Heating costs will rise this winter with the next bill the first issued since the energy cap rise came into effect. Households across the UK are doing all they can to cut costs including using the heating in shorter bursts and turning off radiators in unused rooms.
But one expert has warned that shutting down the heaters may "drive up" bills, as reported by the Express. This is because they could use more energy to heat back up when turned on again. Ben Price, founder of Heatable, explained: “Turning off your heating in unused rooms by turning the radiator’s thermostatic radiator valve to zero or off can save you energy.
"But it could also cost you more money because ultimately they’re always directly related. However, the caveat to this is that it depends on the age of your current boiler.
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"But it could also cost you more money because ultimately they’re always directly related. However, the caveat to this is that it depends on the age of your current boiler.
“If your boiler is an old G-rated and non-condensing boiler (typically sold before 2005), you will likely save money by turning off unused radiators.
“However, if you have a modern condensing boiler, they operate more efficiently at lower flow temperatures.” Ben said households can identify if they have a modern condensing boiler by checking if there is a wipe pipe exiting from the boiler underneath. He added: “This is all due to the way modern condensing boiler technology works.
"Instead of heat being wasted and sent out by your flue pipe, it is recycled back into your central heating system. Since modern boilers operate at lower flower temperatures, reducing the flow temperature is an easy way to increase the efficiency of your heating.”
According to the expert, there are two ways to achieve this. This includes by using a modulating thermostat and by increasing the radiator surface area. This means unused radiators or radiators in rooms not being used should be left open or on.
Ben explained: “Not doing so will make your boiler have to work harder and burn more energy to reach the desired temperature of the radiators you have left on. This is all due to the fact that while the radiators are less hot, they are still able to heat your home to the desired temperature.
“So, the thing to remember is if you are not using radiators in unused rooms, you still want to leave them on in order to allow water to continue to flow through them."
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