UK households urged to use piece of A4 paper before putting heating on | Personal Finance | Finance

The days are darker and the weather colder and millions up and down the country are turning their heating on again in November.

But with energy bills having gone up by 10 percent – or £149 – this winter, and further rises predicted in January, anyone thinking of turning on the heating is being urged to make one check using a piece of A4 paper, as it could save you a packet on your energy bills.

One savvy home owner has revealed their method to reduce the amount they spend running their heating. Making the change they said instantly made their house 3C warmer after spending just £50 – and it all started with a side of A4.

They announced that their house would get as cold as 14C in the winter, which is below the World Health Organisation’s 18C minimum recommendation, and would “barely get up to 17C” even when the heating was used for three hours solid.

But, taking to the UKPersonalFinance subreddit, u/epicmindwarp explained how they managed to improve the temperature of their home by spending just £50 after testing their door frames and window frames for breezy drafts with a piece of A4 paper.

They said: “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 mins each to replace, and that evening 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.”