Make the most of your heating, and save money!

There is a distinctly autumnal feeling in the air at the moment, and we will all be turning our heating on if we haven’t already. But before you crank it up to try to replicate some of the excellent summer weather we have had, take a few steps to make the most of your heating system and keep your winter fuel costs down.

Save money on your heating bills

Make the most of your heating and save some money on your bills by following our five easy tips.

1. Moderate your heating

18°C is the temperature at which most people should be warm enough in jeans and a jumper, but if that feels too cold, you could try bringing it down gradually, starting at a comfortable temperature and turning the thermostat down by one degree each week to give yourself time to adjust.

But if 18 isn’t warm enough for you, turning your thermostat down by just one degree can cut your fuel consumption by up to 10%, so even a small change can result in savings.

2. Set the timer on your heating

If your heating system has a timer function, make use of it – with clever use of the timer, you can always wake up to and arrive home to a warm house without having to leave the heating on permanently.

Allow for your house to take a while to heat up after you turn it on, and cool down after you turn it off, so set the timer for the heating to come on 20-30 minutes before you wake up or arrive home and switches off 15 minutes before you leave home or are likely to have gone to bed.

3. Don't heat the rooms you don't use

Only heat the rooms you use every day, for example, if have a spare bedroom, or any other bit of the house you don't spend much time in, turn those radiators down or off until you want to use the room and keep the doors closed so heat is maintained in the rest of the house.

You can also keep temperatures slightly lower in hallways and corridors, as these are usually areas you move through rather than areas you might spend time in.

4. Make the most of your radiators

First of all, make sure that no furniture is in front of the radiators, and that you aren’t using them to dry clothes or towels directly on. A clear radiator will let warm air circulate around the room better.

Radiators heat up both the room and the wall behind them, but you can add tin foil or radiator panels between the wall and the radiator to reflect as much heat as possible back into the room.

5. Bleed your radiators

After a period of not being used, there might be air trapped inside your heating system, bleeding your radiators is simple but you will need a key which can slot into the radiators bleed valve. If you still have a problem after doing this, you may need to call in the professionals.

6. Reduce draughts

Draughts are unpleasant and can make it difficult to get a house warm or maintain heat in a house. Most heat escapes through windows and exterior doors, but this can be reduced by fitting weather strips which are cheap and easy to fit. You might also find gaps where pipes or cables pass through walls. Check behind the washing machine, under kitchen cupboards and around sinks and toilets, you can always make a temporary fix for the gaps using rags, carrier bags or newspapers until you can arrange a more permanent solution.

7. Get your boiler serviced

A regularly serviced boiler will run more efficiently than a neglected one, it is also much less likely to let you down when you need it most. It is best to get your boiler serviced every year. Call us at ABS Plumbing to arrange your annual boiler service to keep your heating and hot water system running smoothly all winter.