Thermal or heavy blinds and curtains can help trap heat and reduce draughts. Close them at night to reduce heating bills.

Insulate hot water pipes along their full length. Don’t waste the energy you have used to heat your hot water.

Make sure your radiators are clear so they can heat the space efficiently. Curtains or furniture can easily block them.

Fitting a new insulating jacket to a bare hot water tank can save over £100 per year. Costing just a few pounds, the investment can pay itself off in a few months.

Use the sun to reduce your heating bills. Leave internal doors open to rooms which trap the sun so the heat can spread to other areas.

Make sure your pans fully cover the rings on your hob to use all of the heat being provided. Use the right sized ring for the pan you are heating.

Draught excluders are a cheap way of cutting out the chill from poorly fitting doors and windows. Most are also easy to fit, a simple DIY task.

Are your heating costs literally going through the roof? Check to ensure you have 250-270 mm of loose roll loft insulation and top up if necessary.

Switch off radiators in any rooms you are not using regularly and keep internal doors shut to save energy.

When cooking you can often use the residual heat to to save energy if you switch your cooker off just before you finish cooking. However, you still need to make sure that your food is properly cooked through.