Top Tips – September

 

Use Your Thermostat

September’s Top Tip is to use your thermostat in your home. Most households with central heating have room thermostats which control how warm the heating keeps the house. There are a range of different thermostats and a number of tips to using them properly to make sure you keep your home as warm as you need to but without wasting too much.

What is a thermostat?

Thermostats (usually a dial on the wall) set a maximum temperature for your house. When that point is reached they turn the heating off. When the temperature drops, they turn the heating back on. In this way, you maintain a constant temperature. But everyone knows that, right? What many people don't know is how to use them effectively.

And mastering that dial can make a big difference. For every degree you turn it down, you can save about 10% of your heating bill (about £40 per degree turned down for the average home). It is of course important that we are warm enough in our homes and just because it can save money to turn your heating down does not mean that you should if it makes you too cold. This especially applies to people who spend a lot of time at home and people who have long term illnesses or disabilities.

Modern Myths…

One myth that many people talk about is that it is more cost effective to have your central heating on all day when you are not in the house with your thermostat set at a lower temperature rather than having it at a higher temperature just when you are in the house.

People think that this saves fuel by preventing your heating from turning ‘off and on’ continuously but central heating systems actually work by keeping the house at a constant temperature (whatever temperature is set by the thermostat) so if the thermostat is set at 20°C the radiators will come on to warm the house until the temperature reaches 20°C then they will turn off until the temperature drops below 20°C again and then the radiators will come back on to warm the house back up to 20°C.

If you decide to set it lower, say 15°C, but leave it on all day while you are not in the house, the central heating system will be using fuel all day to keep the house at 15°C but when you arrive home it will still only be 15°C which is not warm enough for most people. 

So what can I do…?

The best way to use your heating efficiently is to just have the house warm enough when you are going to be in it. It is also important to remember that your house takes time to warm up and cool down. So if you know that you will be home at 5pm, set the heating to come on at around 4:30pm then it will warm up to the desired temperature by the time you get in. Also, if you are going to bed at 10pm in the evening and want to turn the heating off at this time, remember that your house will remain warm for a while once the heating is turned off so set it to turn off at 9:30 so allow for the cooling down period.

Further Information

There are other helpful habits you can pick up. Heat the rooms you use most, rather than the whole house - radiator valves will help with this. Turn the heating off when you go on holiday. If you holiday in winter, set it to come on twice a day for 30 minutes at a low temperature. Keep curtains and furniture away from radiators to let the heat circulate. And set the temperature lower in the bedroom at night - it helps you nod off and promotes deeper sleep.
 

Want to go further? All boilers have a thermostat, which governs the temperature the boiler heats the water to. If you have a room thermostat, the boiler thermostat should be set to maximum as this is the most efficient usage. If you don't have a room thermostat you will need to set the boiler thermostat to a comfortable temperature.
You can buy a sophisticated programmable room thermostat, which times your heating to come on and off at the optimum times.

The world health organisation recommends that for vulnerable people or people who spend long periods in the home, the main living area should be at an average of 21°C and all other areas of the home should be around 18°C. The table below highlights some of the potential adverse health impacts that people can experience if they are exposed to cold temperatures for prolonged periods.

Temperature
21°C	Recommended room temperature for vulnerable groups
Below 16°C	Risk of respiratory infections
Below 12°C	Increased blood pressure, risks of stroke and heart attack
Below 9°C	Core body temperature drops and increased cardiovascular problems occur if exposure lasts for more than two hours
5°C	Significant risk of hypothermia