Revealed: The costly heating mistake you could be making without realising it
Have you been unintentionally using more energy and spending more money than you need to?
While there are a few cheap heating myths that will actually end up costing you money rather than saving it, there's one in particular that many of us will end up falling for - mainly because it sounds like a logical way to save money. And at a time when more and more families are worried about how much their energy bills will cost, it's never been more important to make sure we're not spending money unnecessarily.
Many people think that they can save money on their energy bills by leaving their central heating on low all day, instead of only using it at specific times of the day. And while you can save money by turning your thermostat down (turning it down by a single degree can save around £145 per year according to the Energy Saving Trust), having your heating on constantly in the winter months, in most cases, will cost you more than you could save.
Group head of energy at Energy Saving Trust, Laura McGadie said: “The cost of energy remains very high and it’s vital that people are supported to keep their bills low, while remaining warm. That’s why we’re providing tips and advice to help people manage their heating systems as effectively as possible and reduce the risk of paying for wasted energy."
Is it a good idea to leave your heating on low all day?
Unless you have a really efficient home that doesn't let much heat escape, it's not a good idea to leave your heating on low all day during the winter. Even though lowering your thermostat will help to save money, if your heating is on all day, you will be losing heat all day through your roofs, walls, floors and windows. This can be more likely in older houses that aren't as airtight as new ones.
Martyn Bridges, Director of Technical Services at boiler manufacturer Worcester Bosch, says: “Leaving your heating on low all day is dependent on how efficient your house is. If you have an EPC rating of A or B then you won’t lose much heat and it is worth considering leaving your heating on low all day. If you have an older property in bands D and below then no, it’s more efficient to operate your boiler intermittently to avoid wasting energy.”
Instead, it's helpful to know how many hours a day your heating should be on and what the ideal room temperature is to make sure you are using your heating system as efficiently as possible. You can save even more by only heating the rooms you are using to avoid heating spaces you don't need to. Our guide to the cheapest way to heat a room explains all you need to know.
Efficient ways to keep your home warm
The Energy Saving Trust's Laura McGadie, said: “Improving home energy efficiency is the fastest way to permanently reduce energy demand and cut costs and carbon emissions while keeping people warm and comfortable."
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While draughtproofing your home is a good idea to help keep the heat you generate in, it can feel like a big task. There are other easy ways you can keep your home warm, including:
- Swapping to thermal blinds or curtains
- Only heating the rooms you need to heat
- Keeping doors and windows closed
- Bleeding your radiators
- Moving furniture away from radiators (and removing radiator covers) to help heat circulate more easily.
- Leaving the oven door open after cooking to use the residual heat to warm the air in your kitchen.
You could also try this radiator hack to help keep your home warmer for longer.
Sarah is GoodtoKnow’s Money Editor. After Sarah graduated from University of Wales, Aberystwyth, with a degree in English and Creative Writing, she entered the world of publishing in 2007, working as a writer and digital editor on a range of titles including Real Homes, Homebuilding & Renovating, The Money Edit and more. When not writing or editing, Sarah can be found hanging out with her rockstar dog, getting opinionated about a movie or learning British Sign Language.
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