As the weather gets colder, many people are looking for ways to keep their homes warm without breaking the bank and MoneySavingExpert.com has some handy tips
As winter draws near, many are on the hunt for fresh strategies to keep energy costs under control, and who better to heed advice from than the Money Saving Expert?
Often, even the tiniest alterations can lead to substantial savings, especially when it comes to your boiler and heating system. There are three crucial factors to bear in mind as the mercury dips outside to ensure a cosy and cost-effective home.
However, it’s worth noting that if you’re ever unsure about how to handle your home system, you should refer to your boiler instruction manual. Alternatively, it’s always recommended to seek advice from a Gas Safe-registered professional.
Martin Lewis said simply reducing your thermostat by a mere one degree could have a more significant effect than most people anticipate. This is the simplest tip the expert suggests, as, according to the Energy Saving Trust, dropping the temperature a notch could save roughly £90 for an average household.
Many people typically set their thermostats somewhere in the 20s, but merely trimming from 21°C to 20°C, for instance, could save you a considerable amount of money over time. According to the World Health Organisation, 18°C is the perfect temperature for healthy adults, with a slightly warmer setting recommended for the elderly or young.
Money Saving Expert has shared another handy tip for households with combi boilers – making one small adjustment could slash your gas bill by £65 annually. Combi boilers are the most prevalent type installed in British homes, and there’s a simple way to reduce costs by lowering the flow temperature.
This refers to the water circulating through the system that heats your radiators, which is typically set far higher than necessary by default. This means it doesn’t run in its most efficient mode, and by adjusting this you could reduce your gas consumption by 3%.
The website explains: “Combi boilers work best when they heat radiators to 60°C or below. But this flow temperature is often set much too high, often between 70°C and 80°C.”
If you don’t have a combi-boiler, don’t worry – there are still ways to adjust your settings to boost your system’s efficiency and ultimately reduce costs. For those with a boiler and hot water cylinder, the Heating Hub recommends setting it to 70°C for safety reasons.
To prevent any risk of legionella bacteria developing in water stored within the cylinder, the Health and Safety Executive stipulates that hot water must be maintained at a temperature of 60°C, enabling the boiler to deliver a higher temperature to compensate for any heat loss as water travels to the cylinder.
Your boiler can be reconfigured to set temperatures separately, but you should always enlist a Gas Safe engineer to help you when doing so. In response, you can then decrease the flow temperature for your heating and, consequently, cut down your gas bills, whilst ensuring your hot water remains as safe as possible.
