HOMELIFE
December 2025
Keeping your home warm safely this winter
Top tips to keep your home warm
Draught-proofing
Small gaps around windows, doors, and floorboards can let in cold air. Sealing these gaps with weather strips, foam, or silicone sealant can make a noticeable difference.
Even simple things, like using draught excluders at the bottom of doors can help.
Using your heating efficiently
Set your thermostat to a comfortable temperature (around 18°C to 21°C is often recommended).
If you have a programmable thermostat, it can also help you heat your home when it’s most needed. For example, you can set it to turn on 30 minutes before you wake up and switch off when you leave the house.
You can close the doors to unused rooms and direct heat to the spaces where you spend the most time.
Use rugs and curtains
Thermal-lined curtains can help to keep your house warm.
During the day, keep the curtains open to let natural sunlight heat your rooms.
At night, close them to prevent heat from escaping and block out any cold draughts from the windows.
Placing rugs on bare floors (provided you don't have underfloor heating) helps to keep your home warm too, as heat can escape through exposed floorboards.
Bleeding your radiators
If your radiators have cold spots or don’t fully heat up, it could mean they need bleeding in order for them to work more efficiently.
Learn how to bleed your radiator.
Avoid unsafe 'heating hacks'
You may have come across some ‘heating hacks’, which claim to be cheaper ways to heat your home. Unfortunately, these aren’t always cost effective, and many of these hacks can put you or your home at risk.
Here’s our advice on the most common hacks or safety issues to avoid:
Camping stoves or BBQs indoors
Using camping stoves, BBQs or other naked flame appliances that are meant for outside use in your home, can place you at serious risk.
As well as potentially causing a fire in your home, using these could also put your life at risk from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Turning your thermostat to a very high temperature
This won't heat your home any faster, it just ensures the heating continues past the temperature you want, wasting energy and money.
Set your thermostat to a comfortable temperature (around 18°C to 21°C is often recommended) and use the timer function to make sure the heating isn’t left on in periods where you’re not using your home.
Covering ventilation with insulation
If you insulate your loft or other areas, be careful not to block existing ventilation points, as this can lead to damp, condensation, and mould problems.
Please note that because of the dangers associated with gas cylinders, you are not permitted to store these in your home.