Energy-saving tips to warm-up this winter

As UK temperatures are set to reach -4C this winter, it’s a good time to start thinking about keeping your home warm. So what can you do to stay toasty, without having to crank up the central heating?

In Bristol we spend £108 million a year on heating our homes, creating fewer greenhouse gases than any other UK city. But we can still cut costs by a third if we insulate our homes better.

“Schemes such as Warm Up Bristol, which we launched recently, help people access funding pots for energy saving home improvements,” says says Bristol City Council’s Assistant Mayor for Place, councillor Mark Bradshaw. 

Warm Up Bristol has a show home in Easton, illustrating how to heat Victorian houses while using less energy.

You can visit the property at 56 Heron Road, Easton, from 4 December, 2014. Visit the Warm Up Bristol website for more details. 

There are also lots of practical things you can do right now, which can really make a difference to your home:

1. Look around your rooms and block gaps letting in draughts
    
2. Use foam strips to seal gaps in windows
    
3. Put rugs down in rooms with floorboards
    
4. Use thick curtains to trap heat
    
5. Open your curtains in the day to let sunlight heat your home
    
6. Cover the keyhole and letterbox to prevent heat escaping
    
7. Rearrange furniture to ensure radiators aren’t covered
    
8. If you have an old chimney get a chimney draught excluder to block out the draughts, or use plastic bags

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