One homeowner has shared their simple hack to reduce the amount they spend running their heating, making a change they said instantly made their house 3C warmer after spending just £50
As the weather turns colder and wetter, energy bills are set to rise by another 2% when Ofgem raises its price cap on Wednesday.
That’s why those considering turning on the heating are being urged to make one simple check using a piece of A4 paper – it could save you a bundle on your energy bills.
One clever homeowner has shared their method to cut down the cost of running their heating, making a change that they claim instantly made their house 3C warmer after spending just £50 – and it all began with a sheet of A4.
They revealed that their house would drop to as cold as 14C in the winter, and would ‘barely reach 17C’ even when the heating was on for three solid hours.
READ MORE: Energy bills rise for millions as new Ofgem price cap kicks in from todayREAD MORE: DWP confirms millions more people will receive £150 bills discount
However, posting on the UKPersonalFinance subreddit, u/epicmindwarp explained how they managed to boost the temperature of their home by spending just £50 after testing their door frames and window frames for drafts with a piece of A4 paper, reports the Express.
They stated: “My house has always been cold, and given the energy situation we’ve had to adjust our daily routines to not bankrupt ourselves this winter.
“I decided to pay close attention to the cold areas of my passage and noticed that there was a very gentle breeze around the edges of my windows and door frames. After some checking, I quickly realised that the PVC rubber seals had got so stiff from age, they weren’t doing their job – so a 1mm gap would form between the stiff seal and the PVC instead of being sealed – allowing cold air to pass in.
“To test if you have a gap in the seal, slide a piece of paper between the seal and the frame/door. If paper can easily get through, then air can get through.
“I bought new rubber seals to replace the existing ones, each one took around 10 to 15 minutes to replace, and that evening I instantly felt the passageway was warmer then before.
“It’s currently 2C outside and I’ve run the heating once today. Assuming the cold weather holds, I could make that money back in a week.
“The first step in saving money is cutting costs, so finding the source of drafts and sorting that out has made a huge difference all round.”
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