Martin Lewis recommends winter energy bill heating trick costing less than £10
Money expert Martin Lewis has shared his essential tips for keeping homes warm this winter and suggests some little-known hacks that could save a significant amount of money.
Many people in the UK are facing high energy costs as the country heads into the colder months. Ofgem’s energy price cap for October-December 2025 is set at £1,720, a two per cent increase on the previous three months.
This figure is expressed as an annual bill for an average home and is not the maximum amount that can be charged. The price cap set by Ofgem actually sets the maximum amount energy suppliers can charge for each unit of energy, so bills continue to vary depending on usage.
As energy debt and fuel poverty continue to rise, this has become a recurring burden for many, year after year.
In the face of falling temperatures and rising costs, Mr Lewis advises struggling households remember to “heat the people, not the house”.
This means not using as much energy to heat the whole house when it is not necessary to keep every member of the house warm.
A lesser-known method suggested by the Money Saving Expert founder is to use reflective panels behind radiators, allowing heat radiated from the back of the device to enter the room rather than being absorbed by the wall.
Mr Lewis explains: “Sheets of reflective material can be placed behind radiators. This is very important on external wall radiators to prevent heat escaping. If you don’t want to pay for these, tin foil can work, but it may not work that well.”
This can be a cheap and effective method; Rolls of heat reflective foil cost less than £10 at most retailers.
Focusing on radiators, Mr Lewis said: “If you have radiators in rooms you’re not using, go and switch them off before you turn the heating on so you don’t waste money overheating empty spaces.
“Changing the flow rate of your boiler can reduce your gas bill by more than 9 percent and you won’t notice the change,” he added.
Mr Lewis’s team of money experts shared some of the key devices people can use to stay warm, explaining how much each one costs. The cheapest include USB gloves (£10) and Microwavable wheat bag (£4), although these cheaper offerings are more likely to warm only one part of the body.
Those looking for a gadget with a larger surface area to keep more of them warm might want to invest in a £35 electric blanket; which usually costs 2p per hour to run.
For a guide to the latest cost of living support on offer, visit The Independent’s regularly updated guide
