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Cheapest Ways to Heat a Home and Beat Energy Bills in 2024

Cheap Ways of Heating Your Home in 2026

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Imaginfires
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Are you looking for cheap ways of heating your home in 2026? We recommend only heating the rooms you use, improving your insulation, and having backup options on hand that don’t rely on rising gas or electricity tariffs. You could also consider installing a bioethanol fireplace in your home – they’re one of the most cost-effective alternatives to traditional heaters, and are perfect when you only need to warm one room rather than your whole house.

With energy prices and inflation continuing to squeeze UK households in 2026, finding cheap ways of heating your home has become a top priority for many families. There are lots of affordable home heating ideas out there that can help you cut your central heating usage and avoid the shock of winter bills.

In this guide, we explore the most efficient cheap heating options available and share some simple steps to help you stay warm without overspending.

How much does it cost to heat a home in 2026?

Heating your home can be expensive, but understanding what impacts your heating costs is the first step towards lowering them. The average cost of heating a home depends on several factors such as:

  • The number of rooms and their sizes

  • The energy source i.e. gas, electric, heat pump, solar-assisted heating

  • Your target temperature

  • The efficiency and age of your boiler or heating system

  • How well-insulated your property is


If you have a gas boiler, you can estimate your running costs by looking at the output of your boiler. The average UK combi boiler output is 24–34kW. If we take the projected gas price for January-March 2026 of 5.93p per kWh, running your 25kW boiler at full load would look something like this:

Boiler output (25 kW) x gas cost (5.93 per kWh) = approx. £1.48 per hour.


It’s worth noting that boilers rarely run at full power for a full hour. They heat your radiators to the desired temperature and then cycle on and off. But even so, heating your whole house is one of the most expensive ways to stay warm. 

So, what are the alternatives?

Affordable home heating ideas for 2026

1) Improve your insulation

One of the smartest ways to cut down on your heating bills is to stop warm air from escaping in the first place. Here are our quick insulation wins:

  • Add or top-up your loft insulation (this could cut heat loss by up to 25%!)

  • Use thermal curtains to keep the warmth in at night

  • Apply DIY window film to create an insulating air gap over single glazed windows

  • Fit draught excluders around your doors, windows, and skirting boards

2) Only heat the rooms you use

If there are certain rooms in your house that you don’t use often during the winter months, we recommend not heating them. This ensures that you’re only paying for the warmth you actually need. Here are some simple things you could try:

  • Use thermostatic radiator valves to control the temperature in your house room-by-room

  • Close doors to trap the warm air in rooms where you need it

  • Keep any unused rooms at a low but safe background temperature (16-18°C) to prevent damp

3) Use electric blankets or heated throws

Electric blankets are one of the lowest-cost heating options in the UK. They’re ideal to use when working from home or relaxing in the evening – or of course, you can sleep with them. According to Uswitch, most electric blankets consume no more than 300 watts, with some single blankets using as little as 40W. This means you can heat your bed for 7-8 hours per night for as little as 1p. 

4) Install reflective radiator panels

Another brilliantly simple affordable home heating hack is to slip reflecting panels behind your radiators. Up to 25% of radiator heat can be lost into the wall behind it, so redirecting this heat back into your room will reduce the need to pay for extra heating. The best part is that you don’t need to fork out on expensive reflective panels – you can make your own using foil over a thin piece of card or foam. It’s not glamorous, but it is effective!

5) Try out these free heating hacks

While it isn’t really possible to heat your home for free, there are a few steps you can take that will help to keep the warmth in without costing you a penny. We recommend:

  • Opening your curtains as soon as the sun appears – even winter sunlight can make your home feel warmer

  • Closing your curtains before dusk to trap the heat in the room

  • If you’re feeling chilly, put on an extra layer of clothing

  • Moving your furniture away from your radiators to improve airflow

Stay warm this winter for less with a bioethanol fireplace

Another cheap way of heating your home this winter is with a bioethanol fireplace. These fireplaces have become one of the most popular low cost heating options in the UK, and for good reason. 

Bioethanol fires run on clean-burning bioethanol, which doesn’t produce any soot, smoke, or ash – so you don’t need to fork out on getting a chimney or flue installed. This could save you up to £3,000 compared with getting a traditional woodburner installed. They’re also exceptionally easy to maintain, with just minimal cleaning required; potentially saving you up to £200 per year vs typical maintenance costs for a woodburner. 

Bioethanol fires are intended as a top-up heat source for a single room, rather than being a whole-home heating solution. This means you don’t need to pay to heat your entire home, just for the fuel you use. A litre of our imaginfires bioethanol fuel usually lasts for around 4 hours, with a 12-bottle pack of fuel currently costing £46.99. This means it will cost just 97p per hour to run your biofire, which is significantly cheaper than running electric heating at an average cost of £1.48 per hour.

Want to discover the cost benefits of bioethanol for yourself? Explore our full range of bioethanol fireplaces and get ready to cut your bills without sacrificing your comfort.

Explore our full range of bioethanol fireplaces

How to Choose the Right Bioethanol Fireplace for Your Room Size

How to Style a Bioethanol Fireplace for Christmas and Winter

The Disadvantages of Bioethanol Fireplaces

Frequently asked questions

  • Do bioethanol fireplaces give off real heat?

    Yes. Absolutely. Whilst our bioethanol fireplaces are not intended to replace your main heating, e.g. central heating, they will make a perfect additional heating source when you would like to create a more gentle atmosphere, with that real flame, cosy feeling. The actual amount of heat output from our bioethanol fireplaces depends on a number of factors (room size, presence of drafts etc), but typically they will give off 2kw. For easy comparison, this is the equivalent of an electric heater on medium setting, or an increase in room temperature of 3 to 4 degrees. We're still working a way of measuring how much more cosy one of our bioethanol fireplaces will make any room! 

  • Can bioethanol fireplaces be used as a primary heating source?

    Bioethanol fireplaces are mainly designed as a decorative or aesthetically-pleasing item that can enhance the ambiance of a space, whilst offering some additional, supplementary heat from a warming flame.  

    What to consider when using a bioethanol fireplace as a heating source?

    • Heating capacity: Bioethanol fireplaces generate radiant heat, which can warm up immediate surroundings and create a cosy atmosphere.
    • Supplemental use: They are most effective when used as a supplemental heat source in conjunction with other heating methods.
    • Ideal for smaller spaces: Bioethanol fireplaces are well-suited for smaller rooms or well-insulated areas where they can make a noticeable difference.

    Need more information on using bioethanol fireplaces for heating purposes? Please contact our team today to find out more.

  • Are bioethanol fires an efficient way to heat a room?

    Perhaps surprisingly, this is a very common question that confuses many people!

    While biofires are not intended as a primary heat source for your home, your bioethanol fireplace gives off plenty of heat, with much better fuel efficiency than a wood-burning stove (which loses around 40% of its heat up the chimney). 

    So with our fireplaces you can close off the chimney (with a proprietary chimney sock or similar) and finish off above the fireplace with a piece of fireboard or similar for that added bit of protection.

  • How much heat will my Imaginfires biofuel fireplace generate?

    Some people think that a bioethanol fireplace is purely decorative — this is not true. A bioethanol fireplace can warm your room to a comfortable, cosy temperature — offering controllable heat from a beautiful, real flame. However, buy a bioethanol fireplace suitable for your room’s size, and you’ll be very happy with your warm, cosy space.

    How does Imaginfires bioethanol fireplace compare to other heaters?

    In general, a bioethanol fireplace produces around 3kWh of heat. This is roughly equivalent to an electric radiator running at medium — perfect for taking the edge off the cold in the autumn and early winter. 

    In deepest winter, you may need to run your central heating and your biofire — but running both will mean that you don’t need to push your gas boiler so hard, which will help reduce your gas bills. 

    A bioethanol fireplace is perfect if you want to heat one room, not the whole house. 

    We love heating the living room with bioethanol and leaving the heating off in the rest of the home. That way, you really notice the toastiness in the living room when you return from making a cup of tea in the kitchen. 

    Biofire is an environmentally-friendly heating option

    Bioethanol fuel provides a guilt-free flame — it’s carbon neutral and doesn’t pollute the air or damage the environment. 

    And, of course, with the spiralling price of gas and electricity, bioethanol puts you in control of your heating bills. You can rest assured that you’re using a green energy source that doesn’t pollute or damage the environment. 

    Many of our bioethanol fireplaces are portable, so you can use them outside. However, be aware that your bioethanol fuel is unlikely to last as long in windy conditions. 

    Bioethanol fireplaces are perfect for conservatories because you don’t need a flue or chimney to run your fire safely. Just fill your fireplace with bioethanol, light the flame, and enjoy a toasty warmth without the hassle or mess of burning wood or coal.