Households are being urged to make a simple heating change this winter that could deliver savings of up to £110. The Energy Saving Trust says setting your thermostat to a specific temperature can save households up to £110 per year on average, rather than adjusting it every time you feel cold.
Winter typically drives up heating bills, and this year households face additional strain after a 4% hike to Ofgem's energy price cap this month, adding up to £5 extra per month to bills. NHS advice recommends heating your home to a minimum of 18C to help stay healthy and protect against the cold.
How to Save with Your Thermostat
Rather than turning the thermostat up and down, the Energy Saving Trust recommends leaving it set to a specific temperature all the time, as this avoids wasting energy and is an easy way to reduce heating costs. Experts advise using a timer or programmer to control when your heating comes on and goes off, so you aren't running it when you don't need to.
It is generally advised to set the central heating programme to come on around half an hour before you get up and to turn off around half an hour before you go to bed. If you don't want to heat your whole house, you can opt to just heat the rooms you use most often, like your living room or bedroom.
Health and Cost Benefits
Keeping your home at a minimum of 18C can help fend off winter bugs, including colds, flu and Covid, as well as more serious health problems like pneumonia, heart attacks, strokes and depression. According to energy experts, if your heating is normally set higher than 18C, such as 22C, lowering the temperature by just one degree can make a huge difference to energy costs without massively reducing warmth.
The Energy Saving Trust said: "A room thermostat keeps your home at a steady temperature. It turns the heating on until it reaches your chosen temperature, then switches it off until the room cools slightly."
"You should set your thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature, which for most people is between 18C and 21C. And if you turn the thermostat down by just one degree, from 22C to 21C, you could save £120 in GB and £80 in NI."
The Trust also noted that installing heating controls could save £100 a year in Great Britain and £110 in Northern Ireland, and some controls let you adjust heating via an app while you're out. To prevent heat escaping, use draught excluders to seal gaps around windows and doors, and ensure radiators aren't blocked by furniture or curtains.
