Energy Bills Still Too High? 12 Free Ways to Cut Your Heating Costs

We spend a lot of time on this site talking about solar panels, heat pumps, and other investments that pay back over time. But not everyone is ready for that step yet, and even if you are, these free measures should come first.

1. Turn your thermostat down by 1 degree

Dropping from 21C to 20C saves roughly 10% on your heating bill. That's £80-120 per year for most homes. You genuinely won't notice after a day or two.

2. Bleed your radiators

If the top of your radiators is cooler than the bottom, there's trapped air. Bleeding them takes 30 seconds per radiator and makes them noticeably more effective.

3. Move furniture away from radiators

That sofa pushed against the radiator is absorbing heat meant for the room. Pull it forward 15-20cm and you'll feel the difference immediately.

4. Use your boiler timer properly

Your boiler should come on 30 minutes before you need heat and off 30 minutes before you leave or go to bed.

5. Close curtains at dusk

Up to 40% of heat loss goes through windows. Closing curtains at dusk creates an insulating barrier.

6. Draught-proof doors and windows

Check around doors, windows, letterboxes, and keyholes. Self-adhesive draught strips cost under £5, but even rolled-up towels help.

7. Don't heat empty rooms

Close radiator valves in rooms you're not using. There's no benefit heating a spare bedroom to 20C when nobody's in it.

8. Use residual oven heat

After cooking, leave the oven door open to let residual heat warm your kitchen. It's heat you've already paid for.

9. Put a shelf above external-wall radiators

A shelf just above a radiator on an outside wall directs heat into the room instead of letting it rise and hit the cold wall.

10. Check your hot water temperature

Your cylinder thermostat should be at 60C. Any higher wastes energy; any lower risks bacteria.

11. Switch energy tariff

If you haven't switched in the past year, you're almost certainly overpaying. Compare energy tariffs to see what's available.

12. Read your actual meter

Estimated bills are often wrong - usually in the supplier's favour. Submit actual readings monthly.

When free measures aren't enough

If you've done all this and your bills are still painful, the most impactful upgrades are typically:

1. Insulation - loft and cavity wall insulation have the fastest payback
2. Solar panels - costs have dropped significantly with 7-9 year payback


3. Heat pumps - especially with the £7,500 BUS grant