It’s more important than ever to keep your heating bills as low as possible.
Cut your heating bills by more than £100 with this simple advice.
Covering the cost of energy bills at home has become significantly more challenging, with costs approximately £600 higher annually compared to 2022 and gas prices up by 50%. With December having arrived and temperatures set to drop close to freezing overnight in the coming days, , taking steps to minimise heating expenses has never been more crucial. Luckily, there are straightforward and cost-free ways to reduce your bills. After consulting numerous experts on reducing heating costs, five key recommendations emerged consistently.
Draught-proof your home — check windows and doors: This was overwhelmingly the most frequent recommendation from over 100 experts, with many identifying it as the single most impactful action available, saying: “Draught-proofing is your first and most cost-effective line of defence.” Martyn Bridges, director of external affairs at Worcester Bosch, alongside Liz Hunter, commercial director at online comparison platform MoneyExpert, both said draught-proofing could deliver annual savings of £85. Experts’ recommendations included using draught excluders (or simply a rolled-up towel) to block gaps under closed doors, cheap sealer for draughty windows and using an inflatable pillow, chimney cap or other excluder to draught-proof an open chimney when not in use.
Keep curtains open during daylight and close them after dark: Nick Duggan of The Radiator Centre noted: “During daylight hours, allowing sunlight through the windows will help utilise the natural heat from the sun. In the evening, closing the curtains… helps to trap the warmth generated during the day and prevents it from escaping through the windows.”
Use your thermostat properly: We’ve all done it — arriving home to a chilly house and immediately cranking the thermostat to maximum in hopes of warming up faster. But experts agree this approach is flawed. Your property won’t heat up any quicker, though you’ll certainly pay more for trying. Gav Murray, heating director at Hive, explained: “While it can be tempting to crank up the thermostat, this won’t heat your house any quicker, instead using more energy to reach the higher temperature and ending up costing you more. The job of a thermostat is to tell your heating system to operate until the set temperature is achieved and if this is higher it will actually take longer rather than getting there faster.” Experts also said set your thermostat to the right temperature in the first place (18-21°C) and try turning it down by just one degree — this could cut your bills by £120.
Only heat the rooms you’re using: Whilst smart thermostats can help reduce waste by heating individual rooms to different temperatures, you might not be able to afford one. However, there’s a straightforward, cost-free alternative: simply switch off the radiators in the rooms you’re not using. On top of this, you can also keep doors closed so the heat stays in the room you’re using and even leave the oven door open after you’re done cooking. Christine Matthews from gr8fires.co.uk suggested: “If most of the household is spending an evening together in one room, consider using a space heater, modern electric fire, or wood-burning stove to heat just that space for a few hours, rather than turning up the central heating for the whole house.”
Use your boiler and radiators properly: Plenty of people question why their properties feel cold whilst never having checked whether their boiler and radiators are functioning correctly. An outdated and deteriorating boiler will work considerably harder whilst heating far less efficiently. Steps you ought to take include checking your boiler is in good condition and serviced, setting the flow temperature of your boiler to the right level, bleeding and cleaning your radiators and avoid covering radiators with furniture or curtains, which will just send heat outside instead of into the room.
Keep yourself warm first: It may sound straightforward but wrapping up in extra clothing, blankets or even using a hot water bottle to stay warm can help reduce how much you spend on heating. Layer up with thermal underwear and socks, pop on a dressing gown and grab a blanket whilst grafting from home or settling down in front of the telly. A hot water bottle can also work wonders. Kevin Pennigton of Lancashire Air Conditioning said: “Heating the home to be comfortable for someone wearing summer wear is incredibly expensive compared to heating it for person wearing warm clothing such as a thick dressing gown, or a hoodie.”
How to bleed your radiators and why it’s important: Ian Palmer-Smith, appliance expert at Domestic & General, says: “Bleeding your radiators is important because when they are working inefficiently, they can drive up the cost of your energy bills. If your radiator feels cold at the top and hot at the bottom, this means there is trapped air inside of it that is preventing hot water from circulating, and needs bleeding. You should bleed your radiators at least once a year.” You will just need a radiator key or screwdriver, a bucket or mug (or just a towel) to catch the water and a cloth to clean up any spills. To bleed a radiator, switch off your central heating and allow the radiators to cool down until they’re safe to handle. Then, let the air out. Position a cloth or bucket beneath the valve to collect any water that escapes. Take your radiator key and insert it into the valve, turning it anti-clockwise. As you do this, you should hear a hissing sound; this is the air leaving the radiator. You can use the cloth to clear up any excess water that comes out. As soon as the sound stops coming from the radiator, you will need to tighten the valve back up. You can then put your central heating on and feel the warmth coming from your radiator.
