Lowering Your Heating Bill This Winter.

Lowering Your Heating Bill This Winter.

With winter just around the corner and the UK already experiencing a cold snap in some areas, we’re approaching the time of year when maintaining a warm home becomes essential for our health and wellbeing.

But with the price of energy still high, what can people do to lower their heating bills? We take a look.

Turn down your boiler’s flow temperature.

The temperature of the water that leaves your boiler to go to your radiators is called the boiler’s flow temperature. If it’s set too high, the boiler will run inefficiently, costing you extra money but if it’s set correctly, you could save between 8 and 12 percent on your gas bills.

To ensure this happens, turn it down to either 65 degrees for a conventional boiler with hot water cylinder, or 60 degrees if you have a combi boiler with no hot water cylinder. There is a certain amount of trial and error involved with reducing your boiler’s flow temperature as you may find the new setting is too cold, so be prepared that you’ll probably need to adjust the temperature more than once until you find the right temperature for your home.

Whatever you do, however, the Energy Saving Trust recommends you NEVER set your conventional boiler with hot water cylinder to less than 65 degrees or you run the risk of legionella bacteria growing in the cylinder.

For more information and advice on how to change your boiler’s flow temperature, click here.

Eliminate draughts.

One of the simplest ways to conserve heat is by blocking gaps that allow cold air into your home. Draught-proofing around your doors and windows could save you approximately £60 a year.

Trap heat.

Heat can escape from your home in pretty much every direction so do whatever you can to block off its routes!

Installing double – or triple – glazing will reduce the rate at which your home loses heat and replacing single-glazed windows with A++ rated double glazing could save you around £235 a year.

Similarly, insulating cavity walls will reduce heat loss and, consequently, heating bills, potentially saving as much as £500 over the year, while insulating your loft could stop more than 25% of your house’s heat escaping through the roof.

Use your curtains wisely.

Curtains help with heat retention by restricting air flow between warm and cold areas, preventing warm air from flowing out of your house. 

Experts advise drawing your curtains at dusk to reduce heat loss by as much as 17%. As a general rule, the thicker the curtain the better the insulation.

Check radiator settings.

As tempting as it may be, turning all your radiators to full blast will only cost you money as any empty rooms are being warmed to nobody’s benefit. Instead, set radiator dials on a room-by-room basis, with living areas and bedrooms set to higher heats and spare rooms to lower – or even turned all the way down.

Check the thermostat.

Ensuring your heating only comes on when temperatures drop below a certain level – and go off again when the desired temperature has been reached – could save more than £150 per year. For many households, setting the thermostat to 18 degrees is the perfect way to keep properties warm but not too hot.

Upgrade your boiler.

Not the cheapest solution but worth it in the long term.

If your boiler is an old D-rated model, replacing it with a new A-rated version will make your heating system significantly more efficient and could save the average household around £300 a year.

Leeds Credit Union can help with rising costs.

With loans from £250 to £25,000 available, as well as access to several effective savings accounts, we can help ensure the cost of your heating bill doesn’t cause you any sleepless nights. You can apply for one of our affordable loans here.

In some cases, cost of living help is also available from the government. To find out if you’re eligible, click here.