10 Energy Saving Tips That Cost Under £20 for Manchester Homeowners
You don’t need to spend thousands on a new boiler or solar panels to cut your energy bills. These 10 tips cost under £20 each, and together they could save a typical Manchester terrace household over £300 a year. Total investment: less than £100.
1. Switch to LED Bulbs – Save Up to £70 a Year
If you’re still using halogen or old-style incandescent bulbs, this is the single easiest energy win. LED bulbs cost £2 to £5 each, use around 80% less energy, and last 15 to 25 times longer than traditional bulbs.
A typical three-bed Manchester terrace might have 15 to 20 light fittings. Replacing them all with LEDs costs £30 to £60 upfront but saves around £55 to £70 per year research suggests. That’s a payback period of well under a year.
Look for bulbs rated at 2700K for a warm, cosy light that matches what you’re used to. You can pick these up in any Screwfix, B&Q or Home Bargains across the Manchester area.
2. Fit Draught Excluders on External Doors – £5 to £15
Manchester’s terraced houses, especially the older ones in Longsight, Moss Side, Levenshulme and Gorton, often have gaps around front and back doors that let cold air pour in. Self-adhesive foam draught strips cost as little as £3 to £5 per roll and take minutes to apply.
For the gap under the door, a brush-style draught excluder costs £5 to £15 and makes a noticeable difference. independent energy organisations estimates draught-proofing doors and windows in a typical home saves around £45 per year.
Don’t seal up any intentional ventilation, though. Rooms with gas appliances, extractor fans or trickle vents in windows need that airflow for safety.
Compare quotes from qualified installers in your area. It takes 30 seconds.
3. Install Radiator Reflector Panels – £8 to £12
If your radiators sit against external walls (and in most Manchester terraces, they do), a significant amount of heat escapes straight through the wall behind them. Radiator reflector panels, which are basically sheets of reflective foil on foam backing, bounce that heat back into the room instead.
A pack that covers three to four radiators costs around £8 to £12. You just cut them to size and slot them behind the radiator. The British Gas energy team estimates reflector panels can save around £20 to £30 per year for a whole house, depending on how many external-wall radiators you have.
4. Get a Chimney Balloon – £8 to £15
Manchester is full of houses with unused fireplaces. Victorian terraces in Chorlton, Withington, Heaton Mersey and Prestwich often have chimneys in two or three rooms. If the fireplace isn’t in use, the chimney acts like an open window, pulling warm air up and out of your home.
A chimney balloon (sometimes called a chimney pillow) costs £8 to £15, inflates inside the flue, and blocks that draught completely. It’s removable if you ever want to use the fireplace again. Expect to save around £15 to £30 per year per chimney you block. If your home has three unused fireplaces, that could be £45 to £90 a year from one small purchase.
5. Use Smart Plugs to Kill Standby Power – £10 to £15
The average UK household wastes around £60 a year on appliances left on standby. Televisions, games consoles, phone chargers, set-top boxes – they all draw power even when you think they’re off.
Smart plugs cost £10 to £15 for a pack of two or three. Plug them in between the wall socket and your appliance, and you can set schedules or switch them off remotely from your phone. Set your TV and entertainment system to cut power at midnight and come back on at 6pm, for example.
You can also get basic plug-in timer switches from Wilko or Poundland for as little as £3 if you don’t need the smart features.
6. Insulate Your Hot Water Cylinder Jacket – £15 to £20
If your Manchester home still has a hot water cylinder (common in older properties with a conventional boiler system), an insulation jacket can save around £35 to £45 per year. A British Standard jacket costs £15 to £20 from any DIY store and takes about five minutes to wrap around the tank.
The jacket should be at least 75mm thick. If your cylinder already has a thin jacket or factory-fitted foam, adding a second layer on top still helps. This is one of the quickest payback improvements you can make – the cost is recovered in under six months.
7. Hang Thermal Curtains – £10 to £20 Per Pair
Windows are a major source of heat loss, especially single-glazed sash windows that are common in older Manchester homes. Thermal-lined curtains won’t match double glazing, but they make a real difference on cold nights.
You can find thermal curtains from £10 to £20 per pair at Dunelm, IKEA or Primark Home. The key is to hang them as close to the window as possible and make sure they reach past the windowsill to trap the cold air. Closing them at dusk rather than waiting until bedtime keeps more heat in during the evening.
If you already have curtains you like, thermal lining material costs about £5 per metre and can be sewn or clipped onto the back of existing curtains.
8. Bleed Your Radiators – Free
This one costs nothing if you already have a radiator key (and if you don’t, they’re 50p from most hardware shops). If the top of your radiators feels cooler than the bottom, there’s trapped air inside preventing them from heating fully.
Turn off your heating, hold a cloth under the bleed valve, turn the key a quarter turn until you hear air hissing out, and close it again once water starts to drip. Do this for every radiator in the house at the start of the heating season.
It’s not glamorous, but radiators that are only heating at 70% capacity because of trapped air are wasting energy. Getting them to 100% means your boiler works less hard and your rooms warm up faster.
9. Fit Letterbox and Keyhole Covers – £3 to £8
Your front door letterbox and keyhole are small but surprisingly draughty gaps. On a windy Manchester evening, you can literally feel the cold air streaming through. A letterbox draught excluder with brush bristles costs around £5 to £8, and a keyhole cover is £3 to £5.
These are particularly worthwhile on Victorian and Edwardian terraces in areas like Rusholme, Whalley Range and Fallowfield where front doors open directly onto the street with no porch to act as a buffer.
10. Turn Your Thermostat Down by 1 Degree – Free
This is the simplest advice you’ll read today, and it works. Turning your thermostat down by just one degree, from 21 to 20 degrees for example, saves around £75 to £100 per year research suggests. Most people don’t notice the difference in comfort.
If your boiler has a flow temperature control (most combi boilers do), turning that down to 55 to 60 degrees can save another £60 to £80 per year. The radiators will take a bit longer to warm up, but they’ll run more efficiently because the boiler condenses more effectively at lower temperatures.
Total Cost vs Total Savings for a Manchester Terrace
Let’s add it all up for a typical two or three-bed terraced home in Manchester:
| Improvement | Cost | Annual Saving |
|---|---|---|
| LED bulbs (15 bulbs) | £30 – £50 | £55 – £70 |
| Draught excluders (2 doors) | £10 – £15 | £30 – £45 |
| Radiator reflector panels | £8 – £12 | £20 – £30 |
| Chimney balloon (x2) | £16 – £30 | £30 – £60 |
| Smart plugs (x3) | £10 – £15 | £30 – £50 |
| Hot water jacket | £15 – £20 | £35 – £45 |
| Thermal curtains (2 rooms) | £20 – £40 | £20 – £35 |
| Bleed radiators | £0 | £15 – £25 |
| Letterbox and keyhole covers | £8 – £13 | £10 – £15 |
| Thermostat down 1 degree | £0 | £75 – £100 |
| TOTAL | £117 – £195 | £320 – £475 |
Even taking the lower end of those savings, you’re looking at a payback period of well under a year. Everything after that is pure savings on your energy bills, month after month. Not bad for an afternoon’s work and a trip to the hardware shop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will these tips make a noticeable difference in an older Manchester terrace?
Yes, and potentially an even bigger difference than in newer homes. Older terraces in areas like Burnage, Openshaw and Ancoats tend to have more draughts, less insulation and less efficient heating systems. That means there’s more waste to cut. The draught-proofing and chimney balloons especially can make a dramatic improvement in these properties.
Do smart plugs work with all appliances?
Smart plugs work with most plug-in appliances up to around 3kW. They’re perfect for TVs, lamps, chargers and entertainment systems. Don’t use them with high-draw appliances like electric heaters, washing machines or tumble dryers, as these may exceed the plug’s rated capacity. Always check the maximum wattage before use.
Is it worth fitting radiator reflectors if I have cavity wall insulation?
It still helps, but the savings will be smaller. Cavity wall insulation already reduces heat loss through the wall, so there’s less wasted heat for the reflector panel to bounce back. That said, for the sake of £8 to £12, it’s still a worthwhile improvement, particularly on north-facing walls that get the coldest.
Where’s the best place to buy these items in Manchester?
Most of these products are available at B&Q, Screwfix, Wickes, Wilko and Home Bargains, all of which have multiple stores across Greater Manchester. For chimney balloons specifically, Amazon or specialist draught-proofing websites tend to have the best range of sizes. LED bulbs are often cheaper bought in multi-packs from Screwfix or online.
Related Product Guides
Solar Panels — UK Costs, Grants & Installers (2026)
Home Insulation — UK Costs, Grants & Installers (2026)
