This content applies to England only.

Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. Get advice relating to Scotland

Save on your heating bill

Things you can do for little or no cost to keep warmth in, cold out and fuel bills down:

• keep all doors closed – both inside and outside
• close the curtains as soon as it starts to get dark
• install draught excluders and seal up any gaps – but don’t seal up ventilation flues or air bricks
• line external walls behind radiators with tin foil to reflect the warmth into the room
• set the timer on your heating to switch on and off when only you need it
• if you can’t heat all your rooms when you are at home, keep your living room warm through the day and heat your bedroom before going to bed
• use the Consumer Focus Help Finder to find out about the grants, discounts, free energy help and assistance you may be entitled to based on your personal circumstances
• use the Energy Saving Trust's home energy check tool to see what savings you can make in your home
• look at the Energy Saving Trust's tips for reducing the costs of heating and hot water 
• find out about Directgov’s Check, Switch, Insulate campaign for energy saving ideas

Save on food and fuel

Here are a few ways to save money:

• boil the water you need rather than filling the kettle completely
• let food cool to room temperature before you put it in the fridge or freezer 
• use a microwave to save on oven costs
• use a slow cooker to cook one-pot meals and soup – they cost only pennies to run
• get tips from the Energy Saving Trust on saving energy in the kitchen.

Save on your electricity bill

Try these ways of making savings:

• appliances on stand-by still use electricity – switch them off properly using the ‘off’ switch
• use energy saving light bulbs – they last up to 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs
• monitor your electricity use –  see if you can get  a gadget to help from your electricity supplier
• find out about energy saving monitors from Directgov
• don’t leave laptops and mobile phones on charge unnecessarily
• look at the Energy Saving Trust's tips for reducing the costs of lighting.

Warm Front grants

Warm Front is a Government scheme that provides a package of home insulation and heating improvements for people who are on benefits and either own their own homes or rent from a private landlord. Households may be eligible for a grant of up to £3,500 (or up to £6000 where oil central heating or renewable technologies are recommended).

Warm Front grants can be used to install a wide range of insulation, draught proofing or heating improvements depending on your needs and the property you live in.

You won't have to pay anything if the work doesn't cost more than the grant. In some cases you might have to pay towards the work but wherever possible, the scheme will try to cover these costs.

Contact Warm Front for more information about who qualifies and how to apply.

Local council grants

If you are a homeowner or a private tenant, you may be able to apply for an energy efficiency grant or discount from your local council. To qualify you may need to be receiving a state pension or claiming certain benefits. This grant can be used to carry out repairs, improvements or adaptations to your home.

To find out if you're entitled to anything, contact your local council or Shelter advice centre – use our directory to find an advice centre in your area.

Grants for energy saving

Many energy suppliers provide special offers and discounts that significantly reduce the costs of making energy saving improvements to your home. You may be able to access grants for energy-efficient boilers, heating, loft insulation and cavity wall insulation. To find out if you qualify for any of these grants or special offers, use the Energy Saving Trust grants finder.

Some grants may also be available to landlords. The Energy Saving Trust has launched a campaign to help tenants persuade landlords to make homes more energy efficient.

Houseproud scheme

If you are a homeowner and are disabled or aged 60 or over you may be able to get help from the Home Improvement Trust’s Houseproud scheme. The types of assistance you might be eligible for include:

• help with electrical rewiring and to improve the central heating
• practical help and advice on repairs, improvements and adaptations
• help with planning the job, finding reliable trades people and checking completed work
• low-risk loans that are designed for older people and disabled people.

Energy efficiency help from home improvement agencies

Home improvement agencies provide services to older people and people with disabilities and health problems to help them maintain independence and stay in their own homes, and  can help homeowners or tenant renting from a private landlord.

As well as advising on how to adapt, repair, improve and maintain your home, a home improvement agency can advise on energy efficiency and help you to access funds to pay for some or all of the cost of energy saving measures.

Use the Foundations website to find your local home improvement agency. Foundations is the national body for home improvement agencies.

Understand your landlord's responsibilities

The law says that all landlords must provide an energy performance certificate (EPC) when you take out a new tenancy. This will help you to get an idea of what the energy costs might be when deciding between potential properties to rent. The EPC will give the property a rating on a scale of A to G - the most energy efficient properties are in band A and should therefore have lower fuel costs.
Landlords who don't provide this certificate can be prosecuted or fined.

If you rent your home, repairs to the heating system are your landlord’s responsibility. Find out more about repairs.

Your landlord must also make sure that any appliances that they have supplied meet safety requirements.

Send us feedback

Get advice by email