Six ways to stay warm without turning on the heating and keep energy bills down this winter --[Reported by Umva mag]

WINTER is approaching, and for most families that means their energy bills will rise – but you don’t always need the heating on to keep warm.

The typical household energy bill is set to rise from £1,568 a year to £1,717 a year from October 1 – a hike of £149.

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And while you might think blasting the heating up is the easiest and quickest way of getting warm, it’s not always the cheapest option.

From “heating the human, not the home” to government grants, help is at hand.

Here are six ways you can keep warm this winter without relying on your radiators.

Free money from government and energy firms

If you are struggling to pay for bills, even before turning on the heating, there is help at hand.

A number of energy firms offer customers grants if they are struggling to cover their bills or are in arrears.

This includes British Gas, Octopus Energy and EDF, who pay up to £2,000 to households in need.

Emily Seymour, energy editor from Which?, said: “They (energy firms) are obliged to help you if you tell them you are struggling to pay.

“This could include a review of your payments, a reduction in your payments or a payment break, more time to pay, and access to hardship funds.”

You might be able to get help covering the cost of energy bills via the Household Support Fund too.

The current £421million fund for councils across England and Wales is due to close on September 30.

However, the Government has said it will extend the scheme and pump a further £421million in until next spring.

You may also get help through a number of energy help schemes, including the Warm Home Discount, Winter Fuel Payment or Cold Weather Payment.

Will Owen, energy expert from comparison site Uswitch, said: “With energy bills rising higher ahead of winter, there are still a lot of people in the UK who don’t realise that they may be eligible for an energy help scheme.

“Make sure you check your eligibility, as the criteria could have changed since you last looked.”

More information on government grants and schemes can be found on the government website, gov.uk.

Cash if you’re on a low income

Millions of people aren’t claiming government benefits, with around £23billion a year going unclaimed, based on figures released by Policy in Practice earlier this year.

Not only can benefits top up your weekly or monthly income to help cover bills, they come with a host of other perks too.

Those on Universal Credit can get help with housing costs, while people claiming Pension Credit can get a free TV licence.

Plus, recent changes to the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment mean you now only qualify if you claim Pension Credit – so it’s worth claiming to keep the £300 payment.

There are a number of free online benefits calculators you can use to find out if you might be eligible for help:

• Turn2us benefits calculator
• Policy in Practice better off calculator
• entitledto benefits calculator

Heat the human, not the home

Consumer champion Martin Lewis has previously urged people looking to save on their bills to “heat the human, not the home”.

This means doing what you can to warm yourself up without blasting on a portable heater or your central heating around your whole home.

Naturally, layering up will be the first and cheapest way to stay warm, as you are using clothes you have already bought, costing nothing extra.

If you need more clothes, check out your local charity shop for any cheap buys.

Always make sure you shop around before buying anything though – that means using price comparison sites like Price Spy to see how much other retailers are selling a particular item for.

Other tricks include making sure you eat regular meals, as this keeps you healthy and warm.

If you’re looking to do this on a budget, make sure you opt for a supermarket’s budget and own-brand lines and these are usually much cheaper than premium ranges.

Some supermarkets have names for their budget lines, for example Tesco’s Creamfields dairy line. Check online if you’re not sure.

Look out for energy-saving gadgets to keep you warm without the need for a radiator, such as electric blankets and heated throws which cost just pennies to run per hour.

Wrap in the warmth

There are ways to keep naturally-created warmth inside your home, even if you haven’t turned on the heating.

Opening any curtains throughout the day if it is sunny will allow any warmth to beam in.

But make sure you then close them when it gets dark to keep in as much of that warmth as possible.

Draught excluders can be bought on the cheap too, and are ideal for trapping any heat that is trying to escape.

We’ve spotted one online at Dunelm for just £7 while Habitat has reduced one from £6 to £3.60.

You could also buy a boiler jacket to insulate your boiler and ensure less heat escapes from it, making it run more cost-efficiently.

The Energy Saving Trust says the average hot water cylinder costs about £18 in Great Britain and £30 in Northern Ireland.

Bleeding radiators is a quick way of increasing their efficiency and meaning they have to work less hard to pump out heat too – helping you save money on your bills.

Use food and cooking to your advantage

You can also use the heat created from cooking to keep warm.

If you’ve used the oven to cook your evening meal, leaving the door open afterwards will pump out heat that would otherwise get wasted.

If you’re looking to warm up other parts of your home, leaving the kitchen door open will allow any heat to circulate.

Meanwhile, it can be cheaper to use a microwave than an oven to warm up any leftovers, like soup, that will help keep you warm over the colder months.

It’s all in the movement

One of the best ways to get warm is to move about, as it encourages blood flow around the body.

But instead of heading to the gym, you could do a quick workout at home which will not only warm you up, but pump heat into the air around you as well – and it’s free.

Meanwhile, if you’re in a large family and all in different parts of the house, try and move everyone into one room.

The more people in the room, the more body heat is shared and it means you can turn off radiators in other parts of the house too.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

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