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With Winter fast approaching coupled with soaring costs of energy, many consumers in the UK are wondering how to save money on heating bills.  Saving money is the number one priority for most of us, but a secondary effect of reducing heating bills is that we will also be reducing our carbon footprints and protecting the future of the planet. It’s a double whammy and one that we should feel good about.

Insulate, insulate, insulate!

There are a variety of low cost and even free solutions to save money on heating so don’t even consider turning your heating off this Winter. One of the best ways to save money on heating is to insulate your walls, ceilings and roof spaces as much as possible. The more layers and types of insulation you can install in your home the better. While those of us who do not receive any type of social security benefits will have to pay out for insulation, it really is worth the cost. (If you’re on benefits then the government provide some types of free insulation).

On top of laying a thick loft insulation, getting cavity wall insulation and ensuring your water tank is well insulated, there are some other lesser known ways of saving money on your heating bills.

Top Tips for Saving Money on Energy Bills

1. Use a thermal wallpaper such as Wallrock Thermal Liner on your walls and ceilings. Up to a third of heat loss from the home is through the walls and a thermal lining paper can reduce this amount by up to 36%. It also increases room warm up time, which means less energy used and lower energy costs for you.

2. Use thermal lined curtains. Around 18% of heat loss is through our windows. Minimise this by replacing old curtains with thermal lined ones.

3. Do not turn your heating off! It is far better to keep your heating on at a low setting than turning it off completely. When you turn your heating off, the house becomes extremely cold and will require huge amounts of energy to heat it to a comfortable level again. This will cost a lot of money! it may not be intuitive but it’s actually cheaper to keep your heating on at 16 – 20 degrees all the time. I usually have my heating on at around 19 degrees during the day/evening and turn it down to 16 degrees at night (during the winter). I should say when I’m at home I have my heating on at 16 – 20 degrees – when I go out I turn it down to 16, just to keep the place semi warm.

4. Insulate your floors. Up to 10% of heat can be lost through your floors. Depending on the type of floor you have you might decide to use a fibreboard underlay or polyfoam board. If you have wooden floor boards (rather than concrete) at the very least make sure you fill gaps to prevent drafts.

While some of these tips to save money on heating will cost money – you will recoup that cash through cheaper energy bills in the long term. You’ll also have the satisfaction of knowing that your doing your bit for the environment too. Here’s to a warm Winter – enjoy it!