How to Keep Warm for Less This Winter

With energy prices being hiked once again, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the cost of living is rising above a comfortable threshold for many families in the UK. Heating your home is now more expensive than it ever has been, with the average bill being around £1,300 per year. This is simply too much for many families, and a lot of people are currently in arrears to their energy company. This means that they can’t switch suppliers to get the best price, and the ‘worst offenders’ may be put on a pre-payment meter, which means you have to add money onto a key or a card in order to get your energy. Unfortunately, this is often the most expensive method of paying for gas and electricity which means that those who need cheaper energy the most simply aren’t getting it.

While the system can feel unfair and seem like it’s more about making big profits for the energy companies than keeping vulnerable people warm in their homes, it’s not looking likely that the prices are going to drop to a manageable level any time soon. Although this is frustrating, there are a number of things you can do in order to keep your bills down and to beat the price hikes.
When it comes to keeping warm, the secret lies in layers. Putting one big jumper on over your clothing may make you warmer for a little while, but it won’t do a lot in the longer term. If you can, layer up your clothing so that you’re wearing a vest, a long-sleeved top, a t-shirt and a jumper. The layers will trap the heat in and make it easier to take them on or off depending on your core temperature. Wearing a thin scarf and covering up areas where you skin could be exposed (such as ankles and lower back) can also make a huge difference, so try this before you put your heating on.

Cutting back on energy costs covers more than just the heating. Where possible, you should always try to fill your oven when putting it on. If you need to cook some food to reheat later then do so, and remember that you can always cook fresh food and freeze it to make it last longer. This will not only utilise all of the space and energy in your oven, but it will also fill your freezer up. Believe it or not, fridges and freezers work much more efficiently and are much cheaper to run if they’re full.
If you’re looking to move house at any point, then keep in mind that gas is much cheaper than electric, so always choose a gas central-heated house with a gas cooker where you can. The more appliances you have which use gas the better, as the electric equivalent would cost much more in the long run. Also, cooking on a gas hob means that you save both time and energy as the heat is pretty much instant.
This article has been written by Coral Pearce Mariner on behalf of https://nofeeloansuk.co.uk. For more top money saving tips visit their website.