Benefits
- Very easy to do
- No cost
- Immediate and significant savings
What is it?
If you turn down your main thermostat just one degree it will cut your heating bills straight away, and you may not feel any difference.
If your heating system has a main heating thermostat, or a programmer where you can set the temperature, then this is the most important part of your heating system to get to grips with.
Try turning the temperature down by one degree. Wait for a day and see how it feels.
If you’re still feeling OK, turn it down another degree, and wait and see. And so on.
As soon as you start to feel a bit too cold, turn it back up by one degree. Make a note of the setting – this is the temperature setting for you and your household.
Most families are happy with a setting somewhere between 18˚C and 21˚C but you may need it warmer if there are any elderly or infirm people living in the property. The temperature will also depend on the nature and layout of your house and heating system, and on where the thermostat is, as well as on personal preference. So don’t get worried if the setting you choose sounds a bit too high or low. Just find the lowest temperature that you’re comfortable with. Then you can be sure you’re paying no more than you need to for a comfortable home.
Other things you can do to control your heating
The other important thing to get right with your heating controls is the timing.
Most heating systems have some sort of timer or programmer that tells the heating when to turn on and off. You should set this to come on shortly before you get up and to go off a bit before you go to bed. You’ll need to use a bit of trial and error to find out how much before. This depends on how quickly your heating system responds, and how quickly your house heats up and cools down.
If there’s no-one at home during the day, you should also set the heating to turn off sometime before you go out, and to come on again before you expect to get home.