A NEW £18million Government energy efficiency campaign has revealed the top three ways you can save money on your heating bills.
The drive backs up the newly-launched £1billion Eco+ scheme aimed at making middle-income homes more energy efficient by improving home insulation.
Government has set a goal of reducing energy use by 15 per cent by 2030 as it battles the spiking energy prices caused by Vladimir Putin‘s war in Ukraine.
The public information campaign gives advice about turning down boiler temperatures and radiators to save energy.
Reducing boiler flow temperatures from 75C to 60C and turning down radiators in empty rooms could save a typical household £160 per year, according to the guidance to be published on the help for households website.
The top three tips are:
TURN DOWN BOILER FLOW TO 60C
Millions of households could save £112 a year with this simple boiler trick.
Over £1bn in total could be wiped from millions of energy bills if people turned down their boiler’s flow temperature.
The average household sets their combination boiler water flow temperature between 75°C and 80°C.
But if households were to drop this temperature to 60°C they could slash their gas consumption by 9 per cent – saving households over £100 a year.
Households willing to turn their temperatures down to 55°C could even slash their consumption by 12 per cent.
For those with a combi-boiler, you’ll most likely have two dials on it – one for heating, and one for hot water.
The heating dial will most likely have a radiator icon on it, while the hot water dial will probably have a tap on it, according to The Heating Hub.
Boiler settings vary from model to model – so it’s a good idea to check the manual to find out exactly how to set yours.
If you have a hot water cylinder, you should keep the dial on 60C or more.
TURN DOWN RADIATORS IN EMPTY ROOMS
Most boilers or thermostats have a setting to allow you to schedule when the heating turns on and off.
Consider what rooms in your home need heating. You won’t be using each one 24/7 so make sure the heating is off in any rooms that aren’t occupied.
If a typical household reduced their boiler flow temperature from 75⁰C to 60⁰C and turned down radiators in empty rooms, they could save £160 a year on their energy bill at current prices, according to the Government.
DRAUGHT PROOF WINDOWS AND DOORS
It is also important to ensure that when your boiler’s running that there’s no draught.
Ventilation is good for health and air quality but it’s the first place where heat will escape.
If there’s a draught, grab a draught excluder and plug the gap. You should also ensure your windows are closed before the sun sets.
It’s also worth closing your curtains before it gets dark as the heat will then stay inside your home.
The Energy Company Obligation (Eco) schemes, which launched in January 2013 have delivered as many as 3.5m energy-efficiency measures in around 2.4m homes.
The Eco+ scheme, which will run from Spring 2023 for up to three years, extends that support even further and will see hundreds of thousands of households receive new insulation, saving them around £310 a year.
