Martin Lewis’s 4.30pm rule that each Brit ought to comply with in February | UK | News | EUROtoday

At the start of winter in late 2025, Martin Lewis shared a rule that might see Brits do the identical factor by 6pm each night, as temperatures began to dip and the evenings began to get darker. As forecasts predict a chilly and wintry February for many of the UK, with snow and chilly temperatures anticipated in lots of areas all through the month, related motion needs to be taken earlier than 4.30pm each night time. This, Lewis says, will assist households get monetary savings on their vitality payments for the remainder of winter, earlier than it begins to get hotter and brighter.

He defined that households needs to be “rigid” about this “tactical rule”, which sees Brits shutting their curtains and blinds each single night earlier than 4.30pm. While it’d look like a random piece of recommendation, there’s a easy logic behind it.

Lewis explains that you simply wish to have your curtains open all day, particularly on vibrant days with numerous sunshine. That is as a result of sunshine naturally heats your private home. You wish to let as a lot in as attainable.

But when it will get to nighttime, when the solar has gone down, you wish to lure that warmth. Your blinds and curtains can just do that, so that you wish to shut them earlier than the solar goes down. In February, 4.30pm is an effective time to do that.

In some components of the UK, the solar units simply earlier than 5pm. You’ll discover the afternoon getting darker within the lead as much as this, so 4.30pm is an effective time to purpose for when closing your blinds and curtains.

This may be adjusted because the month progresses, with sunsets getting later. Towards the top of the month, the solar will set after 5.30pm in some components of the nation.

“You want to keep the heat in by closing the curtains,” the skilled mentioned. “I know we all know that, but doing it rigorously can help insulate, especially if you line it with a fleece. There are lots of tips online on how to do that, and really cheaply do it yourself.”

Thick or fleece-lined curtains may be bought through on-line and in-store retailers akin to The Range, Amazon, Dunelm and Tesco. These will add additional heat, which will help you save by switching on the heating much less in February.

This rule might turn out to be useful for a number of extra weeks, with the Met Office revealing that the start of March might see “changeable” climate throughout the UK. Even although spring edges nearer, we might expertise wintry climate for a while but.