Being warm and cosy in our home in the winter can be a little stressful for many of us!

Keeping our bills low and affordable, but refraining from freezing and making yourself ill can be a real balancing act, especially with gas and electric bills on the rise. There is nothing worse than not being able to heat your property efficiently, whether it be through financial overspend or boiler troubles.

That’s why, when I was contacted a couple of weeks ago to par-take in the #Winterwarminghelp campaign, I was all ears. There are plenty of ways you can heat your home this winter, without the stress of large gas bills or a broken / faulty boiler, and I’m gonnah outline a few here.

Smart Metres | If you haven’t considered a smart metre before, it’s defiantly something worth looking into. It’s the newest way to track and monitor your usage of both Gas and Electric, as well as where your pennies are going on your utilities. It can literally change your living habits and save you money at the same time. If you would like to know where your money is going, and how you can cut your bills and usage considerably, get onto your current provider to know their schemes. Some providers offer their customers a smart metre for Free, whether you be a pay as you go customer, or on a tariff.

Boiler & Heating Cover | There is nothing worse than when your boiler or heating is on the blink and you can literally smell the money you will burn just trying to get it fixed. There is also that small fear every time you turn the heating on or up, that it may not just work and go kaput. Butttt, if you’re clever and have boiler and heating cover, you never have to worry, nor at least about how much it will put you out of pocket. Gas providers offer their customers a pay monthly service in which can cover the boiler and heating system. Should anything go wrong, they will come on out and fix the problem for you right away. This paying monthly option can help relieve the stress of the winter months, and can mean your boiler and heating can be fixed in next to no time!

Active heating systems | Whilst these may seem a little alien, because they certainly do to me, they can be the most useful and up to date pieces to add to your home, that could work out much more fruitful than initially imagined. So what is it? Well, its a system that allows you to control your heating and hot water from a app on a smart phone, tablet or laptop. You will never have to heat a empty home again, and can always walk in from work with a heating system just turning on in time for that long hot bath! Not only can active heating systems save you time and money, but the worry of having a cold home when you coming in from work. Many providers include systems like Hive within their tariffs at an additional monthly cost.

Shop around | Do not be afraid to shop around for a good deal. It pays to ask around for the best price, and then go back to your current provider with other deals you have found. As with anything, shopping for new tariffs with other providers can knab you a ruddy good deal even with your current provider and can save you plenty in the long run!

So whether you are worried for the remainder of winter, or want to prepare for the next one, speak to British Gas  for the newest in technology and tariffs to find you one that will help in case of a emergency, or give you less stress of rising bills!!