2025 was a year of rising energy costs, but now that the winter has produced cold weather, frosty mornings, and heavy snow – beyond a short-lived ‘snap’ – you might be looking to keep warm, but at the same time, keep your energy costs low.
Most people around this time of year baulk at the prospect of turning the heating on, myself included. If turning the heating on is out of your budget, even if you opt for a constant low base temperature, then here are some options for keeping yourself warm this winter without putting the heating on or breaking the bank.
As a 50 plus woman, I feel the slightest drop in celsius deep in my bones so I’ve got an arsenal of tips for keeping warm year round, not just in the winter. Below, I’ll list some of the best ways I’ve found to keep warm in the winter.
The best ways to keep warm in the winter (without putting on your heating)
Now, doing one of these and expecting to feel like you’re sitting in a sauna isn’t going to happen. Most likely, you’ll need to try a combination of different things simultaneously to increase your body – and perhaps room – temperature. For example, laying towels across the bottom of your external doors to prevent draughts, buying or moving rugs to under your feet, thick clothing, and having a hot drink will be more beneficial than solely moving your sofa away from an external wall.
If you’re after just buying an electric heater and being done with it, we’ve found some good discounts in the January sales, but these won’t hang around forever so be quick. Even outside of the sales, an electric heater is often more cost effective than turning on your central heating, as you’ll only be heating the room the heater is in, rather than your whole home. Even more efficient is a heated blanket, warming just you instead of a whole room. We’ve listed three of our favourite heating products below:
~ Our favourite heating deals ~
Dimplex 1.5kW Electric Radiator
£63.65
Kinmaizi Electric Heated Blanket
£24.55
De’Longhi Slimline Electric Heater
£79.99
But if you’re not keen on spending money to save money, here are some hints and tips for keeping warm at home by using things you already own (or are capable of doing yourself).
Tips for keeping warm at home
1. Cold on the sofa? Cover yourself with a thick blanket or your duvet.
2. This one’s obvious: layer your clothes, wear several thin layers rather than one thick jumper. The spaces between the layers traps air, which warms as your body temperature heats it up. Go for a long sleeve top or a thermal base layer, a breathable fleece, then your thick jumper.
3. Stick a hot water bottle under your jumper while you’re watching your evening telly, or, place it under your duvet around 10 minutes before you go to bed to make it nice and toasty.
4. You might feel a bit silly doing this one indoors, but there’s no one looking through your window waiting to judge you: wear a hat and gloves, or even a scarf. The ‘you lose most of your heat through the top of your head’ is a long-debunked myth, initially circulated by the US military in the 1950s. But, if the rest of your body is wrapped up warm, the only place left for your body to lose heat will be your head. If you cover that too, you’ll put yourself in the best position to retain the majority of your body heat.
5. Similar to number 3, you can layer your socks instead of wearing one thick pair. Go for a thin pair then a nice fuzzy or thermal pair. If your tootsies get particularly cold, layer up some thick pairs. Remember to stick your slippers on as well.
6. Hot drinks, soups, stews… There’s a reason why the majority of Britain’s winter meals are hot – they warm you from the inside out.
Crack out your slow cooker and make yourself casseroles, chasseurs, a hotpot, soups, a shepherd’s pie, goulash (it doesn’t have to be traditional) or whatever’s usually on your winter meal plan.
7. Another quite obvious one: do a bit of light exercising. Not only will this raise your body temperature, it’ll also keep you fit. Flick the kettle on and do squats until it’s boiled, for example. During your TV programmes ad break, do some standing marches or star jumps, or perhaps lunge your way to the loo and back. Even just have a boogie while you’re cooking dinner.
8. That brings me onto my next one: leave the oven door open when you’ve finished cooking your dinner. Let that 180C heat escape into your kitchen. If your dinner table or sofa is in a cold room, you can always move a chair round to the kitchen and sit with a tea tray while you’re eating (this might be harder if you have many house members).
9. If you have rugs around your house, you can temporarily move them to the room you use the most. Move a hallway rug to the living room, for example. It just provides another layer of insulation.
10. Move your sofa away from external walls and windows so you’re sitting far away from any potential draughts.
11. I know I said these were tips that didn’t require any extra purchase, but one thing to consider is the tog size of your duvet. If you’re using a 4.5 tog year round and are freezing overnight, then it might be worth investing in a 10.5, 13.5 or 15 tog duvet for winter use, depending on how cold you get. Simple & Homely editor Sydney has dual duvet, which splits into 3 and 7.5 tog covers for summer and cooler temperatures or combines to 10.5 for frosty nights.
12. In summer, you keep your house cool by keeping the curtains closed during the day and opening them at night. In winter, you do the opposite – letting the sun’s rays in during the day can provide fleeting warmth.
