Block Chimneys, Reposition Furniture - and 13 More Ways to Winterproof Your Home and Lower Your Fuel Bills

This winter is set to be particularly difficult for UK households, due to soaring energy bills and other essential costs. The average household can expect to pay £2,500 a year for energy after the government's cap on unit prices, and potentially much more, depending on the size of their home and how it is used. Many people may find it difficult to cover basic expenses such as food and heating over the next few months.

So planning ahead is more important than ever. advance to make your home warmer and more energy efficient. -efficient. Here's what you can do now: from simple DIY changes to more expensive measures.

1. Find where the heat is escaping >

You need to find where the warm air escapes from your home and where the cold air enters. can leave in drafts, windows, doors, floors, fireplaces and attic hatches.

Hold a candle near windows, doors and other places to see if the flame is dancing around suggesting a leak.You can also try a thermal leak detector, such as the Black & Decker TLD100.You can buy this for £48.95 or hire one for just £5 a day at the Fat Llama Market It flashes blue for cold, green for normal and red for hot, so you know where the air leaks are.

2. your doors against the courtyards Air nts

It's worth draftproofing your interior and exterior doors. For the gaps at the bottom of the front and rear doors, the most durable choice is a "brush" windstopper. You can make your own windbreakers for interior doors using rolled up towels or pantyhose stuffed with old clothes, or buy cheap or used windbreakers from sites like eBay.

< p class="dcr -kpil6a">You can buy rubber door seals at DIY stores and install them on the sides of your exterior doors. Install metal keyhole covers and install a mailbox brush to keep the heat in your home.

3. Plug unused chimneys

If there's a chimney you're not using, plug the hole with an inflatable chimney balloon, available online for around £20 - or create a plug crafts with balls of newspaper or old cushions. The Energy Saving Trust (EST) estimate that installing a chimney windbreak can save around £65 a year on your energy bills.

4. Seal your windows