With energy bills soaring and the cold weather creeping in, many of us are looking for ways to save money amid the worsening cost of living crisis.
There are a number of tips and tricks on how to keep comfortable without increasing our bills but, with so much often contradictory information doing the rounds, it can be hard to know what to do for the best.
One common idea is to only have the heating on for a shorter burst and turn radiators off in rooms that aren't being used. But one heating expert has now warned shutting heaters off could actually "drive up" bills.
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Ben Price, founder of Heatable, told the Express : “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. 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. 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 using a modulating thermostat and increasing the radiator surface area. This means unused radiators or radiators in rooms not being used should be left open or on.
Ben continued: “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. Or, the other radiators and ultimately your boiler will have to work harder.”
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