Turn down your thermostat by 1°C
A minimum temperature of 18°C is recommended (20°C for the elderly and very young), but many people prefer their house or office to be a bit warmer. However, if you like your heating higher than this, turning the thermostat down by one degree will save energy with a barely noticeable effect on the temperature.
Maintain your boiler (or other heat source) and radiators
Boilers should be serviced every year to ensure they are safe and running correctly, but there are a few other things you can check to ensure your heating is running efficiently.
Trapped air in a heating system will reduce its efficiency, so bleed radiators to improve energy use. Also check that the water in the system is still efficient by removing any sludge; if the bottoms of radiators are colder than the top, or if some take much longer to heat up than the rest, this might indicate that you need to flush the system. It is recommended to discuss this with a professional to ensure it is done correctly.
A small, simple thing to do that might only have a small impact but could still help is to keep radiators and heaters clean and free of dust, as this can create a layer of insulation that limits the heat emitted.
Make use of natural heat
Keep curtains and blinds open during the day to let the sunlight in, and close them when it gets dark. In summer, when wanting to keep cooler, the reverse is true: close them during the day to keep out the sun's warmth and open them at night to let cooler air in.
If possible, also arrange rooms so that main seating areas receive the most natural light — this can provide some additional natural warmth.
Allow your rooms to provide ideal heating conditions
Don't block heat by positioning furniture or other objects in front of radiators and heat sources. Make sure there is enough space around them to allow the heat to dissipate around the room properly. This includes curtains — keep curtains clear and on the outside of the radiator so the heat isn't simply rising to the colder air by the window.
As well as providing ideal heating conditions, try to keep the heat inside the building by using draught excluders, curtains on windows and doorways, and closing internal doors. However, make sure the property still has some ventilation to reduce the risk of damp.
Lower the flow temperature on the boiler
Combi boilers are the most common type of boiler in the UK. On these boilers it is possible to set the flow temperature for the hot water and central heating. Often these are set too high for efficient use, and can be lowered to 50-60°C.
This does not lower the temperature of the property as the thermostat does; this simply tells the boiler not to heat the water it uses above the set temperature. Lowering this temperature means the radiators may heat up a bit more slowly, but will still reach the temperature you set on the thermostat. Heating the water a little less helps to run the boiler more efficiently and can save you money on your energy bills.
However, this advice is only for combi boilers — while other types of boiler may have their own settings to modify, heat pump temperatures should not be changed.
Check your boiler pressure
Another simple way to improve energy efficiency is to make sure the boiler pressure is within the optimum range. If the pressure is too low the boiler uses more energy to heat the system. The pressure is usually indicated on the pressure gauge, which can be found easily on newer boilers but on older boilers may require checking the manual.
Use smart radiator valves or TRVs
Radiators fitted with thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) can help to improve energy efficiency as they allow radiator temperatures to be controlled individually. They restrict the radiator to the temperature to which they are set by sensing the air around them. Make sure these are not set too high; instead keep them set at the lowest temperature that still provides comfort. Each radiator in each room may be different, as some rooms may be used more frequently or warm up more easily.
Additionally, smart radiator valves can be controlled by an app, allowing the temperature to be modified even if no-one is physically present.
Install a Building Energy Management System (BEMS)
A Building Energy Management System like HeatingSave controls and manages not only the heating system of a property, but other energy use as well. It monitors the temperature of the boiler flow, rooms in the premises, external temperatures, TRVs, and more, to ensure energy use is optimised, excess use is cut, and heating control is streamlined. HeatingSave can also turn off lights in unoccupied rooms or zones, and switch off electrical equipment at certain times or under other conditions, further reducing energy use and increasing cost savings.
A significant benefit to using the HeatingSave Building Energy Management System is that it can control connected TRVs to ensure the correct temperature without any interaction necessary. Zoning the heating in the property via TRVs and occupancy sensors means HeatingSave will keep the temperature at the desired level for each zone, but only when they are occupied — so energy is only used when necessary, saving money on bills.
HeatingSave can be retrofitted to almost any existing heating system, with any type of heat source — not just boilers — and saves, on average, 20-50% off heating bills, with older and poorly optimised systems achieving the highest savings.
HeatingSave saves money for properties of all types, from large homes to multi-site organisations. Find out how HeatingSave can save you money — book a free personalised demonstration now.