DIY guru Phill Wyatt has shaved hundreds of pounds off his energy bills by doing a number of quick fixes around his home.
He spent just over £42 draught-proofing his home and making it more energy efficient – but he’s made mega savings.
Phill, 36, from Birmingham, managed to shave £315 off his energy bill with the cheap tricks – some of which just took him a matter of minutes to do.
Armed with a drill, Phill, who is self-employed and runs a DIY money saving YouTube channel, started to block up energy guzzling draught hotspots around his home last winter, when energy bills began to spiral.
“I could see what was happening with energy bills and the economy, and I thought I needed to do as much as I can before bills went up more,” he told The Sun.
In the last year, prices have soared by £1,223 – and Phill has been sealing up cracks and gaps around his home to make sure he’s not spending anymore than he needs to.
Phill’s energy-saving mission was done on a tight budget, but has “transformed” his house.
“Overall, the house is a few degrees warmer all the time.
“It means I’m not using as much heating as I used to, and I’ve managed to turn the thermostat down.”
Tackling energy-guzzling hotspots
From his loft to his lounge and even his front door, Phill has hunted down energy guzzling draught hotspots.
He insulated his loft hatch to keep big draughts out and stop hot air from escaping.
Heat rises, so if you have gaps in your ceiling, it will escape into your loft – so Phill blocked these up to save on his bills.
He bought polystyrene insulation sheets from B&Q for £12, which he cut to size and fitted to the back of the loft door hatch.
He also sealed the gaps too by buying draught excluders which he fitted around the sides of the hatch.
“It was quite simple to do – the loft hatch was in the back bedroom which was really cold and damp and mouldy at the time – but it’s all fine now,” Phill said.
Windows are draughty hotspots, but Phill sealed up his by applying weather-stripping tape around the cracks.
“When I put my hand against my window, I could feel air coming through gaps,” he said.
“I got the tape for about £1 a pack – it was really cheap from Poundland.”
Phill did the same for his front door – and fitted a draught excluder to the bottom of the door, which cost him £5 from his local DIY store.
He also sealed up his letterbox – which isn’t in use – with the leftover polystyrene he used for his loft hatch.
“Blocking up those gaps makes a difference,” Phill said.
Because Phill has stopped hot air from escaping his home, he’s been able to reduce his bills by lowering the temperature on his thermostat.
Last winter, it was set to 20 degrees, but now he’s keeping it at 18 degrees.
British Gas estimates you can save roughly £200 a year by turning your thermostat down by two degrees.
Sealing up draughty windows and doors – including doors to your loft – can save you an average of £60 a year, Shell Energy estimates.
Phill also switched his old halogen lightbulbs for modern LED ones to slash his energy usage.
You can’t buy halogen lightbulbs in stores anymore, because they aren’t environmentally friendly.
He swapped all 21 of his halogen lightbulbs for new LED ones he bought from Ikea – he got two in a pack for £4.
British Gas estimates you can save £55 a year on average by switching to LED lighting.
It means Phill has slashed roughly £315 off his bill a year, according to expert estimates.
“I’m very happy with the savings I’ve made,” Phill said.
What other ‘energy vampire hotspots’ are around your home?
Draught-proofing your chimney may be bad news for Santa this Christmas, but it could save you a whopping £90 on your energy bills.
Invest in a chimney draught excluder to help you plug the chill – they cost around £20.
You might not think it, but your floorboards could be costing you a small fortune when it comes to your energy bills.
Shell Energy estimates that insulating them properly – such as putting a big rug down – could save you up to £180 a year.
