Winter is well and truly here. And you’ll be forgiven for wanting to crank the heating up as soon as you get up in the morning. Waking up to the frost setting outside and iced car windscreens glistening in the sun can make it hard to resist hitting the + button on your thermostat!
But if you’re conscious of saving money on your heating bills and lowering your carbon footprint, what steps can you take when it comes to heating your house?
Energy bills are continuing to increase, so it’s important to understand what you can do to keep your heating running efficiently. When your appliances run efficiently, they’re less likely to cost as much and are less likely to cause problems. Nothing’s worse than a boiler breaking down in the coldest months of the year.
And if you always find your flatmates or family members bickering over the thermostat, (someone’s too hot, someone’s freezing), there are steps you can take to make sure your heating is running efficiently to make everyone happy. You can also save yourself money in the process. This blog will explain how it works and what you can do to get there.
Your boiler is the most important appliance in the heating system, so the best way of keeping your heating efficient is by keeping your boiler healthy.
A boiler works by heating up water to the temperature set on your thermostat. This water is then circulated to your pipes and radiators which then heats up your home.
An efficient boiler is vital in keeping a warm home. How efficient your boiler works can depend on how old your boiler is, with most lasting between 10 - 15 years. But the temperature you set your boiler to will also impact its efficiency.
The higher you set the temperature, the quicker the boiler will heat the water. However, this will cost you more in your energy bills as it takes more energy to speed up the heating process. By setting the temperature lower, you will still heat your home but just not as fast as setting a higher temperature.
Top tip: To keep your boiler working effectively and efficiently, don’t set the temperature on your boiler higher than it needs to be.
The job of a thermostat is to control the temperature of your heating system, monitoring the heat in your home. It all depends on what temperature you have your thermostat set on. If you set it to 19, your central heating will stay on until it reaches that specific temperature in the home.
You can also set your thermostat to come on for an exact amount of time, like an hour, instead of reaching a specific temperature. When you set your thermostat higher, it’ll stay on for longer.
If your goal is to decrease your heating bill, a quick way to do this is by turning your boiler and thermostat down. This will mean your heating will gradually heat your home up and run for a little longer instead of getting too hot too quickly.
Top tip: Altering your thermostat by just one degree can save you an average of £60 per year.
Are you someone who lets the radiators do their own thing? We understand some radiators might be tucked away in hard to reach places, but you should do your best to set their temperatures up individually.
A radiator has valves that can control how hot the radiator gets. This can be especially helpful if you have unused rooms, such as spare bedrooms, so you can avoid heating up rooms you won’t be going into. Not only does this save you money, but it allows you to control the heat in every individual room.
Top tip: Adjusting your radiator’s thermostat valves is one of the best ways you can save money on your heating.
Booking your annual boiler service is a crucial aspect of keeping your heating running efficiently. We’ve already discussed how important it is to keep your boiler healthy and a boiler service is the best way to make sure it’s working correctly with no underlying problems.
You may see it as another out payment, but a boiler service can actually save you money in the long run. By getting it checked yearly by a professional heating engineer, small issues can be fixed quickly. This will avoid little problems becoming larger ones, resulting in a full boiler replacement which is very costly.
Annual boiler services can also be life-saving as they will be able to detect a carbon monoxide leak. As carbon monoxide is undetectable due to being odourless and colourless, it can be near impossible to notice but can cause serious harm, including death. It’s therefore very important to have a service once a year to keep your family safe.
You can make sure your heating is working efficiently and save money at the same time. Hopefully these tips have helped explain how to optimise your heating to keep your house warm without the large energy bills to match.
To book a boiler service, or if you’re in need of an emergency heating engineer near me, get in touch with Able today for a fast, 24/7 service on 0330 108 4111.