If you rent a flat, most of the big energy-saving advice doesn't apply to you. You can't fit cavity wall insulation, swap the boiler or put in new windows. What you can control is how heat is produced, where it goes and how long it stays. This article focuses on those three things, using changes that cost little or nothing and won't upset a landlord.
Start with your bill, not a gadget
Before buying anything, find out what you actually pay. Your energy bill or app shows a unit rate for electricity and, if you have it, for gas, in pence per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Those two numbers decide almost every heating choice. In most UK homes gas costs noticeably less per kWh than electricity, so a gas central heating system running efficiently is usually cheaper per unit of heat than a plug-in electric heater. If your flat is all-electric, with storage heaters or panel heaters, the maths is different and timing matters far more.
Ofgem publishes the current energy price cap, which limits the unit rates most suppliers can charge on standard variable tariffs. It changes every quarter, so check the live figure rather than relying on an old article.
Heat the rooms you use, at a sensible temperature
The NHS advises heating the rooms you regularly use, such as your living room and bedroom, to at least 18°C if you can. That figure is a useful anchor: it is warm enough for most healthy adults, and there's little reason to run a lounge at 22°C if a jumper and 19°C feel fine.
- Use the thermostat as a target, not an on switch. Turning it to 30°C doesn't heat the room faster; it just overshoots.
- Set thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) room by room. A lower setting in a spare room or hallway, a higher one where you sit. Keep doors closed so the heat stays where you set it.
- Use the timer. Heating that comes on 30 minutes before you get up and switches off 30 minutes before you leave costs less than heating an empty flat.
If you have health conditions, a baby or an older relative at home, don't cut temperatures below what's safe for them. Comfort savings should come from wasted heat, not from being cold.
Stop paying to heat the street
Draughts are the cheapest problem to fix and the one renters can usually tackle themselves.
- Doors: a fabric draught excluder along the bottom of a front or living-room door is removable and cheap. Self-adhesive brush or foam strips round the frame are usually fine in rentals too, but ask first if you're unsure.
- Letterbox and keyhole: a letterbox brush or flap and a keyhole cover stop a surprising amount of cold air.
- Windows: removable window film kits, applied with double-sided tape and shrunk with a hairdryer, add an insulating air gap on single-glazed or draughty windows and peel off in spring.
- Curtains: close them at dusk. Thick or thermal-lined curtains help most, but any curtain is better than bare glass at night. Open them on sunny days to let free heat in.
- Floors: a rug on bare floorboards makes a room feel warmer underfoot, which means you're comfortable at a lower setting.
Don't block air bricks, trickle vents or extractor fans. Flats need some ventilation to control condensation, and sealing a home completely trades a heating problem for a mould problem. Our article on condensation and black mould explains the balance.
Get the most from radiators
- Bleed them if the top is cold and the bottom warm. A radiator key costs very little, and many landlords are happy for tenants to do it.
- Don't hide them behind sofas or long curtains. Tuck curtains behind or above the radiator so heat goes into the room, not up behind the fabric to the window.
- Radiator reflector panels behind radiators on outside walls bounce some heat back into the room. They're cheap and removable.
- Report problems. If radiators stay cold after bleeding, or the boiler keeps losing pressure, tell your landlord in writing. Heating repairs are normally the landlord's responsibility.
Warm the person, not the whole room
If you spend long evenings in one chair or work from home at a desk, heating yourself is often cheaper than heating the whole flat. An electric heated throw or blanket is typically rated at tens of watts rather than the 1,000 to 3,000 watts of a portable room heater. Our running-cost comparison shows how to work out the difference for your own tariff.
Layers do the same job for free. A thin thermal base layer under normal clothes, warm socks and slippers, and a hat in a very cold room all let you sit comfortably at a lower temperature. Our warmth without the bill guide covers the kit that helps most.
Use electric heaters with care
A plug-in heater can make sense for one cold room you use for a short time, such as a home office for a few hours, if the alternative is running the whole central heating system. It rarely makes sense as the main heating for a whole flat on a standard electricity tariff. Work out the cost first: wattage divided by 1,000, times hours, times your unit rate. Our home heaters guide and heater safety article explain what to look for.
Cook, wash and dry smarter
- Batch cooking and using a microwave, slow cooker or air fryer for small portions usually uses less energy than heating a full oven.
- Wash at 30°C for everyday loads; modern detergents are designed for it.
- Drying clothes indoors adds a lot of moisture to the air. If you must, use one room with the door shut and the window slightly open, or a dehumidifier.
Check what help you're entitled to
If bills are a struggle, contact your supplier early: they have to discuss payment options. Some households qualify for schemes such as the Warm Home Discount; eligibility changes, so check the current rules on gov.uk. Citizens Advice also offers free, confidential consumer and energy advice.
A simple plan for this winter
- Find your unit rates and note them down.
- Fix the cheapest draughts this weekend: door, letterbox, curtains.
- Set TRVs and a timer so you heat only the rooms and hours you use.
- Add layers and, if you sit still a lot, consider a heated throw before a heater.
- Keep ventilating a little every day to keep condensation in check.
None of these changes needs a landlord's building work, and together they usually make a flat feel warmer for less money.