up in bed sleeping (or not sleeping depending on your kids!) try giving everyone a hot water bottle and an extra blanket at the end of each bed that can be used if it gets cold in the night.
4. Shop around for energy. Using price comparison websites such as Uswitch can help you to save hundreds of pounds a year. I ran a cost comparison, found another supplier was cheaper than my current (Scottish Power) then phoned Scottish Power to ask if they could match them - otherwise we were walking!! Anyway, they did. So saving me the hassle of changing supplier while also saving us £300 a year!
5. Close the curtains as soon as it gets dark - it makes a huge difference to keeping the house cosy if you've closed all the curtains and blinds just as it's getting dark outside (don't ask me why - physics and I are not familiar bed fellows). And that way, you won't be tempted to turn the heating up.
Any other tips you've got that work or that I've missed? The heating companies aren't going to reduce their prices so we need to try to make sure we can avoid paying too much more, if possible.
I have loads of money saving tips on my new blog www.athriftymum.com. Would you for you to become a followe
ReplyDelete* Do all your big cooking (stews, cakes, bread etc) when you're in - benefit from the heat - and leave the oven open once you turn it off. Same goes for dishwashers - they create a good deal of heat too.
ReplyDelete* Draft excluders and that sticky foamy stuff round all loose fitting doors.
* Shut doors and only heat the rooms you need to heat.
* Only turn the heating on if you're in for an hour or more - otherwise the heat is wasted.
* Go outside for a good bracing walk - your freezing house will feel warm afterwards - better still, go digging in the allotment/garden!
* Hot water bottles/wheat bags are much more economical than turning on the heating - and really snuggly.... so is a blanket ;-) No fun if your breath is white though.... like it used to be when we were kids ;-)
* Get your roof insulated if it's not been done already - some councils have schemes to pay for it.
* Thermals, neck warmers and fingerless gloves (there's a great knitting pattern for a neck warmer on my blog (nlpmum.com).
Errrrm I'm sure there's more, but I've gone blank and I've got to make tea ;-) Stay warm.