Many homeowners pay too much for their energy bills without even realising that it’s largely due to their heating habits. From the boiler settings to the way heat flows through each radiator in your home, small daily choices add up to high costs over time. Yet by changing your daily heating behaviour, you can quickly end up spending a lot less money on energy per day than you did before.
Fortunately, these mistakes with your heating can be easily put right, without the need to call in a plumber or heating engineer.
Read on to discover the 5 most common heating mistakes and how to stop them!
Mistake 1: Turning the Thermostat Up Too High
Ramping up the temperature on your thermostat quickly does not save you money in the long run; it will actually cost you more. It has to run for longer, therefore it will consume more energy.
The temperature on your thermostat is the most important factor for your heating costs. The only thing your thermostat can change is temperature. It can’t change how long it takes for your boiler to heat your home.
What to do instead:
Set your heater to a temperature of around 18-21°C. Most homes are warm enough at these temperatures, and every degree above will cost you around 10% on your heating bill.
Heating your home is exactly like driving in a 30mph zone. There is no point in flooring it, as this will not get you to your destination any quicker.
Mistake 2: Leaving the Heating On All Day
A common myth is that having the heating on all day at a low level is cost-effective as opposed to having it on and off. In reality, it is almost certainly the opposite.
You pay to heat an empty house whilst you are out at work, at school or on your daily shopping trip.
The smarter way:
Use a timer on your heating to come on 30 minutes before you wake up in the morning and then switch off 30 minutes before you go to bed at night. Also, switch on in the evening before you arrive home.
Many modern boilers, as well as many smart thermostats, are able to be set to these types of simple time-based settings and can save you a lot of money.
Mistake 3: Ignoring Cold Radiators
This type of radiator will be hot at the bottom and cold at the top. Air has entered the system, and this needs to be bled from the radiator. There is not enough hot water in the radiator to heat the room, and the boiler will be working to try to achieve this, which will cost more to achieve the same amount of heat.
A cold radiator will force your boiler to work much harder to heat the room for you, and in most cases, cost you more for less!
How to fix it:
- You can pick up a radiator bleed key in a hardware shop for about £2.
- Turn your heating on, and allow the radiators to fill up with warm water.
- Turn off the heating. Allow the radiator to cool slightly.
- Next, open the bleed valve slowly; you will know when the air has gone, and the radiator has been ‘bled’ as the water will start to come out instead of air.
- When you see water start to leak out of the bleed valve, you can now close the valve to prevent any more water from leaking out.
Annual Bleeding – Ensure your heating system is prepared for winter.
Mistake 4: Blocking Radiators With Furniture
Blocking a radiator with your furniture, curtains, or a bookshelf could be causing you problems without you even knowing!
Your room is going to remain cold whilst your boiler is working hard to keep it warm. In the end, your electricity bill will continue to increase.
Quick fixes:
- Move furniture away from the radiators so that there is a minimum of 3 inches space between them.
- Keep curtains behind radiators, not draped over them.
- Drying clothes on your radiators can stop heat from coming out of the radiator and cause damp in your home.
This is another simple problem to solve, but an issue that many homes are experiencing without knowing it.
Mistake 5: Not Checking for Draughts
Even the best boiler can’t compete with cold air leaking into your home. So make sure that heating the outside air isn’t costly to heat and is warming your home instead.
Draughts are usually unseen until they are pointed out.
Where to check:
- Around window frames
- Under doors
- Through the letterbox
- Around the pipework where it goes through the walls
- Loft hatches
How to fix them:
Draught-proofing strips and door brushes can cost a few pounds each to buy. It is an easy job to fit them yourself within an hour or so. According to the Energy Saving Trust, stopping heat escaping through unwanted gaps in your home could save you over £100 per year.
Save money on heating your home; most of the cost is due to normal practices that have just become the way things are done, without ever having been questioned.
Drop one degree of heat, use a timer for your heating, bleed your radiators, move furniture away from radiators and seal up gaps around doors and windows.
Start with the first change this week and save hundreds of pounds a year by warming your home more efficiently.
Why not start this week by making one simple change to save you money and make your home feel warmer!
