How tenants can keep their homes warm and save on their energy bill
December 11, 2024
Winter is upon us, and a recent cold snap combined with Storm Darragh hints at a potentially colder winter season than we have experienced in recent years. The cold will no doubt be a concern for many this year, especially on the back of the cut to winter fuel help in the recent Budget.
As a tenant, you are usually unable to apply major changes to your home to keep it warm and reduce your energy bill. That means energy-saving and home-warming initiatives including insulation, loft lagging, and insulating of water pipes will be your landlord’s responsibility and not something you can do yourself without permission.
However, there some less expensive ways to keep a house warm that you CAN do for yourself that could also help you to reduce your energy bill.
How to keep a house, apartment, or flat warm in winter
Fit draught excluders under your doors
Keeping a poorly insulated house warm is something that many people struggle with during the colder months. Draught excluders are an inexpensive way of keeping the heat in a room and the cold air out. Plastic draught excluders that you simply slip under the door can be found online and in many high street stores. Fitting these could mean you are able to turn your heating temperature down, or even turn the heating off for a while to help reduce your bills.
Put up curtains (even if it is just for the winter months)
Curtains can help keep heat in during winter. Some people prefer blinds to curtains, but blinds can allow draughts to enter a room from the windows. Even if you only put curtains up for the winter season, you will feel the benefit of the extra warmth.
Adjust your thermostat
Turning down your thermostat by one degree Celsius could reduce your energy bill by up to 10%.
Setting the timer on your heating is also important. It is a myth that keeping the heating on all day is better. If it is very cold, then you could set your heating to come on earlier rather than turning the thermostat up higher to try and heat your home up more rapidly.
If you are unsure of how to use your thermostat, pleased ask your estate manager or landlord for assistance.
Bleed your radiators
Bleeding your radiator can help keep your home warm and save money on your bills. Check to see if your radiator is cold at the top, if so, it means there is air in the radiator, and it will need bleeding.
Bleeding radiators can help improve the energy efficiency in your home and increase the warmth provided by the radiators.
If you’ve never bled a radiator before, the consumer watchdog Which? have a how to guide on their website.
Keep radiators and heaters clear
Keeping your radiators and heaters clear can improve the circulation of warm air within a room. Tucking curtains behind a radiator can make a significant difference to how warm a room feels.
Wear a sweater or wearable blanket
For a cheap and cheerful way of keeping warm and keeping your energy bill low, you could simply layer up and sit under a blanket. Slipper socks are also a terrific way of keeping warm.
Put a rug down
Many people like what is called ‘loft living,’ and a lot of independent landlords kit-out the flats they own in this style. This typically means wooden or laminate floors or even linos, all of which can be easy to keep clean, but can feel cold under foot in the winter.
Putting a rug down in rooms that do not have a carpet can add extra warmth as well as adding some extra character to the room.
Close the doors to unused rooms
Keeping doors closed to rooms that are rarely used will prevent chilly air moving into the rest of your home and contain the heat you have generated in a smaller area.
You can also try these energy-saving tips to help save money on your bills:
- Wash your clothes at a cooler temperature – Washing machines and detergents are a lot better at cleaning clothes now, so washing at high temperatures is not as necessary as they might have been for previous generations. This means people can opt for shorter wash cycles, which can help to reduce your electricity bill.
- Use an air fryer, microwave, or slow cooker instead of your oven – Ovens take a while to warm up, which means wasted energy before you have even put any food in the oven to cook. Air fryers and microwaves begin cooking your food almost instantly, so there’s little or no wasted energy. Slow cookers require a bit of forward planning, but they typically use less energy than your oven and the results are just as effective (depending on your cooking prowess).
- Replace old light bulbs with energy-saving bulbs – By replacing old light bulbs with energy-saving bulbs, you could save up to £100 a year on your energy bill. While this will not keep you warm in the winter, it could help you save money.
Premier Estates provide award-wining property management services across the UK. If you would like to speak to one of our team about managing your property portfolio, please call 0345 491 8899.
Sources:
- https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/boilers/article/boiler-maintenance/how-to-bleed-your-radiators-aqa4I6N1JF5T
- https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/how-to-save-on-your-heating-bill-this-winter-azmsq5x9hzuc-aZmsQ5X9hzUc
- https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/new-research-finds-96-of-uk-homeowners-are-concerned-about-their-home-energy-efficiency-yet-one-in-five-arent-taking-simple-steps-to-improve-it/
- https://hoa.org.uk/advice/guides-for-homeowners/for-owners/how-to-keep-a-house-warm-in-winter/
- https://www.thisoldhouse.com/heating-cooling/21015334/how-to-reduce-home-heating-costs
- https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/debt-savings/energy/energy-saving-tips/
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24757144
