Saving money and staying warm this winter has never been more important. 

Across Ireland, many people woke up shivering this week as the temperature plunged. 

However, sanctions against Russia have sent the cost of energy soaring and engineer Kieran McCarthy of KMC Homes appeared on The Pat Kenny show with a list of tips that will help keep your home warm this winter.

• Check where you are leaking energy 

Usually it is around your windows and you can go down to a hardware store and buy sealant that you can put around the window edges. 

• Check your heating system is working as efficiently as possible 

Get your boiler checked, your chimney swept and make sure your radiators are properly bled. 

More modern boilers are generally more efficient; a new boiler will cost you up front but will save you money in the long-term. 

Heat pumps are even more efficient to run but they are also extremely expensive to install and are not suitable for every home. 

• Buy a draft excluder

Draft excluders might seem old-fashioned to some but they also do an excellent job at keeping the heat in a room. 

• Insulate the house

If you have a flat ceiling in the attic, it is easy enough for insulation to be put down. Then look at insulating your walls; there are specialist contractors who can fill the cavities in your home with insulation. 

• Buy double or triple glazing 

A big ticket investment but one that could knock hundreds off your annual bill and also increase the value of your house. With the cost of energy so high, the investment has never been better value and there are grants available from the Government to offset the cost by up to €4,000.

Main image: A family sitting by a fire. Picture by Alamy.com