Most of us have reluctantly turned on the heating recently, as bills soared to £2,500 a year for the average household in October.

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From April 2023, the average cost will rise once again to £3,000 under the government’s energy price guarantee.

In November, the government announced thousands of homes are set to be eligible for a new insulation grant.

Although it’s not yet available, it could save £310 a year on their energy bills, according to estimates.

So, how can we keep the home temperatures high and the energy bills low this winter?

Below, 42-year-old heating and insulation expert Dave Raval, who lives in Hackney, shares his top tips.

Through his work at LoftZone – a company that produces loft storage and insulation – Dave is only too aware of the concern his customers have about the energy crisis.

“A lot of people are making quite radical lifestyle changes at home because they are scared about the heating bill and all the other cost of living increases,” he said.

“There are lots of things everybody could do in their own homes that are quite easy and inexpensive.

“The best energy saving is the energy you don’t use, so looking at where heat may be escaping is key.

“You want to avoid paying to heat the air in your house and letting it go straight out.”

Dave’s top five home heating tips

Draught-proofing

Dave said the first thing he would do in a home is to look for draughts.

These can let the money you’ve spent on heating seep through the gaps.

Dave said: “One cold evening, go around with your hand across every window and door and feel for draughts.

“Older houses typically lose more heat through gaps in doors, floorboards, and windows, so it’s vital to plug these gaps.”

He noted a survey by them found that just 13% of Brits have bought draught excluders, meaning millions could be missing out on the energy savings.

Draught excluders are cost-effective – for example, we tested a handful with prices that start from just £9.

You can buy products online and solutions from DIY stores.

Dave added: “It is worth checking windows and doors are sealed properly, buy some cheap adhesive foam strips to block cold air, and tape around parts of your window can also help.

“Perhaps consider thicker curtains – door curtains used to be a popular thing which has gone out of fashion, but these are great for keeping in the heat too.”

Invest in loft insulation

Heat rises and in a typical British home, 25% of your heat goes out through your ceiling, into your loft and out of through the roof.

Most people have some loft insulation, usually between the joists and maybe two or three inches, but Dave said you need a lot more than you think.

The government recommendation is a minimum is 300 millimetres, which is almost a foot.

Insulation stops this by acting as the woolly hat for your home, trapping the heat inside so you need less energy to heat it constantly.

Insulation is vital for helping homeowners save hundreds of pounds in heating bills every year whilst also helping save the planet.

However, it doesn’t stop at simply adding insulation to your loft.

Most people don’t know that squashing insulation makes it 50% less efficient.

We love to use our lofts for storage or to wander around it for access.

However, Dave warned you to not put your boxes straight on the insulation or board down directly onto the joists.

Doing this will double the heat loss which has a big impact on your bills.

He said: “Fluffy loft insulation works by trapping air so when you squash it you get rid of all those air bubbles, and it doesn’t work so well.

“Raised loft boarding is the best at preventing this.

“A raised loft system works by creating a raised platform for boarding to rest on above the insulation while allowing it to retain its full depth to help with your energy savings.”

Buy a radiator fan

As heat rises, the ceiling gets warm first, then only afterwards does the lower part of the room start to warm up.

To tackle this, why not consider a radiator fan, which you can put on top of a radiator?

It simply blows the heat on to you, rather than let it drift upwards, so you feel warmer, sooner.

While prices will vary, we found several radiator fan options for around £30.

Save hot water

There are obvious things to save water, such as taking quicker showers and having fewer baths, but often people forget the water used whilst washing up.

Use a bowl, or plug the sink, to avoid washing every item under the hot water tap, said Dan.

You can rinse cleaned crockery etc with cold water, too.

Get Thermostatic Radiator Valves

If you have radiators, make sure each one has a TRV – a thermostatic radiator valve.

Most homes have one single thermostat controlling your temperature, but many rooms need less heat.

Ask yourself – does your bedroom need to be hot at midday?

Does your hall need to be as warm as your lounge?

TRVs can be fitted without needing to do any plumbing; they just screw on and allow you to turn down or up individual radiators – easy.