Martin Lewis's Money Saving Expert (MSE) has weighed in on the age-old debate about heating: is it cheaper to leave your heating on all day, or turn it off when not needed? The verdict, drawing on expertise from the Energy Saving Trust, British Gas, an independent plumber and MoneySavers social media, is that "leaving the heating on all day leads to greater heat loss and means higher cost".
However, MSE notes that there are valid points on both sides of the argument, and the correct answer may ultimately depend on individual circumstances. The Energy Saving Trust argues that leaving the heating on all day is the less efficient choice, advising that you only heat your home when you actually need it, meaning you pay solely for what you use.
Energy price cap rise adds £60 a year
Energy bills have climbed by £60 a year from October after Ofgem raised the energy price cap by 4%. That translates to an additional £5 a month for the typical household. The energy price cap will rise to £1,723 a year for the typical household for those who aren't on a fixed tariff and pay by Direct Debit in England, Scotland and Wales. It's up from the £1,663 cap currently in place, an increase of 4%.
Installing a timed thermostat is widely regarded as the most effective way to keep your home at the right temperature at the times that work for you. That said, if you own a modern boiler or heat pump, work from home, or spend most of your evenings and weekends in the house, Heat Geek makes the case that the low and slow approach comes out ahead.
When low and slow can work
Heat pumps are a low-carbon form of electric heating that draw warmth from the outside air, while a modern condensing boiler, fitted after 2005, recaptures some waste heat before it is lost. In these situations, keeping a steady indoor temperature of 18 or 19°C could prove more economical. Maintaining lower temperatures with gradual heating — meaning you resist turning the thermostat up whenever you feel a chill — allows the boiler to recover more waste heat in the process.
However, this method may not be the right fit if you are regularly out of the house or have plasterboard walls, which tend to heat up far more quickly. On the other hand, if your home has cavity wall and loft insulation or underfloor heating, the low and slow approach is the one to go for.
MSE recommends trial and error
Some also make the case for keeping heating on low and steady, arguing that it prevents moisture building up inside the walls each time the system is switched off — which can sap heat from your home while also encouraging the growth of damp and mould.
As there is no clear-cut answer, MSE recommends a trial and error approach — comparing your energy usage with each method. Take meter readings at the start and end of each test period and weigh up the results, making sure the temperatures during the weeks being compared are as similar as possible.
