Budget tips for heating your home without the huge energy bills

Despite a recent reprieve from icy conditions, Britons are still struggling to stay warm as temperatures remain in the single figures.

It’s important households ensure their properties are adequately prepared to stay comfortable during cold spells in the winter months.

The significant challenge, however, remains achieving this warmth without incurring excessive energy costs.

“People rely on their heating more at this time of year, so we want to help households manage their heating effectively, keeping costs down while staying warm,” says Joanna O’Loan, knowledge manager at the Energy Saving Trust.

And Sam Jump, head of business development at underfloor heating specialist the Wunda Group, adds: “During a cold snap, there are several simple ways that homeowners can cut down energy usage to save money on their heating bills without switching the heating off.

“The single most effective way of making your heating work more efficiently is to identify and address areas of heat loss.”

Here are the experts’ tips on how to keep warm at the lowest possible cost…

For boilers, use a programmer and thermostat so heating comes on about 30 minutes before you wake up and switches off about 30 minutes before you go to bed, advises O’Loan.

“If you’re out during the day, turn the heating off while nobody’s home,” she says. “But there isn’t a set number of hours your heating should be on each day, because the most efficient way to heat your home depends on your heating, home and your routine.”

For most households, setting the thermostat somewhere between 18°C and 21°C  is comfortable, says O’Loan, although she points out that if you have a heat pump the advice is different, as they work best keeping your home at a steady temperature.

It may be tempting to turn the heating up a few degrees during a cold snap, but it’s not necessary, stresses O’Loan.

“You don’t need to turn the thermostat up when it’s colder outside,” she explains. “Your home will still reach the same temperature – it may just take a little longer, but turning it up won’t make it heat any faster.”

She says that for the thermostat to work properly, you should make sure it has a clear flow of air and isn’t blocked by curtains or furniture, or too near a radiator.

Jump even suggests you could reduce the temperature of your boiler a little.

“Our boilers are often set to maximum, but you can still achieve a comfortable temperature from your radiators without spending as much on the boiler temperature,” he says.

“You’re highly unlikely to notice the slight change yet it can make a considerable difference on bills.”

Homes lose 10-20 per cent of their heat through windows, external doors etc, says Jump, so installing energy-efficient glazing and high thermal performance doors is one of the best long-term solutions to reduce heat loss and cut bills.

But a more affordable and immediate solution is to keep curtains closed to help retain heat lost through windows and doorways throughout the night, and even during the day in unused rooms.

“Investing in heavy or thermal-lined curtains will yield the best results,” he says, pointing out that a heavy curtain across the front door is a great option to prevent heat from escaping.

One area people might not realise they’re losing heat is through keyholes and letterboxes. Jump says a clever little trick to help prevent heat loss is to use a fridge magnet over a keyhole to block it.

“Audit and seal any gaps where even the slightest draught could be creeping through, and keep both internal and external doors closed, or better yet, invest in an external letterbox and some draught excluders,” he suggests.

Although it would be nice to save money on heating by switching it off if you’re away for a few days, if the temperature outside is very cold your pipes could freeze and burst, potentially costing thousands of pounds repairing any resulting water damage.

“If you’ll be away for a while, protect pipes from frost,” O’Loan advises. “Most controls have a frost protection setting, so just check it’s on. If not, set the thermostat to around 13°C so heating kicks in if it gets very cold.

“It might cost a little in energy, but far less than repairing burst pipes.”

O’Loan says radiators should be turned down, but not fully off, in any unused rooms in the house. “This will help reduce damp and keeps your heating system running efficiently,” she explains.

Homes with a heat pump may benefit from having radiators all open to maintain good efficiency, she adds.

The most efficient boilers are rated A on the energy efficiency scale, which goes from A–G. O’Loan says an A rating means the boiler converts more than 90 per cent of fuel into heat for your home. “Older boilers often fall into lower bands like D or E, which waste more energy and cost more to run,” she says.

The average cost for a new gas boiler is around £3,700 installed, she says, depending on the model and complexity. But she advises anyone replacing their boiler to work with a good installer who can set it up correctly and adjust flow temperatures so the system runs efficiently. “This makes a big difference to how it performs,” she explains.

Anyone minded to get a more eco-friendly home heating system may prefer to get a heat pump, and O’Loan says: “They can significantly reduce emissions compared to gas boilers, though they have higher upfront costs (usually £7,000–£12,000). However, there are grants available to help reduce the cost.”