WITH hundreds of hacks out there, all promising to reduce your energy bills, it can be hard to know which actually work.
Especially when some of them involve forking out for special gadgets to avoid putting the heating on in the colder weather.
But, according to one interiors expert, there’s a clever way you can keep your house warm – and it’s completely free.
As well as that, it can be done in just minutes.
“The simple trick to saving on energy bills is optimising the layout of your furniture,” Daniel Ufland, one of the co-founders of Flitch, an online interior styling platform, explained.
“Suboptimal room layout can impair heating efficiency, leading to increased energy consumption and higher bills.
“Optimising your room layout Is a practical way to enhance heating efficiency in your home, with the added bonus of improving the aesthetics.”
By being smarter with your furniture placement, you can ensure that heat sources are able to work more efficiently.
First of all, check whether anything is blocking your radiator.
“Is there a bed, curtain, settee, comfy chair or similar right in front of your radiator?” Daniel asked.
“If so, the item will be absorbing heat from the heat source.
“You’re basically spending money on heating up your sofa, leaving the rest of the room cool or even cold.
“By repositioning your furniture away from radiators, you can drastically improve heat distribution, ensuring warm air circulates freely throughout the space.”
If you don’t have the space for a room rearrange, don’t panic, as even increasing the gap between the radiator and the furniture slightly can have a big impact.
“You don’t need a complete overhaul of your living space to save home costs in winter,” Daniel said.
“Sometimes it just takes a fresh perspective on your existing domestic layout to save energy, become greener, and keep your bills down.”
Property expert Joshua Houston shared his tips.
1. Curtains
“Windows are a common place for the outside cold to get into your home, this is because of small gaps that can let in air so always close your curtains as soon as it gets dark,” he said.
This simple method gives you an extra layer of warmth as it can provide a kind of “insulation” between your window and curtain.
2. Rugs
“Your floor is another area of your home where heat can be lost and can make your home feel chilly,” he continued. “You might notice on cold days, that your floor is not nice to walk on due to it freezing your feet.
“Add rugs to areas that don’t already have a carpet, this provides a layer of insulation between your bare floor and the room above.”
3. Check your insulation
Check your pipes, loft space, crawlspaces and underneath floorboards.
“Loose-fill insulation is very good for this, and is a more affordable type of insulation, with a big bag being able to be picked up for around £30,” Joshua explained.
4. Keep your internal doors closed
“Household members often gather in one room in the evening, and this is usually either the kitchen or living room,” Joshua said.
“This means you only have to heat a small area of your home, and closing the doors keeps the heat in and the cold out.”
5. Block drafts
Don’t forget to check cat flaps, chimneys and letterboxes, as they can let in cold air if they aren’t secure.
And when it comes to choosing a position for your big furniture items – like sofas, beds and big chairs – it’s always best to place them next to an exterior wall.
This means they’re acting as wall insulators, reducing the amount of cold air radiating from the walls into your room, and stopping heat in your room being absorbed by the wall.
“If you’ve got tall furniture like a bookshelf or a thick curtain, use that – don’t forget that heat rises, so tall furniture will insulate the wall higher up, where heat is usually escaping,” Daniel added.
