This simple heating error could cost you over £100 each year

Winter is slowly creeping in, and so are heating costs as most of us are starting to turn on the central heating for the first time this season. 

As the weather starts getting colder and more miserable, we naturally look anywhere for tips as to how to keep our house warm. However, it can be hard to cut through the noise sometimes, making it difficult to separate the genuinely useful tips and tricks from the heating hacks we should avoid.

With all the deceptive 'hacks' out there, Energy expert at Ovo Energy, Greig Millar has revealed his top tip for getting the most out of your heating while keeping those pesky costs down. So the annual debate of when you should turn your heating on should be a little easier to settle this year. 

If you’re looking to survive the cold winter ahead while keeping costs down then knowing how to make the most of your radiators is a great place to start. Firstly, learning how to clean your radiators in the right way will massively increase their efficiency and ability to warm up your home. 

The tip, however, that could save you up to £136 each year is even easier than giving your radiators a good clean. Heating expert, Greig explains, “Turning down the valves of radiators in rooms you don’t use as much can significantly lower your bills.” He says that a mere three-degree decrease in your unused rooms can make a significant saving to your energy bill. 

“It’s best to check your radiator valves before switching on your heating for the first time to make sure you don’t have the radiator in your spare room blasting when no one is using it,” Greig continues. 

You may be keeping your radiators on in other rooms as you’re trying to figure out how best to dry clothes indoors, if so it might be more cost-effective to instead invest in one of the best-heated airers. That way you can keep the radiators off in any spare rooms and use a much smaller amount of energy to get your clothes dry. 

Greig Millar

Having spent over 10 years in the energy industry, Greig has visited over 7,000 homes where he has helped homeowners save money on their energy bills, giving then tips to improve their energy efficiency and in turn brough positive contributions to the planet. 

There are a couple of other ways to maximise the heat coming from your radiators. Greig also recommends turning down your boiler flow temperature. "Many condensing combi boilers are burning more gas, generating more emissions and costing households more than needed because they’re set to 70-80°C," he advises. 

"These boilers should be set to a flow temperature of 60°C to increase their chances of running at their optimum efficiency. Turning down a single setting will make your boiler work more efficiently, saving around £65 a year for the average household," he continues. 

Another more common trick that you might already do regularly is bleeding your radiators. Regularly doing this could save you up to £90 annually. If your radiators are only feeling warm at the bottom then it's usually a sign there's some trapped air inside them and they may need to be bled. Greig recommends bleeding your radiators at least once a year. All you need is a key and a spare ten minutes. 

We've found a pack of 2 solid brass radiator keys on Amazon for only £4.75.