Living in a cold home isn’t just uncomfortable, it can be quite dangerous. Especially during a cold winter.

It’s important to keep your home at a temperature of around 18 degrees celcius in order to prevent health problems.

However, we do recognise that there are many reasons you may be struggling to keep yourself warm over winter – including financial problems, broken equipment or poor insulation.

Should you be struggling with money, we strongly advise contacting your local Citizens Advice Bureau for support.

Top heating tips

Our top tips on heaters and open fires are:

• If using electric heaters keep the space clear around them and don’t trail wires across the floor
• Keep them away from curtains and furniture and never use them to dry clothes
• Turn portable heaters off when you leave the room or indeed leave the house for any length of time
• Always use a fireguard with open fires to stop flying embers
• Get your chimney swept, at least once a year
• It is important to have a working audible CO detector