Warming up your home during the winter doesn't have to cost you a fortune in electricity bills! These simple hacks are lifesavers during the coldest of winters. Find out how you can keep your place warm all season long!

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. Foil specially designed for the purpose can be bought for under £10. “You can even use good quality kitchen foil,” says Carl Brennand, assistant manager of website Moneymagpie, although it’s generally not as effective.

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. If you don’t want to splash out on new curtains you can line them yourself with materials like cheap fleece, says Brennand. “You can even use PVC shower curtains,” he suggests. And it’s not just windows that can have curtains. Placing a curtain in front of doors to the outside adds another layer of protection. And it doesn’t even need to be a curtain. “My gran used to have an old rug that she used to pin up over the back of the front door,” says interior designer Claire Potter.

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. A chimney balloon, made from a special laminate, can be bought for about £20 and works by being placed inside the chimney hole, just out of sight. It’s then inflated until it completely shuts out any incoming cold air or escaping heat. Just be sure not to start a fire without removing it. There are also woollen chimney insulators on the market. But again, make sure you remove them before starting any fires.

Watch out for mini-draughts. “Lots of draught comes through the letterbox,” says Potter. It’s worthwhile putting an extra barrier there in the form of a “brush”. They may be a nightmare for junk-mailers trying to force through that 15th pizza takeaway offer, but they could prevent a chill breezing through the house. The same goes for keyholes, which can be protected with “simple circular (keyhole covers) that slip over the top”, says Potter, especially with the older, wider keyholes. Cat or dog flaps can also be filled with some sheep’s wool insulation or pieces of blanket. “It’s amazing how even a small draught can make a room a lot colder, so if you can cut that bit of air out it immediately makes a difference,” says Potter.

Putting a shelf above the radiator, especially if you have high ceilings, can also help channel the warmth, adds Neuburg. But it’s important not to place things on the radiator itself, she says, “You can put a shelf above it to stop the hot air rising directly above it.” This is particularly the case if the radiator is below a window with curtains, where warm air would be trapped between the window and the curtain.

It doesn't take much effort to warm up your home with these simple tips. You'll be saving yourself so much in energy bills with these hacks.

For more on how to keep your place warm this winter, be sure to check out BBC.