The UK is in the midst of cold January weather, with thousands of households looking for ways to keep their homes warm without breaking the bank.

Nancy Emery, home expert at Tap Warehouse, has revealed her top tips for cost efficient heating. 

She said: "People are understandably and unavoidably going to have the heating on more and for longer periods of time. However, effectively heating your home shouldn’t be a financial strain in an already money-tight month.

“There are ways you can retain heat in a room and avoid heat escaping which all add to your home’s efficiency while we ride out these plummeting temperatures.

"Many of which don’t cost anything at all, it’s just a case of making a few changes in the room.”

Re-organise your furniture

The first thing she recommends people do is move their furniture away from the radiator. 

She said: “It may seem obvious, but moving your sofas just an inch or two away from your radiators can make a big difference. Many people have their sofas right up next to their radiators, but this can actually stop the heat from escaping from your radiator as it'll just get absorbed into whatever is blocking it.”

Make the most of cooking

Another tip is to leave your oven door open after cooking. Once you’ve finished cooking your dinner and switched the oven off, leave the door cracked open to let the residual heat warm your home. 

“This will make use of otherwise lost heat and make your room feel toasty and warm.”

Invest in your furnishings

Making sure you’re using your curtains correctly can also make a huge difference in the warmth of your home.

Invest in good quality, thick curtains - floor length are best at keeping the heat in. During the day when it’s sunny, keep them open to let the heat in to your home but as soon as the sun sets, make sure all curtains in your home are closed to trap the warmth inside.

Closing your curtains will help to keep drafts coming from your windows to a minimum.

Never cover radiators

One of the things Emery says you should never do is leave your damp clothing on the radiator to dry.

She said: “Drying wet clothes on radiators will waste precious energy and heat and can prevent your room from getting warm. People often place wet towels, jeans and bed sheets on radiators in an attempt to dry them quicker when it’s too cold to hang washing outside, but this can actually do more harm than good.

“Placing these items on your radiators will block the heat from escaping, therefore preventing your room from heating efficiently. Doing this can also release moisture in the air which can cause mould and mildew which can be harmful.”