Using the cheap item around your home could make a big difference in terms of temperatures and costs
The cost of living is significantly affecting people’s finances nationwide, and Ofgem’s latest price cap is keeping energy bills high for homeowners in the UK. To avoid high bills, many will be searching for energy-saving gadgets, tips, and tricks to keep their bills as low as possible during these tough times.
Listening to advice from experts like Martin Lewis can be highly beneficial, and following tips from energy suppliers can also be helpful. Octopus Energy is the largest supplier in the UK; in 2024, it officially surpassed British Gas for the first time, taking the top spot in customer accounts.
The company is renowned for its exceptional customer service, diverse range of smart tariffs, and commitment to renewable energy. To further assist struggling homeowners, Octopus Energy has compiled a list of ways they can reduce their monthly bills.
One of its energy-saving tips involves sealing up any gaps in your home, especially around door frames, that could let hot air escape and let cold air in. By doing so, it claims that homeowners could shave £80 off their bills.
On the Octopus Energy Cash Energy Saving Tips webpage, the energy supplier says: “A continuous draught can quickly undo all the good work of your heating – essentially wasting energy. If cold draughts are ignored, your heating has to work harder to keep you warm, increasing your energy bills and your carbon footprint.
“Identifying and plugging up draughts around doors, windows, and other gaps can help trap warmth in and make your gas spend go further.” It adds: “Professional draught-proofing can cost a few hundred pounds. You can also find draughts yourself using the back of your hand, or with a thermal camera and make your own excluders for free using old fabric scraps. Average saving: £80 per year.”
You can check for draughts in common areas such as windows and doors, floorboards and skirting boards, chimneys, fireplaces, loft hatches, around pipes and electrical fittings, and vents. Octopus Energy recommends making your own draught excluder for doors by stuffing tights with socks, rice, plastic bags or any spare material you have.
If you’d prefer a more efficient way to trap hot air in and keep cold out when it comes to your doors, you could try another option that’s still cheap – self-adhesive draught-proofing foam strips. The energy supplier says these are the cheapest but may not last very long.
Although Octopus does not specify a particular brand or store to purchase these strips from, various homeware retailers offer them, including B&Q, Toolstation, Screwfix, Argos, IKEA, The Range, and Amazon. For a bargain deal, Amazon shoppers can get Single Sided Adhesive Closed Cell Draught Excluder Foam Tape in various sizes for as little as 99p.
As mentioned by Octopus Energy, the Energy Savings Trust has plenty of information on its website about draught excluders. One statement online reads: “Unless your home is a new build, you’ll lose some heat through draughts:
- around doors and windows
- through gaps around the floor
- through the chimney
“Getting professional draught proofing for your windows and doors can save you around £85. Professional draught proofing can cost around £250, but DIY draught proofing can be much cheaper.”
