The heat is on and even this relatively mild winter, the house would feel decidedly nippy without it.
But comfort comes at a price – so how can we get the best out of the boiler at reasonable cost?
Here are some tips from Martyn Bridges, marketing and technical support director at Worcester, Bosch Group.
The optimum temperature for comfort is between 18 and 21 degrees, and turning down your thermostat by just one degree will cut the heating bill by ten percent – so try setting the whole-house thermostat at 17 degrees or alternatively getting programmable room thermostats. This will ensure the heating doesn’t have to work too hard to get cranked up when you return home.
Inquire if your heating system has the correct controls as these can increase the efficiency of a condensing boiler by as much as 13 percent.
Don’t cover radiators with curtains or furniture and don’t dry or warm clothes on them.
Insulate any pipework that gives off heat.
If your boiler is more than 15 years old, you’ll be wasting 40p of every pound spent on fuel. Updating it to an A rated condensing boiler is the most fuel efficient improvement you can make, and with appropriate controls this could cut your bills by £235 and save over one tonne of CO2 a year.