Personal Finance Expert shares how you can insulate your home cheaply this winter amidst the cost-of-living crisis

We’ve all heard, or read about, energy price caps and the soaring cost of gas and electricity. Coupled with winter being just a few months away, it’s no wonder that we’re all looking for ways to use less but still keep warm.  
 
Insulating your home can help to keep the heating off for longer, and there are some creative and low-cost ways you can go about it. 

Personal finance expert at Little Loans.com, Dan Whittaker, has shared six ways you can reduce your energy bills by insulating your home, all without spending a fortune. 

1. Start outside 

“If you want to keep inside warm then it’s worth having a look at where any cold or draughts can come in. Check that any unused chimneys are covered, or consider plugging the chimney with a chimney plug. These cost from around £20 depending on their size. Also, look for any holes around vents or pipes and fill these in with expanding foam or decorator’s caulk. Expanding foam costs about £6 and is easy to apply.” 

2. Insulate what you can’t see 

“There will be areas in every home that you don’t realise could do with some insulation. Some old houses have large crawl spaces under the floor, with a hatch to access them. You could buy some cheap foam insulation and place it in the crawl space and, if you don’t use it, block the hatch up so it doesn’t let cold in or out.” 

“Check that your pipes are lagged and, if they’re not, buy some simple foam insulation to put around them. Similarly, you can buy jackets for your water tank, if you have one, that insulates it, increasing its efficiency. Prices vary according to the size of your tank but they are roughly £20 each.” 

3. Double-check doors 

“Keeping doors shut is an obvious way to keep heat in so make sure everyone in your household knows to close every door behind them. Check that letterboxes are properly sealed too and invest, or make, a draught excluder for every room. You can cut up old duvets and sew them into old pillowcases to make one or roll up cheap foam insulation.” 
 

“A loft hatch can let a lot of cold air in from the roof, especially if your roof is in need of repair. If having the loft boarded and insulated is unaffordable, be sure that the hatch is sealed and secured. You could even consider putting some MDF over it in winter.” 

4. Update windows 

“Secondary glazing is a great idea for practically all homes. Secondary glazing is a panel or clear sheet that can be put inside your current window to add another layer of protection. There is an upfront cost for secondary glazing, which can be a few hundred pounds, but it’s a lot cheaper than new windows.” 

“Also, consider adding weather tape to windows to insulate the frames, or seal any holes with decorator’s caulk or wood filler. There are lots of videos online on how to do this so you needn’t pay somebody else.” 

5. Decorate 

“It goes without saying that wooden or bare floors are less warm than carpet. It may be a worthwhile investment over time to have carpet laid, especially if you also use a good underlay. A cheaper option could be adding rugs to your home. There’s lots of second-hand ones available on the likes of Facebook Marketplace or in charity shops.” 

“You might also want to consider the curtains you have. Thermal curtains can keep the heat in or you can add curtain liners to your existing curtains, which serve the same purpose.” 

6. Radiators 

“If you use radiator covers, now might be the time to take them off. If you don’t like your radiators, you could paint them a dark colour which would be a design feature and keep heat in. Many people now use homemade radiator reflectors too: cardboard with foil attached and then placed behind the radiator to reflect heat. Finally, look at where your furniture is placed. If it is covering any radiators, maybe have a move around so you aren’t blocking the heat.” 

Little-Loans.com is a Financial Conduct Authority authorised and regulated credit broker,