UK households warned four heat-loss hotspots in home add £1,295 to energy bills

Four key heat-loss hotspots around the home adding £1,295 to energy bill have been revealed. Laura Court-Jones, energy expert at comparison site Bionic, has revealed four heat loss hotspots around the home you'll want to address as soon as possible to save money on bills this winter.

It comes as the Ofgem price cap skyrockets for households - adding £21 to bills in January. Alex Belsham-Harris, the head of energy policy at Citizens Advice, said: “As colder weather sets in, we’re particularly worried about households with children and those on lower incomes, who are most likely to struggle with their heating costs.

“Without government action, millions are at risk of being left in the cold this winter and beyond. We’re calling for the urgent introduction of energy bill support that is targeted at people who need it most.” Keir Starmer has said it “makes sense to make the change” to winter fuel payments.

READ MORE All the nine parts of UK facing 15 inches of snow on Saturday

He said it was “important to protect pensioners who most need the allowance” and urged people who were eligible for pension credit to take it up.

Boiler

Not all boilers have water tanks, but if you've got a "regular" or "heat-only" model, it will come with one - and a jacket could save you cash .Laura said adding one to your water tank could save you around £155 annually.

Thermostatic radiator valves also allow you to control temperatures room-by-room, meaning you can lower the heating in rooms you don't use as often. As your boiler isn’t using as much energy to heat up the full heating system, it means that your energy bills will be lower.

In addition to the wall, roof and floor insulation keeping the heat in your home, insulating your water tank, pipes, and radiators is a quick and easy way to improve efficiency, saving energy and, therefore, money. With options such as a hot water cylinder jacket, which you can fit yourself and costs around £15, you can quickly start making improvements.

Walls, floorboards and lofts

Laura said to cover all three areas with insulation and you would save yourself around £700 a year on energy bills. To prevent frozen pipes, which can cause hundreds of pounds of damage, it's recommended to leave the heating on during the winter, even when you’re not there. The rule of thumb is to keep your heating at a minimum of 10 degrees, rather than switching it off completely, to avoid pipes freezing.

Bleeding your radiators can help you to achieve a more efficient and environmentally-friendly home. If there are any cold spots on the radiators while your heating is turned on, there could be air trapped in the system, which leads to a reduction in efficiency. If this is the case, you can learn how to bleed a radiator yourself. It's an easy DIY job that will make your home more energy-efficient.

Doors and windows

Sealing draughts in your doors and windows can save you around £290 a year, Laura said. The Ofgem price cap dictates how much billpayers spend per unit of gas and electricity. The cap is reviewed every three months and adjusted to match the wholesale market prices. The new energy price cap will come into effect on January 1st 2025.

The cap does not set the maximum a household will pay for their energy but limits the amount providers can charge them for each unit of gas and electricity. The amount you pay will depend on actual household usage as well as meter and payment type. This means households that use more energy will pay more.

Chimneys

Sealing draughts in your chimney will stop excess heat from escaping and could save you around £150 a year on your energy bills, Laura said.