With energy bills putting pressure on household budgets, many Brits are searching for simple ways to stay warm this winter without spending a fortune – and Martin Lewis has a surprisingly easy tip
With energy bills continuing to place strain on household budgets, numerous Britons are seeking straightforward methods to maintain warmth in their homes without causing their bills to skyrocket. Fortunately, Martin Lewis has revealed a straightforward technique that could assist households in keeping their properties warmer for less this winter – and it requires making one minor adjustment at approximately 4pm.
The MoneySavingExpert founder routinely shares guidance aimed at helping people reduce their household expenditure, from his website and social media platforms to his appearances on ITV’s Martin Lewis Money Show Live and the BBC. One of his winter recommendations is straightforward to implement and could even help postpone the point at which you need to activate your heating.
Martin Lewis’ 4pm rule
Lewis previously outlined his guidance on his ITV programme, explaining how households can deploy their curtains tactically to help retain warmth within their homes. His guidance is straightforward – keep your curtains drawn back while the sun is shining, then close them once darkness falls.
Speaking to viewers, he said: “Use tactical curtains. When the sun is shining, it is letting light and heat into the house, so you want the curtains open.”
“When it gets dark, it’s not, so you want to keep the heat in by closing the curtains. I know we all know that, but doing it rigorously can help insulate, especially if you line it with a fleece.”
The recommendation was initially shared in November 2022, but MoneySavingExpert has confirmed that the advice remains relevant.
Why you should close your curtains
at 4pm As the days shorten and darkness descends ever earlier, less natural warmth filters through your windows.
For instance, sunset falls at approximately 4.14pm on 15 November, while by 30 November this creeps closer to 3.55pm.
This means developing the habit of drawing your curtains as daylight diminishes could help retain some of the warmth within your home that would otherwise escape through the windows. Curtains serve as an additional barrier between the warm air inside and the cold glass beyond.
Warm air naturally circulates throughout a room via convection. Air adjacent to a cold window cools, grows heavier and descends, while warmer air is drawn towards the glass.
Drawing the curtains helps establish another layer between the room and the cold glass, reducing the circulation of warm air around the window.
How to make your curtains more effective
You needn’t necessarily splash out on costly thermal curtains to try this technique. Lewis has previously recommended using affordable fleece as a lining for existing curtains, which can provide an additional insulating layer.
He noted there are numerous guides available online demonstrating how to accomplish this inexpensively yourself, though households should ensure any fleece or alternative material used is fire-resistant prior to attaching it to curtains.
For those with the means to invest, thicker or thermally-lined curtains present another viable option. Fleece functions similarly to layers in a winter coat, generating pockets of air that can assist in slowing heat transfer.
Other ways Martin Lewis suggests saving energy
The 4pm curtain trick represents just one amongst numerous energy-saving recommendations associated with Lewis and the MoneySavingExpert team. Additional suggestions include installing reflective panels behind radiators to redirect warmth back into the room and addressing draughts around windows and doors.
Lewis has also consistently championed the concept of “heat the human, not the home” – employing targeted methods to maintain personal warmth rather than heating the entire property when you’re only occupying one or two rooms.
Straightforward adjustments such as layering clothing, utilising blankets or warming only the room you’re actively using could potentially help households prevent wasting energy on unoccupied spaces.
With chillier conditions on the horizon and household finances remaining stretched, implementing minor modifications to how and when you consume energy could help retain some of that costly heat within your home.
Your advice
Sharing their own suggestions for reducing heating expenses, one user on Reddit’s Life Hacks thread proposed using clear packing tape to address draughty windows.
They wrote: “If you have a draft coming from an old double hung or sliding window, simply take some clear packing tape and try to cover up the gaps that make it drafty. It’s not going to completely keep the cold out, but it will certainly slow it down considerably.
“Did this a few times to some apartment windows where the landlord was too cheap to fix the windows and you could feel the room warm up almost immediately.”
Another added: “If your home doesn’t have central heating, you can heat only the most insulated rooms where people spend most of their time.
“The first month in my house, I heated every room and spent 4x the energy I’ve been using since. Invest in a couple pairs of thermal hiking socks.
“If you’re sitting at the computer, stand up and bounce every once in a while to keep the blood flowing in your legs and feet.”
A third Reddit user suggested capitalising on the warmth generated while cooking, writing: “Electric ovens are not vented (not sure about gas) therefore the heat from your oven will radiate into the room whether or not the door is open.”
