When the temperature drops, you may want to turn the heating up, but be worried how this will affect finances. These top tips will help you to save money on your heating bill.

Image: Best Heating

With more time spent at home keeping us warm whilst working, we could all benefit from saving money on our heating bills. We spoke to the experts at Best Heating, one of the leading suppliers of affordable, luxury designer radiators, to get the best money saving tips.

Coupled with tips from smart home automation experts, Hive, this penny pinching guide will keep you warm efficiently and affordably.

1. Turn down your thermostat

Image: Hive

Whilst it might sound obvious, simply switching your thermostat down a degree or two will not only save money on your heating bill but also help to reduce your carbon footprint.

2. Don’t block your radiators

Image: Best Heating

If you have a sofa or an armchair up against a radiator, move it!

If you have a radiator cover, know that anything placed over a radiator will block the flow of air, make your boiler work harder and costing you more money.

But, if you don’t like how your radiator looks, a more attractive designer radiator could be a worthwhile investment – just don’t cover your radiators up, however ugly they are!

3. Stop leaving your heating on whilst not at home

According to Hive, 26% of us admit to leaving our heating on when we are not at home. Whilst we await lockdown measures lifting, this may not be something you think about, but heating an empty home for just 2 hours a day can add £115 onto your annual heating bill.

3. Be guided by the weather

Image: Pixabay

According to insights from Hive, a fifth of us admit to leaving the heating on during the summer months when temperatures in the UK are on average a balmy 18 degrees celsius.

This can often lead us to be hot headed when the bill lands on our doorstep or direct debits leave our bank account.

So when the weather is sunny, be sure to let the natural light in. Additionally, when the weather gets colder, lock the heat in by shutting your blinds and curtains.

Read more:

4. Bleed your radiators

Bleeding your radiators is a quick and simple job which you can do yourself with no extra cost! It can help save you money on your energy bills by improving the efficiency of your radiators.
Read more: How to bleed a radiator

5. Buy an extra rug or two

An extra rug is usually considered as an additional design element to a space, but they can have practical functions too. During Spring, they add an extra layer of insulation to your flooring and trap cold air, preventing it from making the room colder and saving you cash.

Image: Furniture Village

5. Fireplace dampers

Having an open fire is fabulous as it can heat a space in a short space of time, but, when you’re not using it, make sure the damper is closed. This stops heat escaping up your chimney and saving you from turning up your central heating, wasting energy and costing money.

Image: Garden Trading

6. Clean your radiators

If you notice any cold spots at the bottom of your radiators when the heating is on full, you could have a build-up of sludge in the system. This stops the hot water circulating properly, stopping your radiators from getting hot enough when you need the heating the most. Give your radiators a good clean to make sure you aren’t wasting money on heating.

7. Keep windows closed when the heating is on

Image: Hive

Astonishingly, 1 in 4 of us admit to leaving a window open when the heating is on. An open window can impact how quickly our rooms warm up which could have an impact on your overall utility bill.

8. Use heat already there

Throughout the day, we generate loads of heat around the home that we then waste. But little things like leaving the oven door when you turn it off is a simple way to help keep your home warm. This won’t cost you any extra, but this small habit will save you some pennies and pounds over time.

Do you have any other top tips for saving money on your heating? Let us know by tweeting us @goodhomesmag or post a comment on our Facebook page.    

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