A recent news report stated that one in five people in the UK are now in “fuel debt” and not able to afford their electric or gas bills. It is anticipated that more than 300,000 households in the UK will have slipped into “poverty debt” over the winter.

Energy bills are constantly rising, but many people are now investing in making their homes more energy efficient in an effort to cut these bills.

There are many improvements you can do to your home to stop heat escaping and keep the cold out. Good insulation is the best way to make your home more energy efficient, and whilst expensive, you will recoup the costs in a few years from savings on your heating bills. If you cannot afford full external insulation then even just placing insulation in the loft cavity can reduce heat escaping through the roof, or placing foam edging around windows can reduce drafts.

Even placing heavy curtains in front of windows and doors and draught excluders at the bottom of doors can help keep the cold out and the heat in. And lining curtains with special thermal lining can also help keep heat in.

Electric and gas prices are constantly going up so many people are having wood burners fitted and using wood as the main fuel to heat their homes. You can have a back boiler fitted to the stove and heat your hot water at the same time. Whilst not condoning going out and chopping down trees, you can forage for fallen branches, fir cones (which make brilliant firelights) and use old pallets for burning. You can also then cook on the top of the wood-burner and they are great for boiling an old fashioned kettle on.

You can also change your behavior to reduce your bills, for example having more showers instead of baths and reducing the time you are under the shower, turning off the tap when not using the water, not always filling the kettle to the top when you want a cup of tea and fitting low energy light bulbs.

There are many things you can do to reduce your energy bills. Why not turn your thermostat down a degree or two. If you are cold put on another jumper instead of turning up the heating. Most households run at 24 to 26 degrees centigrade, when really around 21 degrees is a comfortable temperature.

Here are a few more ideas:

– Close your curtains or blinds as soon it starts to get dark and the outside temperature drops.
– If you have wooden floors, put rugs down as heat escapes through the small gaps between the wood joins.
– Chop your vegetables smaller to reduce boiling time to cook them through.
– Place a lid of the pan when making pasta etc to keep the heat in and turn down the gas or electric hob.