I’m a savvy saver – here’s my hack using A4 paper that can help you cut your energy bill
A SAVVY saver has revealed his genius hack using A4 paper to cut his energy bill.
The thrifty homeowner said that one sheet of paper and a £50 spend on PVC rubber seals had made his freezing house 3C warmer.
His hack comes as millions of families across Britain look for ways to stay warm while avoiding huge energy bills.
Taking to Reddit, he said: “My house has always been cold, and given the energy situation we’ve had to adjust our daily routines to not bankrupt ourselves this winter.
“Last year, we’d be running the heating for up to 3 hours to get it to a suitable temperature for an evening.
The homeowner explained how he had an epiphany while inspecting his front hallway.
“I decided to pay close attention to the cold areas of my passageway and noticed that there was a very gentle breeze around the edges of my windows and door frames.
“After some checking, I quickly realised that the PVC rubber seals had gotten so stiff from age, they were allowing cold air to pass in.”
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A genius hack with A4 paper helped the saver spot the leak.
He said: “To test if you have a gap in the seal, slide a piece of paper between the seal and the doorframe.
“If the paper can easily get through, then air can get through.”
The homeowner, who stressed that A4 paper cannot itself stop draughts, wasted no time replacing the leaky seals.
He said: “I bought new rubber seals to replace the existing ones, which took around 10 to 15 mins each to replace.
“That evening, the passageway instantly felt warmer than before.”
“It’s currently 2C outside, and I’ve run the heating once today.
“It very quickly hit 20C, and has held for at least a couple of hours.”
The saver added: “Assuming the cold weather holds, I could make the £50 I spent back in a week.
“Finding the source of draughts and stopping them has made a huge difference all around.”
Other Brits shared their savvy hacks for finding draughts at home.
One said: “I’ve been going around my house with an infrared camera.
“There’s some surprising holes in my loft insulation and quite a lot of odd draughts.
“But the biggest issue of all is my solid brick walls, which let more heat out than my insulated ceiling.”
Another Brit said: “It went down to -18C where I live last month, so I took the opportunity to shuffle around barefoot feeling for draughts with my feet, an aerosol of expanding foam to hand.
“I fired a load of foam in the gaps where the radiator pipes go into the floor, and found a big hole behind the kitchen kickboards.
“It was unorthodox and my wife is now concerned for my mental health – but it worked.”