A WOMAN has slashed her energy bill with a common item that costs just £30 – and she's shared how you can, too.
Lydia Sear, 23, has gone viral with the hack which she says is a cheap way to keep your house warm this winter, especially amid the cost-of-living crisis.
The London woman has revealed how she stuffed a foam product she brought on Amazon into the cracks in her floorboards to stop draughts coming into her home.
Floorboards are known as one of the four energy-guzzling hotspots in a house, and stopping cold air creeping in could save you up to £180.
Lydia was aware her home's floorboards were playing a part in her rising energy bill, so she went looking for a solution – then shared it to TikTok.
She captioned the clip: "It's the small changes that count!"
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And, the video reads: "PSA: the gaps in your floorboards can easily let heat out and therefore cost you more to keep your house warm."
The clip then shows Lydia squishing the foam product between the gaps in her floorboards.
The product is called DraftEx, and Lydia bought a 40-metre roll of the 8mm tube for £31.
Her clip has now racked up more than 225,000 views.
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Lydia told NeedToKnow.online: "It has definitely stopped the draft from spilling into the rooms, and I've noticed it more significantly when I've been walking around the house wearing socks.
"As cost-of-living crisis is taking its toll, this is a cheaper alternative if people can't afford carpets but want a quick solution without breaking the bank."
She added: "It turned out quite simple, you can either cut pre-measured strips, or pull directly from the roll.
"You pinch and squeeze the roll into the gaps in the floorboards and use the roller to push it along the length of the gap.
"I used a nail file attached to my pen knife as I felt that was actually easier.
"As the foam is quite spongey, it can be stretched to fit into thinner gaps, and will expand and shrink along with the wood."
Floorboards are one of the known areas that pesky draughts can come from – not only making you chillier, but driving up your energy bills, too.
And, Elvin Nagamootoo, Shell Energy's head of energy product, said they could be costing you more than you'd like to think.
Elvin said: "Insulating your floors can save you around £110 for the average property, and up to £180 for a detached house per year."
Other energy guzzling hotspots in your home include your chimney, loft hatch, windows and doors.
Hot air could be leaking out of these spots, and cold air is coming in, so you're more likely to turn up the thermostat or leave the heating on longer.
But there are ways to block them up for free or for not a lot of money.
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The measures could save you hundreds of pounds, according to experts.
The savings will come in handy for millions of households who have seen energy bills rocket to £2,500 a year under the government's energy price guarantee.
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