Given the recent arctic conditions, you’re probably wondering how you can make your home warmer. Last year’s headlines about rising energy prices may have left you inclined to shiver under a blanket rather than turn the heating on – but don’t. There are ways to keep toasty without burning money.
Choose your heat carefully
Many people wrongly believe turning the boiler off will save them money, says Jeff Howell in The Sunday Telegraph, but often the boiler is the cheaper option. For example, it is cheaper to keep the gas boiler running in summer to heat water rather than using the electric immersion heater. Natural gas costs around 4p a unit compared to 12p a unit for electricity. So by the same logic, it’s cheaper to turn up the central heating than plug in an electric fan heater and if you’re worried about heating unoccupied rooms, just turn off individual radiators.
Insulate your floors
Insulating this “much-neglected” area can make a big difference to your heating bills and your comfort, says Howell. Even in an otherwise well-insulated and heated home there is a “heat gradient” on the ground floor – your head may be a toasty 22˚C, but your feet can be 8˚C. Alleviate this with underfloor insulation and if you want to push the boat out, underfloor heating – it will help cut your heating bill in the long term.
Clean your guttering
If you only do one thing to cut the cost of running your home, clear and maintain your gutters, downpipes and drains. The most frequent and serious damage done to properties is caused by water, and “all water on earth comes down from the sky”, points out Howell. So half an hour spent clearing your gutters could save you a fortune in repair bills.
Get on your bike
Make a start on two of your New Year’s resolutions by cycling to work. You’ll save money by cutting out transport costs and get fit too, says Roseanna Spero in The Daily Telegraph.
Plan your route
Next time you are driving somewhere you’ve never been before, make sure you plan your route before you set off. The RAC estimate that drivers waste the equivalent of 267 Olympic-size swimming pools of fuel – £2.2bn worth – through poor journey planning. Both the RAC and the AA offer route planners on their websites.
Get down to Pizza Express
If you want to eat out this month head to Pizza Express. Until 29 January you can get two for one on main courses and unusually it’s the most expensive main course that comes free. So if you order a Margherita for £5.75 and a Pollo Pancetta for £9.45, the total bill will be £5.75 using the voucher. Go to www.pizzaexpressoffers.co.uk to print out the voucher.