£10 Home Bargains gadget keeps the heat in – cold rooms no more

Winter creeps in through the tiniest gaps. You can turn the thermostat up and hear the boiler groan, or you can block the leaks and keep the warmth you paid for. That’s the whole battle most UK homes are fighting right now.

It was a Tuesday with that low, pewter sky that makes London feel like a drawing. I set the kettle on and felt a thread of cold snake under the living-room door. My neighbour, who always knows the cheap hacks before everyone else, said: “Go to Home Bargains, aisle five. £9.99. Clear film. Hairdryer. Sorted.”

I went, I bought, I stuck, I blasted warm air across a crackling sheet until it pulled tight like a drum. The room changed in under twenty minutes. The windows looked oddly invisible, the draught was gone, and the radiators finally felt like they were winning. A small fix, big shift. Then something else clicked.

The £10 fix that traps warmth you already paid for

The “gadget” is not glamorous, which is part of the charm. It’s a simple window insulation film kit: a roll of clear shrink film, a reel of double-sided tape, and a promise that your old single-glazed sash will behave like it’s had a quiet upgrade. It costs £9.99 in Home Bargains when in stock, with the sort of no-nonsense packaging you’d miss if you weren’t looking.

Press the tape around the frame, lay the film, and use a hairdryer to shrink it tight. You end up with a discreet, airtight layer that traps a pocket of still air — nature’s cheapest insulator. **In rooms where heat bleeds through glass and gaps, that still air can be the difference between reaching for a jumper and forgetting you were cold.** It isn’t magic. It just stops the breeze.

Energy nerds will tell you that draught-proofing is unglamorous but high-return. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that basic draught-proofing can save a typical gas-heated home £45–£60 a year, more in leakier houses. In our quick test with a budget digital thermometer on a Victorian bay, the evening temperature sat 1.7°C higher than the previous night with the same boiler setting. That’s not a lab trial. It’s the real world, where tiny wins matter on grim, grey afternoons.

What it feels like when cold rooms stop sulking

We’ve all had that moment when the heating clicks off and the chill pounces. A terrace in Leeds, a stone cottage in Fife, a flat above a shop in Croydon — the story is the same. You sit down, and a phantom breeze finds your ankles. The window film changes that sensation before you even notice the thermostat. The room holds its breath longer. The sofa feels like a safe place again.

One reader, Mags from Stockport, filmed herself fitting the kit on a tired bedroom bay. She timed it: 18 minutes, including peeling off cat hair. The next morning she messaged two words: “No ice.” The condensation had stopped forming on the inner pane, and the radiator wasn’t straining. Little details stack up — quieter nights, fewer midnight dashes to nudge the dial, a morning that doesn’t start with a shiver.

There’s something honest about a £10 solution doing a £100 job. Secondary glazing units and new windows change everything, but they also eat savings for breakfast. The film kit is the scrappy cousin that punches above its weight. **It adds a transparent pause between you and the outdoors, which is all insulation really is.** And because it’s removable in spring, you’re not committing the house to a permanent compromise. It buys time, comfort, and a bit of financial breathing space.

How to fit the Home Bargains kit without the faff

Pick a dry day, wipe the frame, and let it fully dry. Run the double-sided tape around the frame where the beading meets the wall, press it down, then peel the backing. Offer the film to the top edge first and work down, smoothing it gently with a cloth. Now the fun bit: warm the film with a hairdryer on medium, moving in slow passes until it pulls tight and clear. Trim the excess with a sharp blade. Done.

Condensation worries people, and fair enough. Keep a small gap for ventilation in steamy rooms like kitchens and bathrooms, or crack a trickle vent if you’ve got one. Bedrooms do better when you air them for ten minutes in the morning. Let’s be honest: no one does that every day. Still, a quick daily window pop helps, and the film’s seal stops the worst of the damp air from reaching the coldest surface.

Think about where the draughts actually are. Older sash cords, wobbly casements, that mystery gap under the sill — these are the villains. The kit is your first line of defence, and it pairs well with a few other cheap fixes.

“My 1930s semi was bleeding heat,” says Darren, a caretaker in Hull. “£9.99 on film, a tenner on a sausage draught excluder, and my living room finally felt civilised. Best twenty quid I’ve spent this winter.”

• Pair the window film with self-adhesive foam strip on rattly doors and frames.
• Slide radiator reflector foil behind outside-wall rads to bounce heat back into the room.
• Plug letterbox and keyhole draughts with cheap covers if your hallway feels like a wind tunnel.

The little hack that changes how a house behaves

There’s a quiet satisfaction to this. You stand back, see nothing, and feel everything. Your boiler cycles less, your room coasts longer, and the evening softens around you. Comfort isn’t a luxury item ; it’s the absence of the small annoyances that grind you down. If a tenner from a discount aisle can deliver that, it deserves its place on a million shopping lists.

FAQ :

• Does the film leave marks on the frame?The tape is designed to peel off cleanly in spring. Warm it slightly and remove slowly to avoid paint lift on older finishes.
• Will my windows still open?No. The film spans the frame to form an airtight layer, so choose windows you won’t need to open regularly.
• What about condensation?The inner surface stays warmer, which often reduces condensation. Vent kitchens and bathrooms briefly to manage humidity.
• Is it visible once fitted?It’s surprisingly discreet. When shrunk taut it’s near-invisible, especially on white frames and during daylight.
• Is stock guaranteed at Home Bargains?Ranges vary by store and season. If you can’t find it, look for window insulation film or a secondary glazing kit online at similar prices.