We’re all looking for ways to save money on our bills.
20:28, 23 Nov 2025
Simple towel method that costs nothing can make your home feel warmer(Image: Maria Korneeva via Getty Images)
With freezing temperatures gripping the UK and energy bills at unprecedented levels, households are desperately searching for ways to reduce their heating costs.
After consulting more than 100 heating and money-saving specialists about the most effective methods to lower heating bills without upfront spending, five crucial strategies emerged with near-universal agreement. These included heating only occupied rooms and ensuring boilers and radiators are functioning efficiently.
However, one approach stood out above all others: properly draught-proofing your home. This was overwhelmingly the most frequently recommended piece of advice, with numerous experts identifying it as the single most impactful action homeowners can take. Christine Matthews, a heating appliance specialist from gr8fires.co.uk, explained: “Draught-proofing is your first and most cost-effective line of defence.”
Additional experts suggested that effective draught-proofing could deliver annual savings of £85, whilst others noted that properties can lose between 10-20% of their heat through windows and doors, reports the Express.
Tips to draught-proof included:
- Use cheap sealer for draughty windows
- Open and close curtains and blinds at the right times of day
- Use rugs to insulate and warm up cold, hard floors
- Use an inflatable pillow, chimney cap or other excluder to draught-proof an open chimney when not in use — this could save another £65 a year.
Yet experts also highlighted the traditional towel technique. Kevin Pennington, who operates Lancashire Air Conditioning, remarked: “This one is one that our grandparents would recognise: buy a draught excluder. They’re often very cheap, and preventing drafts from the hallway from getting into a lounge can really make it warmer for a very low cost.”
But Sophie Graham, a personal finance expert at Sunny, suggests that you don’t even need to purchase a draught excluder. She explains: “Small gaps around windows, doors, or even letterboxes can let a surprising amount of cold air in. Simple draught excluders, weather stripping, or even rolled-up towels can block these gaps and help keep the warmth inside.”
Joanna Smykowski, a law expert, licensed attorney, and senior contributor at Custody X Change, who assists divorced and separated parents with bill management, said: “A strategy I’ve seen work well is sealing micro-draughts – not with expensive equipment but with simple silicone seal strips or even rolled towels at door bases. It sounds basic, but for older homes, this can trap more heat than you’d expect.”
Nick Duggan of The Radiator Centre offers another smart tip for conserving heat without spending a penny. He advises: “During daylight hours, allowing sunlight… through the windows will help utilise the natural heat from the sun. In the evening, closing the curtains… helps to trap the warmth generated during the day and prevents it from escaping through the windows.”
5 simple and free ways to save money on heating bills
- Draught-proof your home by checking windows, doors and chimneys
- Use your thermostat properly: Set it to between 18-21C and don’t crank it up higher when you come home to an empty house as this does not make it heat faster.
- Only heat the rooms you’re using: simply turn off the radiators in the rooms you’re not using.
- Use your boiler and radiators properly: An old and worn-out boiler will be working much harder to heat less effectively. Bleed any radiators that aren’t as warm as you’d expect.
- Keep yourself warm first: using clothes, blankets and even a hot water bottle to keep yourself warm can mean you need to spend less on heating your home.
