8 home heating tips
- Turn your thermostat down by 1 degree. You're unlikely to notice the difference in temperature but could cut your heating bill by £65 per year.
- Close your curtains. Drawing your curtains at dusk will help keep the heat from escaping and will make a big difference even if you have single glazed windows. The thicker the curtains the better.
- Bleed your radiators. This will release any trapped air and help to make them more efficient.
- Don't heat empty rooms. Only switch radiators on in rooms that you frequently use. Shut the doors to keep the rest of the house warm.
- Remember radiators aren't washing lines. Although hanging clothes on radiators dries them quickly, it also stops heat getting to the rest of the room.
- Say goodbye to drafts. By using draft excluders or fitting curtains on external doors you’ll keep the cold out and the heat in.
- Wrap up. Putting on a jumper, wearing slippers and getting under a blanket are all cheaper than turning the heat up.
- Use the timer. Heating the house while you're out is a waste of money. If you don't like to come home to a cold house, set the heating to come on just before you. This way you won't notice any difference in temperature but will notice a big difference in your bill. The same applies at night, set the timer so that the heating comes on just before you get up – that way you're not heating the house while you're tucked up in bed.
Keep heat inside your windows
Windows leak heat in three ways: Conduction, with the cold air outside cooling the glass; radiation, where heat travels out through the pane and finally by air escaping around the frame.Double or triple glazing will substantially cut down on this heat loss but it isn’t cheap. There are less expensive methods, however. First, try to exclude drafts and make windows as tight-fitting as possible. Second, use your curtains or blinds to keep heat in – especially at night. Third, try applying window film. It can be picked up for a few pounds at the DIY store and acts like a cheap form of secondary glazing to cut down on drafts and heat lost through window panes.
Discover heating options and heat-only tariffs
Superheat tariff A single rate suitable for electric panel heaters, electric boilers, and underfloor heating. Hot water cylinders and towel rails may also be connected to the Superheat Tariff if the primary heat source in the property is electric and also connected to the Superheat Tariff.
