A DIY whizz has found a £3.50 window insulation kit which could save £500 on your energy bill.
A TikTok user posted a video of herself using the kit, which is from Amazon.
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The rising cost of living and constant cold weather could force you to turn on your heating more often, shooting up energy costs.
But plenty of people are sharing hacks to stop that from happening.
A certain £3.50 window insulation kit could help keep condensation levels down, for example.
It’s a clear film which you stick down over your window to prevent steam from gathering.
In the video, the user peels off a sticky strip, presses it down round the edges of her window and adds the film on top.
It acts as a protective layer against condensation.
Karl Huckerby, a cleaning expert from Spare And Square, reckons you could save up to 20% on your heating bills if you use these kits.
That equates to a saving of roughly £500 a year, given the average household’s energy bill is currently £2,500.
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But do note that depends on the size of your home, your supplier and how often you normally turn on the heating.
He said: “These kits could generally save up to 20% on your heating bills, due to the fact that they normally have the potential to cut heat loss by around 30 to 35%.
“However, it’s important to note that these are not permanent fixes. They’re ideal to use if you’re waiting on other window repairs or replacement jobs, and these foils certainly don’t last forever.”
You should also note that a DIY fix won’t be as good as a professional’s.
Just remember to read instructions carefully, watch a few YouTube tutorials to be sure and take your time installing it.
Do also keep in mind if you order the kit from Amazon, you’ll need to pay extra for delivery costs.
You should browse around other shops anyway in case you find it for cheaper – it might work out best to visit a local hardware shop and save on delivery fees.
You can use comparison sites like Google Shopping or Trolley.co.uk to find out how much an item costs elsewhere.
We don’t know the exact one she bought, but the cheapest one we found from Amazon costs £2.85 and is for double-glazed windows.
Elsewhere, the cheapest we saw was a six metre-long film from Wickes for £6.50.
And we also spotted a pack of two insulation kits from B&Q for £7.99.
Of course, there’s still an option to have it delivered, but you can also find your nearest branch using the locator tool on its website.
Other ways to insulate your home
Insulation is a great way to prevent heat from escaping from your home, and in turn, can save you some cash.
One way to prevent it is to fit loft insulation.
Not only will it prevent mould, but can help you to save roughly up to £300 a year.
You can buy insulation from all local builder merchants or retailers such as B&Q and Wickes.
You can purchase a 100mm thick roll for around £20 for around eight metres.
You’ll typically need three layers of rolls to really notice the difference.
The recommended thickness is 270mm, says EnergyHelpline.
Other ways to insulate your home include dehumidifiers, which monitor humidity levels in your home.
Recently, a few shoppers spotted a dehumidifier for £50 at Argos.
But always keep in mind that their efficiency depends on the model and the size of your home.
And do be aware of running costs.
A dehumidifier could be driving your annual energy bill up by nearly £30, according to Which?.
If you use a dehumidifier for one hour every day, it will cost you £28.52 a year, it has estimated.
That’s based on figures on how much energy will cost under the new energy price guarantee (EPG) tariff.
And you should also make sure your extractor fans are working and clean – you can find tips about that in our guide.
