Reducing the winter bills this Christmas

Christmas can be a very expensive time of year.  With temperatures expected to reach a record low and energy costs a record high this year is going to be hard for a lot of people. However don’t fear as here are some great practical tips to reducing your winter bills and helping you to avoid excess dept this year.

Doors

This might seem simple but one of the greatest heat wastes is through slight breezes getting in under doors. This is especially common in older houses. Don’t worry this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to fork out for a new door a simple cheap draft excluder will help keep the precious heat trapped in and keep you and the kiddies nice and snug.

Windows

Another simple tip is to not have any exposed glass in your windows. What I mean by this is to make sure that windows are properly covered by quality wooden blinds or thick curtains as this really dose help to keep the heat in. Double-glazing can also be a great investment as it can quickly help pay for itself over the period of a few years by how much heat it helps lock in.

Thermostats

Most heaters come with a thermostat that many of us neglect to use. A Thermostat is a handy tool to limit the temperature in your room so as not to waste energy. Just because its winter doesn’t mean you need to heat your room to higher than summer temperatures. Set it to a decent comfortable medium and you will not only feel better but save money in the long run.

Rooms

One of the largest heat wastes that go on every year are people heating every room in the house when only a couple of them are actually been used. Some modern heating systems have the ability to choose what rooms to heat but if not you can do it manually be turning off certain radiators or turning them down.

A growing trend in modern society is for the family to be split up around the home in different rooms doing their own thing. With the holiday season approaching why not all get together for extra family time. This not only means better quality time together but less energy is needed to just power and heat the one room you are using rather than the whole house.

Timers

Finally this applies not only to heating but your festive lighting too. Many people waste power by running their heating all night and when no one’s home. Realistically you don’t need your heating on in the middle of the night as with some thick, warm blankets you will have a snug night’s sleep. Timers can be used to limit your heating to times when you actually need it. Timers can be used for example to turn the heating on half an hour before you wake up so you’re not all getting up to a freezing morning. 

Timers can also be used to turn off your festive lights once it gets late. I have seen too many people leaving them on all night wasting electricity with barely anyone actually awake and around to see them. Timers are also are great if you all go to bed early but want your family’s festive lights to be on for a couple more hours.

All these simple tips might seem insignificant but put together they can really add up to a great saving over the years which can really help out in the expensive months.

This was a guest post on behalf of Wooden Blinds Direct an online supplier of quality made to measure wooden blinds.