04th November 2022
From home hacks to grants and payments, there are plenty of things you can do to take off the chill. Here are just a few of them:
As the days and nights get chillier and everyone tries to keep an eye on their energy bills, we thought we would share some ways to keep warm in the winter without having to crank the heating up.
Invest in Thermal Bedding
There’s nothing quite like getting into a warm and cosy bed at the end of a chilly day, which is why investing in thermal bedding is a great idea. It helps to keep you and your bed warm throughout the winter, and it can be used year after year, making it well worth the money!
Make Use of Your Microwave
One of the quickest ways to boost your bills is to be cooking a meal from scratch every day – ovens and hobs can rack up quite the bill! By batchcooking tasty meals and storing them in the freezer, you can have something fresh and filling on the table in a matter of minutes, rather than after a couple of hours. There are plenty of websites online that you can visit to find some fantastic batch cooking or money-saving recipes – we recommend The Batch Lady and Cooking on a Bootstrap for starters
DID YOU KNOW: It costs less money to keep a freezer cold if it’s full, so stocking up your shelves is another way to save!
Release Your Radiator
As nice as it might feel to get snuggled up on your sofa and feel the heat from the radiator behind you, it could actually be making your house colder! In order to feel the full benefit from your radiator, there shouldn’t be any furniture getting in the way. You can make the whole room warmer by rearranging your furniture to ensure your radiator has the space it needs to circulate hot air around the room.
Sharpen up your Shower
A steamy shower is a great way to warm up when you’ve been out in the cold but spend too much time in there and it’s not just water that’s going down the drain. However, two simple swaps could have you saving well over £200 a year on your water bill.
The first is to trim your times down. Just one minute less in the shower could save you around £80 a year!
The second is more of an investment and might not be possible in every household, but it could save you up to £195. That’s right – waterefficient shower heads can save up to 40% of the water used in the shower, without compromising your water pressure. They generally cost between £20-£40, so you’ll be saving money in the long run.
Cold Weather Payment Cold
Weather payments come into effect if the weather in your area is recorded as 0 degrees Celsius or below for seven or more consecutive days from November 1st to March 31st. If this is the case, you receive a £25 payment for each 7-day period. In some cases, having a child who is disabled makes you eligible for this payment. Payments are made automatically, so you do not need to apply. If you think you should have received the Cold Weather Payment but haven’t, you can get further support from the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus.
Warm Home Discount Scheme
If you are in a low-income household, you may be eligible for the Warm Home Discount Scheme. This scheme entitles you to a sum of money off your electricity bill (or gas bill if you are with the same provider.) The money is not paid directly to you but is taken as a one-off discount from your bill between October 2022 and March 2023. If you use a pre-paid or pay-as-you-go meter, you are still eligible for the discount. Find out more information at the Warm House Discount Scheme webpage on the gov.uk website.
What happens if your heating is disconnected?
Ahead of the winter months, call your provider to discuss whether they are part of the Safety Net for Vulnerable Customers scheme, which ensures that the heating will never be disconnected for customers who are listed as vulnerable. If at any point you are unable to pay your heating bill and your heating is disconnected, making your provider aware that you are a vulnerable household ensures that your heating will be reconnected as a priority.
Newsletter
Join our mailing list and get free Ask Us Nottinghamshire updates via email
Get updates by email