As the UK braces for a chilly weekend, with powerful winds and heavy rain hitting parts of the country, people are looking for ways to bring some warmth to their homes without cranking up the heating just yet. It is autumn after all. But with rising energy prices making heating homes more expensive, taking action now could pay off in the long run. Experts warn, though, that if you’re elderly or vulnerable you shouldn’t compromise your health.
To help you prepare for the chillier months, BBC News asked families and experts to share their tips for keeping your home warm and cost-effective. When it gets cold, many people turn to hot water bottles and blankets – but there are other ways to warm your body. The British Heart Foundation recommends wearing lots of thin layers, rather than one thick layer, to trap the heat in. Natalie, 29, says she’s replaced some of the clothes she wears round the house with supermarket thermal leggings and tops and says “it’s made such a difference”.
Amber Waring, 27, from Devon, says she eats warm meals like stews and pasta bakes, and dances round the kitchen with her toddler while they cook to help keep warm. With the clocks going back this weekend, the nights will be drawing in. So if you have a thicker duvet, now is the time to bring it out. Some supermarkets sell winter duvets for under £20 – look for 10.5 tog or higher.
But there’s something to be said for a craftily placed blanket, too. When it gets cold, Rebecca, 44, from Hertfordshire, sleeps with a blanket underneath her mattress, which she says stops draughts. “This was passed to me by my nan, she swore by it,” she says. Others swear by placing a blanket above the mattress but under the bedsheet.
You can heat your bed before getting in with a hot water bottle, but make sure you check the expiry date. A guide by NHS Scotland, external says to let the water from the kettle cool for a few minutes before filling, only fill it two-thirds full, squeeze air out of the top before putting the stopper on, and don’t hold it directly against your skin. Using an electric blanket – to heat your bed before you get in or to wrap around yourself on the sofa – is “one of the cheapest ways” to stay warm, says Emily Seymour, energy editor at consumer organisation Which?. Testing by Which?, external shows it typically costs between 2p and 8p an hour to run an electric blanket at its highest setting.
The London Fire Brigade, external says to unplug your blanket before you get into bed unless it has a thermostat control, not to use a hot water bottle at the same time, and replace it every 10 years. Keep doors closed to trap heat in the room you’re in. You can place curtains or blankets over your doors for extra insulation. Embrace the daylight.
“If it’s sunny outside, open the curtains so the sun heats the room, then shut them when the sun sets to keep the heat in,” says Rebecca. “If you’re using a hot appliance, let the heat into the room,” says Lianne Macfarlane, 40, from Cheshire. She recommends leaving your oven door open after using it to help warm your kitchen, though this isn’t advised if you have small children who could injure themselves. As well as curtains, other soft furnishings like rugs can help keep a room warm, says Seymour.
If you have a fireplace, lighting a fire to warm the room you’re in can be cheaper than turning on the central heating for your whole house. Elin Davis, 30, from South Wales, says her log burner is more economical than turning her heating on – though she added that “logs can cost quite a bit these days”. Gaps around doors can cause heat to escape, so place draught excluders around your door frames. You don’t need to buy them – you can use towels or stuff socks into a pair of tights.
When it’s a windy day, Seymour recommends looking for other draughts in your house and either finding ways to seal these spots yourself or calling in a professional to help. These include using foam strips, sealant and specialist chimney draught excluders if you don’t use your fireplace. Things such as extractor fans and purpose-built ventilation shouldn’t be blocked, she adds. If your windows are single-glazed, then Sophie Burr of charity National Energy Action suggests looking at secondary glazing or investing in thermal curtains to help keep the heat in.
Or for a cheaper option, some people suggest placing bubble wrap on your windows. Even though it may be tempting, don’t keep your windows closed all the time. Seymour notes that it’s important to allow some ventilation in your house to prevent damp. “I wouldn’t recommend not having your heating on at all,” says Seymour, pointing to both the health issues this can cause as well as how pipes can freeze over.
But there are ways you can use heating wisely. These include checking whether your energy supplier offers cheaper prices at off-peak times, bleeding your radiators so that they’re more efficient, and turning your heating up in small increments until you reach the right temperature. If you have furniture in front of your radiator, then try moving it to avoid blocking the heat. You can also buy dedicated radiator foil or make your own with kitchen foil to reflect the heat back into the room rather than losing it through the walls, says Burr.
She points out that about 35% of heat that comes from radiators is lost through walls. Cora Harrison, 34, from Wakefield, says that she only turns the radiators on in the rooms her family is using and keeps the heating on at a low level when they’re on holiday to avoid mould or pipes bursting. Some radiators have a snowflake symbol on the valve that activates the frost protection setting, meaning that if the room gets very cold, the radiator warms slightly to stop the pipes from bursting. Another way to potentially reduce energy bills is to lower the flow temperature of your combi boiler.
If you book a boiler service, an engineer can do this for you. You can also find free warm spaces such as libraries and community centres in your area by looking online or contacting the council. Some spaces also provide free hot drinks. Household energy prices are set to soar in January, with a typical bill expected to jump by £276 a year, according to a forecast last month from consultancy Cornwall Insight.
The 16% predicted increase would mark the biggest rise for four years. Rising bills are “particularly concerning for people with kids, people with health conditions and the elderly,” says Emily Jeremy, project manager at Manchester South Central Foodbank. An estimated 9.4% of households in England lived in fuel poverty in 2025, according to the latest government figures, external. Rodney Winchester, 65, from Thetford, who spoke to BBC News through the charity Christians Against Poverty, says he’s “extremely worried” about rising energy prices.
Because of health conditions, he says he has to keep the heating on throughout winter but is concerned he won’t be able to afford it. “It’s so scary,” Rodney says, adding that he’s been cutting back on food spending and keeps getting ill in the cold weather. If you are struggling with prices, the debt charity StepChange recommends checking whether you qualify for any additional support, like the Warm Home Discount and Winter Fuel Payment. It also advises contacting your energy supplier, which may be able to agree an affordable repayment plan or discuss support schemes.
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