Home Security Systems Slough

Low-Tech Ways To Keep Your House Warm Over The Winter There's growing concern about price rises from British energy companies. Here are cheap ways to save money when heating your house.

Use Tin Foil One way to prevent unnecessary heat loss from radiators, particularly on those attached to external walls, is to use heat reflective aluminium foil behind the radiator. This prevents heat disappearing through the wall by reflecting it back into the room, says Sophie Neuburg, energy campaigner for charity Friends of the Earth.

Thick curtains are one of the main ways to protect your house from losing heat through the windows. Curtains with a thermal lining are a relatively cheap option, says Brennand. "The thicker the better," adds Archna Luthra, consumer analyst at moneysavingexpert.com

Double glazing is heat-efficient but it's relatively costly. If you can't afford it, why not fake it? "There's a special film that you can put across [single-glazed] windows" that can imitate the same effect, albeit to a lesser degree, says Neuburg. You can attach the film to the window frame using double-sided tape and then fix it using a hairdryer, she says.

Stop Heat Being lost up the chimney. It's now fairly common to have fireplaces that are merely decorative. If you're not using yours then you should consider a chimney balloon, says Potter. "There's an amazing amount of heat that can be lost through an open fireplace," she says

 DIY draught excluders

are one lesson people can learn from previous generations. "Old-fashioned draught excluders work well," says Potter. "In the past it wasn't unusual to have a 'sausage dog'," says Potter. For the uninitiated, "sausage dog" draught excluders are vaguely reminiscent of the shape of a dachshund

Clear your radiators

Try and avoid placing large pieces of furniture in front of them. At least in the short-term, the sofa you love by the radiator is absorbing heat, says Neuburg.

Shut Up Unused

rooms, says Neuburg. Keeping doors closed will prevent cold air moving into the rest of the house and contain the heat you've generated in a smaller area.

Apex Security Engineering Lt Flint Road, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire SG6 1H 01462 673 43 www.apexengineeringgroup.co