How do I prepare financially for winter?

Winter costs are predictable, which makes them manageable if addressed in advance. Draught-proofing and insulation pay back within a single season, and suppliers have far more options available to someone who contacts them before missing a payment.

What you'll need

• Draught excluders and sealant (optional)
• Meter readings (optional)

Step by step

1. Do the cheap energy jobs in early autumn.Draught-proofing doors and windows, letterbox and keyhole covers, chimney balloon, loft hatch insulation. Small cost, immediate effect, pays back within a season.
2. Check the loft insulation depth.Around 270mm is the modern standard. Topping up shallow insulation is one of the highest-return home improvements available.
3. Lag pipes and the hot water cylinder.Cheap, quick, and it prevents frozen pipes as well as saving heat.
4. Service the boiler before you need it.Engineers are busiest and most expensive during the first cold snap. Autumn is cheaper and avoids being without heating.
5. Submit a meter reading before winter.It means your winter usage is billed accurately rather than estimated, which usually works in your favour.
6. Consider a level monthly payment.Paying the same amount year-round spreads winter costs across summer. It avoids the large bills arriving all at once.
7. Bleed radiators and check the heating works.Before the first cold day. A heating fault discovered in December takes longer to fix and costs more.
8. Contact your supplier early if you expect difficulty.Payment plans, hardship funds and support schemes exist, and they are far more accessible before a missed payment than after.

Tips

• Check what support schemes you may be eligible for. Many go unclaimed simply because people do not know they exist.
• Heating one room well is much cheaper than heating a whole house poorly. It is a legitimate strategy, not a failure.
• Thick curtains closed at dusk make a real difference to heat loss through windows, and cost nothing if you already have them.

Common mistakes

• Waiting until the first cold week to check the heating — Engineers are fully booked and prices rise. Autumn servicing is cheaper and avoids being without heating.
• Not submitting a meter reading before winter — Estimated winter bills are frequently wrong, and correcting them afterwards is harder than providing a reading now.
• Waiting until you have missed a payment to contact your supplier — Far more support is available to someone who makes contact early. After a missed payment the options narrow.

Questions people ask