As the weather gets colder, the heating becomes one of those things we think about several times a day.
When should I turn it on? Should I leave it on all day? Is it cheaper to heat one room? What temperature should the thermostat be? And why does the energy bill still look so high when I feel as though I am barely using the heating?
We asked EnergieBee CEO David Price to answer some of the questions that come up most often when winter arrives.
What is the first thing people should check if their heating bills are too high?
David Price: I would start with the heating controls rather than immediately thinking about replacing the boiler or buying something new.
A lot of homes have settings that have simply been left as they were when the system was installed. The thermostat might be higher than necessary, the heating might be coming on when nobody is home, or the boiler flow temperature might be set higher than it needs to be.
It is worth spending a little time understanding what your system is actually doing.
For most people, the thermostat can be set somewhere between 18°C and 21°C, depending on what feels comfortable in the home. Energy Saving Trust recommends using the lowest comfortable temperature.
Is turning the thermostat down really worth it?
David Price: Yes, although I would think about comfort as well as the number on the bill.
If your thermostat is set to 22°C, try 21°C and see how the house feels. Energy Saving Trust estimates that reducing a thermostat from 22°C to 21°C could save around £120 a year in Great Britain.
There is also a common misunderstanding here. Turning the thermostat up does not make the house heat up faster. It simply tells the system to keep heating until it reaches a higher temperature.
On a cold morning, setting it to 24°C will not get you to 20°C any quicker than setting it to 20°C.
Should I leave the heating on all day?
David Price: It depends on the house, the heating system and how you use the rooms, so I would be careful with blanket rules.
A programmer or smart thermostat lets you set the heating around your routine. You can have it come on before you get up, turn down while you are out and come back on before you return.
The useful question is: When does my home actually need to be warm?
If you are heating an empty house for several hours every day, there may be an opportunity to reduce that use. Modern heating controls make this much easier.
I have a combi boiler. Should I turn the boiler temperature down?
David Price: This is one of the settings I would definitely check.
The flow temperature controls how hot the water is before it travels to your radiators. Many combi boilers are set higher than necessary.
Energy Saving Trust says that around 60°C is a reasonable starting point for the radiator flow temperature on a combi boiler, although every home is different. You may need to adjust it depending on how quickly your rooms heat up and how comfortable the house feels.
There is an important distinction here. If you have a conventional boiler with a hot water cylinder, you should not simply apply the same advice. The cylinder needs to reach a safe temperature, and Energy Saving Trust recommends keeping the boiler flow temperature at no lower than 65°C in that type of system.
So before changing a setting, check which type of boiler you have.
What about the radiators?
David Price: Look at the rooms individually.
You probably do not need every room in the house to be at the same temperature. Thermostatic radiator valves allow you to adjust individual radiators, so you can keep the rooms you use most comfortable and reduce the temperature in rooms that are used less often.
You should also make sure furniture and curtains are not blocking your radiators or your thermostat.
It sounds very basic, but heating works better when warm air can actually circulate around the room.
Are curtains really going to make a difference?
David Price: They can help.
Closing heavy curtains when it gets dark reduces heat loss through windows. It is one of those very ordinary habits that costs nothing and can become part of your winter routine.
You can also look at draughts around doors and windows. If you can feel cold air coming into a room, your heating is working against it.
The larger point is to think about where the heat is going once you have paid to produce it.
What is the biggest mistake people make with heating?
David Price: Guessing. People often know that their energy bill is high, but they do not necessarily know why.
You might think you are spending most of your money on heating when another part of the home is using a significant amount of electricity. Or you might have changed your routine without realising that your current tariff no longer suits the way you use energy.
That is why visibility matters: a smart meter can already show you how much energy you are using, and it can help you understand your consumption over time. Smart meters can give households access to more flexible tariffs.
At EnergieBee, we want to take that a step further by bringing the information together so people can see what is happening in their home and make decisions based on their actual energy use.
So, if someone wants to lower their heating bill this winter, where should they begin?
David Price: I would keep it simple.
First, check the thermostat and heating schedule.
Then look at the boiler settings and make sure the flow temperature is appropriate for your type of system.
Check the radiator valves and the rooms you are actually heating.
Close your curtains when it gets dark and deal with obvious draughts.
Then look at the bigger picture: how much energy are you using, when are you using it and does your tariff make sense for that pattern?
You do not need to change everything at once. Start by understanding the home you already have.
That is usually where the useful savings begin.
