THE TEMPERATURE has been dropping every winter, and this year energy bills could be bigger than ever. So, without embarking on crazy insulation techniques or installing new windows, what practical methods can we use to make our homes warmer this winter?

Check your windows

. Most heat is lost through drafts that can be easily sealed. There are plenty of expensive draft-detection kits, but you can use also just use a lit candle or incense stick.

Cook more.Steam from boiling pots and heat from the oven act as top-ups way to heat in the home. Try to leave cooking until the evening when the temperature starts to drop. Lessen the use of extractor fans, because although they get rid of cooking smells, they also suck up hot air.

Wear a hat indoors.It sounds silly, but it will make you warmer.

Reinforce curtain lining. If your windows have seen better days, curtains act as a good defence against cold air, and also as a way of keeping hot air in. If the curtains aren't heavily lined, drape a blanket behind them to reinforce them.

Check the floors.Fifteen per cent of heat escapes through the floor, so check whether there are any gaps in wooden floors or skirting boards and get a decent floor sealant to plug them.

Reverse your fan.Have you got a ceiling fan in a livingroom or conservatory area? If it has a reverse mechanism, switch that on so that it sucks up cold air and recycles hot air near the ceiling back into the lower parts of the room.