Health & Comfort > Keeping warm > Keep your home warm

Draught-proofing and insulation

There are a lot of fairly simple steps you can take to make sure that your home is kept as warm as possible, without spending a fortune on heating. If the building you live in is not very new, it probably won't have been built with much regard to energy conservation.

• Single-glazed windows are one of the biggest culprits for losing heat - 20% or more of the total heat loss. Double glazing is the only real answer, but it isn't cheap. If you can afford it, replacement sealed unit double-glazed windows are the most energy efficient, though often not the right choice aesthetically for older properties. Secondary double glazing (an extra pane of glass fitted inside your existing window frame) is almost as good, and can be cheaper. If money is really tight, even a layer of clear plastic film over the windows will make a difference.

• Check for gaps around external doors and windows - 10-15% of heat loss occurs this way. If you can feel a draught, sort it out. Permanent gaps (between the window frame and wall, for example) can be filled indoors and out with a flexible mastic or caulking, while gaps around the opening part of the window or door need some sort of draughtproofing strip. The cheapest adhesive foam strips are only really sensible for doors and windows that are rarely opened, as they can't withstand much wear and tear. Elsewhere, sprung metal strips or rubber gaskets in a plastic housing work well and last longer. Don't forget to check for under-door draughts - a threshold strip on the floor, or a rubber or brush strip on the bottom of the door should deal with this.

• Loft insulation is essential - 25% of lost heat makes its way through the roof. It is likely that you have some insulation in the loft, but it is worth topping up if the layer is less than 6" (15cm) thick. While you're checking the loft, make sure that any water tanks and pipes are properly lagged - they won't be protected from freezing by the heat from your home underneath if you've done the insulating properly!

• Check the insulation of your hot water cylinder - you may not be losing heat from it to the outside air, but you're still paying more than you need for your hot water if you allow it to escape. Adding an extra insulating jacket over the existing layer makes sense. It isn't necessary to lag the hot water pipes - unless they run along a cold outside wall, or have a long run to the tap, so the water cools before it gets there.

• Walls - cavity walls (the most usual form of construction in Britain) give some insulation, though heat does still escape through solid walls. The insulation can be improved by adding insulating material - plastic foam or beads, or mineral wool - in the cavity. This is done by drilling holes in the outer leaf and blowing the material in, so it is a fairly major undertaking. You can make cold walls feel warmer and help reduce condensation problems by decorating the wall with a material like blown vinyl or cork, or using a thin layer of expanded polystyrene as a lining paper.

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Check your heating system

• Get your gas or electricity company to check that your central heating is working properly - it should be serviced once a year.

• Make sure that you know how to set the controls, and how to restart the system if it is stopped by a power cut, for example.

• If you are buying a new fire or heater, you can call the Energy Efficiency Advice Centre for free on 0800 512 012. They will advise you on the best choice for your type of home.

• Try not to use paraffin heaters if possible - they produce a litre of water vapour for every litre of fuel they burn - just think of the condensation!

• Remember that ventilation is important - never block up air bricks in your enthusiasm for draught-proofing. Some types of heater can produce fumes that may be fatal if the room is not properly ventilated. It is probably a good idea to keep internal doors to rooms that you use regularly open so that air and warmth can circulate.

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Benefits

The annual winter fuel payment is now £200 for every pensioner household - an extra £100 from this year for the over-80s.

If you have difficulties paying your fuel bills, let your supplier know, and they should help you to work out a timetable for payment that you can afford. They won't disconnect a pensioner household for non-payment during the cold winter months, but it is important to keep in touch, and not just try to ignore the bill.

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