12 Ways To Keep Warm Working From Home This Winter

Beat the chill without the sky-high bills this winter. These clever energy-efficient ways will help to keep you warm while working from home, without having to buy anything new.

Working from home definitely has its benefits. For a start, there’s zero commute to contend with. There’s a lot to love about logging in to your morning team meeting without battling traffic or packed trains first.

Yet the one big downside for many of us WFH-ers is the energy bills. Energy prices are at frankly ridiculous levels right now, and needless to say, we are all looking for ways to cut our bills while we work.

Although I have an entire post dedicated to easy energy-saving tips, I didn’t have anything specific on working from home. I’ve been working solely from home for over four years now. In that time I’ve racked up some clever tips on how to keep warm without racking up big energy bills. So to help you out, I want to share them with you so you can slash your energy bills.

12 Clever Ways To Keep Warm While Working From Home (Without Cranking Up The Heating)

Most articles about keeping warm want to sell you gadgets you never knew you wanted or needed.

I always think that spending money to save money can be a bit hit or miss. I mean, when it comes to home insulation, spending money on that is a hit. But when it comes to things like heated gilets, they do sound toasty. However, would using a hot water bottle that you already own work out cheaper?

A cup warmer, for example, also sounds good. But how often do you let your cup of tea or coffee go cold? An insulated cup or flask you already own would do a similar job. You can also use a flask outside the home, making it more practical.

As such, I’m focusing on things you can do to keep warm without spending money.

I don’t put my heating on while I’m working. Instead, I only pop it on for a little while first thing in the morning, and then for an hour in the evening when the kids are home from school. So here are my tried and tested ways to keep warm. Use the quick links to jump to a specific tip or keep scrolling for the full guide:

• Claim Tax Relief
• Keep Your Feet Warm
• Reposition Your Rug
• Layer Up
• Bring Out The Hot Water Bottle
• Embrace The Blanket
• Get Active
• Lower The Thermostat
• Shut It!
• Beat Draughts
• Turn To Hot Drinks
• Seek Help If You Are Struggling

1. Claim Tax Relief

Firstly, did you know that if your contract states that you have to work at home, then you can claim tax relief? This covers any extra household costs associated with working from home.

This amounts to £6 a week and includes a contribution to your electricity and gas bills. You can claim even if you only work from home for part of the week. However, you can’t claim if you choose to work from home – it’s only if it is mandatory that you work from home.

£6 a week doesn’t sound like much, but at £312 over the year, it’s a little help towards those energy bills. It certainly helps offset some of the costs of keeping warm while working from home.

If you are self-employed and work from home, you don’t lose out. You can claim up to £26 per month for your utility bills. This also works out at £312 over the year.

2. Keep Your Feet Warm

I have Raynaud’s Disease, which means I feel the cold very easily. However, I have found that keeping my feet warm is key to keeping my core body warm when I’m working.

I opt for a combination of toasty socks and cosy slippers. I haven’t yet found any greater joy than popping on a pair of fluffy slippers!

If you have gone on a walk or exercised, then your socks may be a little sweaty. In this case, you should change your socks, as your socks will hold onto the sweat, cooling your feet.

3. Reposition Your Rug

If you have hard floors you’ve probably placed a rug in the middle of the room. But in actual fact, you’ll keep your feet and body warmer if you move your rug under your desk.

Floors account for around 15% of the heat lost in our homes. Particularly so if you have wooden floorboards that aren’t insulated. Laying a rug under your desk acts as a great barrier. Not only does it prevent cold air from seeping in, but the rug also helps stop warm air from disappearing down your floorboards.

4. Layer Up

Layering up efficiently is also a great way to keep warm while working from home. Layers trap air between each item of clothing, making it harder for body heat to escape.

Natural fibres, like cotton and wool, are great as they’ll keep you warm. Unlike polyester or other synthetic fibres, these types of fabric also help to maintain your natural body temperature. This means you’ll stay toasty, but because they’re breathable you won’t get so sweaty. As sweating cools you down, breathable fabrics are key.

For video call situations when I need to look smart, I’m all about business on top and party on the bottom. And when I say party, I mean a cosy party.

On my top half, something like a smart wool jumper with a thermal vest and top underneath works well. It hits the cosy sweet spot, without looking like the Michelin Man or that you’re about to climb Mount Everest. I know some meetings can feel like an uphill slog though! And on my bottom half, I’m all about thermal leggings under jogging bottoms. No one will ever see or know!

5. Bring Out The Hot Water Bottle

Have you heard the phrase “heat the human, not the room”? I’m big on this, so my hot bottle becomes a permanent fixture come November time. Placed on your lap, it’s great at keeping you warm while working from home without needing to put the heating on. Sometimes I’ll pop it on the floor, and rest my feet on it if they are feeling particularly cold.

For fiercely cold January days, when nothing seems to take the edge off the cold then I take a different tack. In this case, I swear by placing a hot water bottle in the bottom of a sleeping bag. Get in the sleeping bag, so that your lower half is fully enveloped. The heat rises, and the sleeping bag traps the heat, leaving you as snug as a literal bug in a rug. Just be careful getting up if the doorbell rings!

I picked up this tip when I was a student in Aberdeen – aka one of the coldest cities in Britain. It’s never failed me yet.

6. Embrace The Blanket

I’ve mentioned sleeping bags, but unless it’s absolutely freezing outside then you probably don’t need to go that far. A cosy blanket draped over my legs gets me through most of the winter just fine. You can also use a blanket to keep your legs warm during video calls without anyone knowing!

7. Get Active

As a homeworker, I know how tricky it is to get active during the day. Yet a little regular exercise does wonders in helping you to feel warmer.

A short brisk walk during your break is an easy way to refresh the mind and get the heart pumping. If the weather isn’t cooperating or it’s too dark, you could try some light exercise at home. You don’t have to go full Joe Wicks (although nothing is stopping you if you want to!). Jogging on the spot or doing a few star jumps can be enough to gain the benefits.

If you break a sweat, then remember to change out of your sweaty clothes afterwards, to help keep that warm glow.

8. Lower The Thermostat

If the day is too cold to leave the heating off, then turn your thermostat down by just 1°C.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, this small tweak could reduce your heating bill by up to 10%,

Turning down your thermostat doesn’t just save on your bills. It is estimated that turning down your thermostat by 1°C can reduce carbon emissions by around 340 kg a year.

9. Shut It!

It may sound simple, but basic things like keeping the door closed in the room where you are working from home can go a long way in keeping you warm.

In a similar vein, make sure you close your curtains or blinds at dusk to help keep the heat in. The good news is that you don’t have to work in a dark cave all day. That’s because keeping your curtains closed during the day doesn’t help. Instead, open in the morning them to help get some passive solar gain. Even on a grey day, every little helps.

10. Beat Draughts

Even with the door closed you might still feel cold air creeping under your home office door. To help beat these draughts, and keep heat in, place a draught excluder along the bottom of the door in the room you’re working in. If you don’t have a draught excluder, there’s no need to buy anything new. A rolled-up towel will also do the trick.

11. Turn To Hot Drinks

Although there is debate about whether hot drinks actually warm us up, there’s no denying that a hot drink does make you feel warmer. Plus, very few of us can make it through a working day without being powered by tea or coffee.

As an avid tea drinker, I keep a flask of tea on my desk. It saves me from having to boil the kettle multiple times a day. And it keeps your drinks warm in those long video meetings that could easily have been an email.

12. Seek Help If You Are Struggling

We can’t ignore that the sheer scale of energy price increases makes it almost impossible to save enough energy to make a considerable dent in our bills.

While energy bills are set to fall in April 2024, the standing charge – the amount you have to pay each day regardless of how much energy you use – is set to rise.

If you are struggling with your energy bills, do seek help. Speak to your supplier first. Some energy suppliers offer hardship funds if you are struggling to make payments. Most will offer payment plans to help you manage your money.

Citizens Advice also has details on grants and benefits that may be available to you to help you pay your energy bills.

You can also contact your local council, who may be able to support people struggling with increasing costs of living. Contact them to enquire about available support.