Winter is just around the corner and there’s a definite chill in the air. Now experts have shared some of their top tips to stay warm over the coming months without the hefty price tag
There has been a big drop in the temperature in the UK as the cold winter months set in. But with the cost of living so high, it’s important to find ways to heat your home without the astronomical bills.
There are simple steps you can take to cut back on your outgoings – including one top tip to help you avoid the ‘thermostat trap’. Your thermostat is a key piece of kit when it comes to heating your home, automatically switching a heating or cooling device on and off to maintain a set temperature.
It does this by sensing the ambient temperature and comparing it to the desired temperature you have set. When the temperature drops below the set point, it turns the heating on; when it rises above it, it turns the heating off. But many households are unknowingly pushing up their energy bills by using their thermostat incorrectly.
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One of the most common mistakes people make is turning up the dial on their thermostat too high in the hope of warming up a room faster – a habit that wastes energy without making your home warmer.
“When it’s cold, many of us will boost the thermostat, thinking it will heat our home faster. However, this isn’t the case,” Ryan Willdig, heating specialist at Heatforce, told the Independent. “Each degree above 19–20°C can add around 10 per cent to annual heating costs.”
To heat a room efficiently, it’s advised to set your thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature, usually 18-21°C (64-70°F), and allow it to maintain that temperature. Another top tip is to pay attention to the dials on your radiators. Last week, Which? posted a video on its TikTok account explaining how Brits could knock some money off their heating bills
The expert said: “Don’t have this dial higher than three. Unless it’s the room where your thermostat is. Whacking your thermostatic radiator valve up to five opens the valve to the max, letting loads of hot water into the radiator when your heating is on.
“That’s great when it’s a room you want to heat quickly, like the living room, especially if that’s where your main thermostat is. But if you have every radiator set to five, your heating bills could be higher than they need to be.”
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The expert suggested that radiators in bedrooms should be kept between two and three to keep the room between 15 and 20 degrees, while a living room could be on a higher number.
“In bedrooms you should keep the dial between two and three. This will keep the room temp between 15 and 20 degrees, which is comfortable and could save you money.”
Heat can also escape quickly from poorly insulated homes so simple fixes like draught excluders and radiator reflectors can make a noticeable difference at relatively low cost.
“These won’t take long to put in place; you can dedicate an hour or two on a weekend to ensuring all of your windows and walls have the right insulation in place,” Willdig adds, “A small, but noticeable difference when it comes to both how hot your house will get, but also your monthly bills.”
