It's important to ensure you and the people you look out for are the right temperature during the chillier winter months.
Keep your home warm
Follow these tips to keep you and your family warm and well at home:
- if you're not very mobile, are 65 or over, or have a health condition, such as heart or lung disease, heat your home to at least 18C
- keep your bedroom at 18C all night if you can – and keep bedroom window closed
- if you're under 65, healthy and active, you can safely have your home cooler than 18C, as long as you're comfortable
- use a hot water bottle or electric blanket to keep warm in bed – but do not use both at the same time
- have at least 1 hot meal a day – eating regularly helps keep you warm
- have hot drinks regularly
- to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (opens in a new tab), babies should sleep in rooms heated to between 16C and 20C
- draw curtains at dusk and keep doors closed to block out draughts
- get your heating system checked regularly by a qualified professional
Help with heating costs
You may be able to claim financial and practical help with heating your home. Grants available include the Winter Fuel Payment (opens in a new tab) and the Cold Weather Payment (opens in a new tab).
For more information on how to reduce your bills and make your home more energy efficient, go to the government's Simple Energy Advice website (opens in a new tab), or call the Simple Energy Advice helpline on 0800 444 202.
You can also find out about heating and housing benefits on GOV.UK (opens in a new tab).
It's worth claiming all the benefits you're entitled to as soon as winter begins.
More information
The following websites might be of use to you: