Moneymagpie Team
1st Sep 2025
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Energy costs are set to rise again this autumn, so if you’re struggling to adapt from our summer heatwaves to chillier autumnal weather, we’ve come up with ways to avoid putting the heating on. You can save a lot of cash with a few savvy moves, as well as be more environmentally friendly!
Layer Up
Look, we know it’s obvious, but adding an extra jumper, a vest under your clothes, or even a second pair of socks can make all the difference to your personal warmth. This is a particularly good first step if you share your home or office with other people, as everyone has their own comfort level when it comes to temperature. Avoid arguments over the thermostat by popping on an extra layer – and then when the weather really dips cold you have a stronger argument that it’s their turn to compromise and put the heat on!
Blankets are Best
Just as with layers, a good throw or blanket can make all the difference to staying warm. This is especially true if you’re sat at your desk all day – although a stylish throw like The Wool Room’s horse blanket will probably look better than your old fleecy throw if you’re trying to keep warm at work!
Keep your evenings snuggly too with something like the sherpa-lined Night Lark Coverless Duvets, which feel light as a cloud but are incredibly warm. They’re perfect for snuggling up on the sofa, or to add as an extra quilt to your bedding on very cold nights.
Enjoy Hot Drinks
Sometimes, all you need to warm up is a tasty hot drink. Coffee lovers will benefit from the huge range of flavours you can now get for home machines, like the Tassimo My Way Bundle which includes the compact coffee machine and 48 cups of coffee (in five different flavours from Costa, Kenco, and L’Or) for just £79.99. We recently tried the Cinnamon Roll Latte pods and can confirm they are a true winter warmer! If you’re more of a ground coffee person, try the Aeropress Original, which makes a filtered brew in under two minutes from start to finish, and is super easy to clean AND is portable to take with you to the office or even camping.
Use a Heated Airer
A heated airer is a worthwhile investment especially if you live in a small home without somewhere to put your laundry or a tumble dryer. (Side note: tumble dryers are really expensive to run, too!). Not only will it dry your clothes much faster, it can help to take the chill off the room. Choose a sturdy one that folds away, like this Black and Decker heated airer from Robert Dyas, which has a big drying space but folds flat to easily store in a cupboard or behind a door. The cover helps to dry clothes faster, while the wheels make it easy to move around.
A dehumidifier should be on your list, too. They are handy multi-season gadgets. The Meaco Low Energy Dehumidifier and Air Purifier is an ideal example, helping to reduce allergens in the air which is perfect for hayfever sufferers in summer, while also reducing moisture from the room’s atmosphere. In warm months, that can make a room feel much cooler in our muggy summers, while in winter, it helps dry clothes faster and also helps prevent damp. Plus, they’re really cheap to run at around 4p per hour – much cheaper than running the central heating to dry your laundry!
Grab a Hot Water Bottle
Call us old-fashioned, but a hot water bottle adds hours of toasty heat to your day with just the cost of boiling the kettle. You can even save the water: either reboil to add to your hot water bottle again, or use it to water your plants when you’re done. (Do not drink water from a hot water bottle). You can pick up a hot water bottle with a cover from about £5 for a small one in pharmacies and homeware shops. However, if you want to have a hands-free water bottle experience, try the Wuka Wearable Hot Water Bottle, which attaches around your waist so you can go about your day with portable warmth.
They also do Wuka Heat Patches, ideal if you don’t want the bulk of a hot water bottle while you’re out on a long walk or at work. Designed to help period pain, they’re actually ideal for anyone who needs some extra warmth when they’re on the go.
Use a Panel Heater
Portable heaters can make all the difference in that weird in-between weather as the seasons change. You can take the chill off a single room rather than running the full central heating system, saving huge chunks of cash over time. However, most heaters aren’t that pretty to look at, and if you have a room that’s always cold, a more permanent solution might be in order. The decorative panel heaters by Warm4Less are genius: they look like a piece of artwork, so you can keep them on the wall all year around! And when it’s time to take the chill from the air, it’s easy to switch on and heat a room in minutes. They’re energy efficient and cheap to run, and come in different sizes and loads of designs.
And If You Do Put the Heating On…
A few tips to save money if you feel it’s time to put on the full home heating system!
- Put heating on a timer to reduce the amount of time it is on (it’s so easy to forget to switch it off)
- Lower the heated temperature by a few degrees
- Use SpeedComfort radiator fans to improve the efficiency of their heat by up to 22%
- Turn off radiators in rooms you’re not using
- Take the chill off your mornings by running the heating in off-peak electricity hours such as 5-6am