Keeping energy costs down

Put on a jumper, pair of socks, or wear slippers on those cool kitchen floors. If there’s a room you spend a lot of time in, like the living room, get an extra blanket, electric blanket, or microwaveable hot water bottle. If you’re comfortably warm, you can turn down the thermostat. Most homes are ok as long as they’re above 16°C

Draught-proof your windows and doors - if your landlord can’t help, you can get films for your windows, and draught excluders for your external doorways and letterboxes.

In the winter turn your heating on once a day if possible - the gas in central heating is much cheaper than electric heaters! Don’t cover or block radiators with laundry, as this stops them from heating up your rooms - use racks instead.

Many older properties experience damp, so remember to ventilate your rooms by opening the windows wide for 5 minutes a day. The fresh air will help prevent mould, and the house will warm up quickly again.

Wash your laundry at 30°C to save energy, and use the right amount of washing powder of liquid to make sure its clean first time.

Hang laundry outside to dry and avoid the tumble dryer - even if it's cold, as long as it’s not raining the air will probably be drier than the air inside your house. Plus it reduces the amount of moisture indoors, which will make the house feel warmer.

If you can afford or borrow one, or get one gifted, a dehumidifier makes a big difference to how dry and warm rooms can feel - especially rooms that are more difficult to ventilate or where you’re hanging laundry

Switch off anything that’s not being used - you’d be surprised at how much a games console or TV uses.

Defrost your freezer if it has a thick layer of ice inside - that means it’s working harder and wasting energy to keep the food cold.

Take shorter showers - five minutes should be more than enough, maybe longer if you’re washing your hair.