5 Cheap Ways to Keep the Heat In This Winter

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You put the heating on, the radiator gets hot, and yet the room never quite warms up. Cold air creeps under the door, the windows feel icy when you walk past, and an hour after the heating clicks off the chill is back. In a lot of UK homes, especially older terraces and rented flats, the problem isn’t the boiler. It’s heat escaping faster than it should.

We’ve picked five affordable finds from Amazon UK that tackle the most common leaks: gaps under doors, heat lost into the wall behind radiators, and cold windows. We’ve also included one way to warm yourself rather than the whole room. We haven’t tested these ourselves. The picks are based on product specifications, listing details and star ratings on Amazon UK when checked, and we’ve included the honest downsides for each one.

Quick answer

• For a cold draught under a door: Marwood under-door draught excluder, 91cm
• For radiators on outside walls: radiator reflector foil, 5m x 60cm
• For pushing radiator heat into the room rather than up to the ceiling: radiator shelf brackets (pair)
• For cold, draughty windows at night: thermal blackout curtain linings (pair)
• For warming yourself on the sofa without heating the whole house: electric heated throw, 130 x 160cm

Comparison table

Prices when checked on Amazon UK on 27 October 2026, subject to change.

Stop the draughts

Marwood Under-Door Draught Excluder (91cm) – best for draughty internal doors

A gap under a hallway or living room door can let a surprising stream of cold air across the floor. This is a weighted fabric draught stopper, shaped like a sausage dog, that sits along the bottom of the door. The listing says it’s filled with polyester fibre and seven bags of washed sand so it lies flat, and it weighs up to about 1kg. There’s a loop at each end so you can hang it on the door handle when you’re not using it.

Pros: no fitting or tools, moves from room to room, weighted to stay put, and the dog design is more cheerful than a plain draught snake. It had a 4.7-star average from over 5,500 ratings when checked.
Cons: it’s a fixed 91cm length, so it won’t cover wider doors and may be too long for narrow ones. It needs to be repositioned each time you open the door, and the novelty look won’t suit every room. The £17.99 price was a reduction from £24.99 when checked, so it may change.
Who it suits: renters and anyone with a draughty internal door who doesn’t want to fit a brush strip.

>Check the Marwood draught excluder on Amazon UK

Get more from your radiators

Radiator Reflector Foil (5m x 60cm) – best for radiators on outside walls

A radiator on an external wall warms the wall behind it as well as the room. Reflector foil goes behind the radiator to bounce some of that heat back into the room instead. This roll is 60cm wide and 5m long, 3mm thick, and you cut it to size. The listing says it comes with 12 adhesive pads.

Pros: one roll can cover several radiators, cheap compared with other insulation jobs, and it’s hidden once fitted. It had a 4.6-star average from nearly 1,500 ratings when checked.
Cons: fitting it behind a radiator that’s close to the wall can be awkward, and you may need to take the radiator off or use a long tool to slide it into place. Some of the energy-saving claims on the listing are bold, so treat it as a modest help rather than a big cut to your bill. It does the most on external walls and little on internal ones.
Who it suits: homes with radiators on outside walls, especially older houses with solid walls.

>Check the radiator reflector foil on Amazon UK

Radiator Shelf Brackets (Pair) – best for directing heat into the room

Hot air from a radiator tends to rise straight up the wall and gather at the ceiling, and if there’s a window above it, it can head straight for the cold glass. A shelf over the radiator can help push some of that warm air out into the room, and it gives you somewhere to put things. These white powder-coated steel brackets slip behind the radiator and hold themselves in place, so the listing says you don’t need to drill the wall. They fit radiators that sit 95mm to 195mm from the wall.

Pros: no drilling into the wall, inexpensive, and you get a useful shelf as well as the heat benefit. They had a 4.5-star average from over 1,200 ratings when checked.
Cons: only the brackets are included, so you’ll need to buy or cut a shelf and screw it on with wood screws. Check the gap between your radiator and wall before ordering. Don’t overload the shelf or block thermostatic valves.
Who it suits: anyone with a radiator under a window or a bare wall, and renters who can’t drill.

>Check the radiator shelf brackets on Amazon UK

Warmer windows

Thermal Blackout Curtain Linings (Pair) – best for cold windows at night

Thin curtains do very little to stop the cold coming off the glass, especially on single-glazed or older double-glazed windows. These are separate thermal blackout linings that hook onto the curtains you already own, so you don’t need to replace them. The listing says they’re 100% polyester with a three-pass coating, can be cut from the bottom without fraying, and come with hooks. The pack contains two panels.

Pros: keeps your existing curtains, no sewing, blocks light for better sleep as well as helping with warmth, and can be taken off in summer. They had a 4.5-star average from over 800 ratings when checked.
Cons: the drop is 2 inches shorter than the stated size by design, so they don’t show below your curtains, which means you need to choose the size carefully. Your curtains will be heavier, so check your track or pole can take the weight. They only help when the curtains are closed.
Who it suits: bedrooms and living rooms with draughty or older windows, and anyone who wants a darker room at night.

>Check the thermal curtain linings on Amazon UK

Warm yourself, not the whole house

Electric Heated Throw (130 x 160cm) – best for evenings on the sofa

If you’re sitting still for the evening, warming yourself can make more sense than heating every room. This electric throw is 130 x 160cm, big enough for two people on a sofa, with a flannel side and a sherpa side. It has 10 heat settings, a timer from 1 to 9 hours with automatic shut-off, and overheat protection. The controller and cable detach so the throw can go in the washing machine.

Pros: lots of heat settings, an auto-off timer for when you nod off, washable, and big enough to share. It had a 4.4-star average from over 700 ratings when checked.
Cons: it’s the priciest pick here and needs a socket within reach of the sofa. Running costs depend on your tariff and the setting you use, so take the listing’s figure as a guide only. Always follow the safety instructions for electric blankets and don’t use it if the cable is damaged.
Who it suits: anyone who feels the cold on the sofa or works from home and wants to keep the heating lower during the day.

>Check the electric heated throw on Amazon UK

How to choose

• Find where the cold is coming from. Hold the back of your hand near the bottom of doors, window frames and skirting boards on a windy day. Start with the biggest draught.
• Measure first. Check the width of your doors, the gap behind your radiators and the size of your curtains before you order.
• Think about renting. All five picks need no drilling into walls, and the draught excluder, linings and throw can move with you.
• Don’t block ventilation. Leave air bricks, trickle vents and the vents that gas fires or boilers need clear. Draught-proofing is about stopping unwanted gaps, not sealing a home completely.
• Be realistic about savings. These are small, cheap improvements. They can help a room feel warmer, but they won’t replace proper insulation or a well-maintained heating system.

Free habits that help

• Close internal doors so the heat stays in the rooms you use.
• Draw curtains at dusk and open them on sunny days to let the sun warm the room.
• Move sofas and big furniture away from radiators so the heat can circulate.
• Bleed radiators that are cold at the top.

Final thoughts

A warmer home doesn’t always mean turning the thermostat up. Blocking the draught under the door, getting more heat out of your radiators and covering cold windows at night are cheap places to start. Pick the leak that bothers you most, check your measurements, and look at the latest price and recent reviews on Amazon UK. If cold walls are also bringing condensation, see our guide on how to reduce condensation and damp at home, and for cosy lighting and foot warmers, try our cosy finds for dark autumn evenings.

Ready to keep the heat in? Choose the fix for your coldest spot and check today’s price on Amazon UK. Prices change often.

FAQ

Does radiator foil really work?
It can help a little on radiators fitted to external walls, by reflecting some heat back into the room rather than into the wall. It makes much less difference on internal walls. Treat it as a cheap extra rather than a big saving.

Can I draught-proof a rented home?
Usually, yes. Free-standing draught excluders, curtain linings that hook onto your curtains and no-drill radiator shelves don’t change the property. Ask your landlord before fitting anything permanent, such as door brush strips or sealant.

Is an electric throw cheaper than heating the room?
It can be if you’re the only one using the room and sitting still, because it warms you directly. How much it costs depends on your electricity tariff and the heat setting, so check the wattage on the listing and work it out for your own tariff.

Sources

• Amazon UK product listings for each item, with prices, ratings and availability checked on 27 October 2026 (links above).
• Product specifications from those listings, reviewed in October 2026.