You’ve been using your thermostat wrong & it’s costing you a fortune & not really keeping you warmer – here’s what to do
AS temperatures get colder and strong winds and rain batter the UK, if you’re looking for ways to stay warm, you’ve come to the right place.
Whilst many of us will reach for our thermostats in the hope to battle the chill, it turns out that you’ve been using yours all wrong.
Although cranking up the thermostat might seem like an appealing way to get toasty this winter, it could be costing you a fortune – and isn’t actually keeping you warmer.
According to a heating expert from Only Radiators, you shouldn’t turn your thermostat up when it’s cold – or down when it’s warm.
Dominic Lees-Bell explained that turning up your thermostat when it’s cold won’t actually heat your home faster.
The thermostat in your home tells the boiler to keep heating the house until it reaches the temperature you’ve set it to and maintains that temperature.
So if you set your temperature to 20C in winter, your thermostat will heat your home to that exact temperature.
Dominic explained that most people tend to “crank up” the heat when it’s cold – something he described as a “false assumption costing everyone a lot of money.”
While this might seem like a completely reasonable thing to do, this is not actually how thermostats work.
He shared: “Most people are still in a Victorian mindset and, during cold weather, they crank up the heat.
“And while that is a perfectly reasonable course of action, it’s not what your thermostat does.”
Dominic added: “Your thermostat is, instead, a limiter, not an accelerator. A minimum and a maximum temperature limiter rolled into one.
“If you’re cold and you turn your thermostat up to 30C in an attempt to make your home hotter, you’re essentially saying to your boiler, ‘you couldn’t reach 20C, so give 30C a try’ with the rate of heating staying the same.
“It’s like someone telling you to run 20 miles. Yet when you flop at 10 miles they instead move the finish line to 30 miles away instead.”
As a result, rather than turning your thermostat up higher, it’s best to wait for the central heating to reach its usual temperature.
Cheap gadgets to help you stay warm
MARTIN Lewis' MoneySavingExpert shared six gadgets that can help you keep the heating off but stay warm.
Heating “the human not the home” means you warm yourself instead of turning on the heating and heating the whole house.
This can save money on your heating bill and means you don’t have to sit in the cold.
- USB gloves – initial cost £10, cost to run less than 1p an hour
- Heated insoles – initial cost £10, cost to run less than 1p an hour
- USB hand warmers – initial cost £15, cost to run less than 1p an hour
- Electric gilet – initial cost £50 (including battery pack), cost to run less than 1p an hour
- Microwaveable wheat bag – initial cost £4, cost to run less than 1p per hours
- Reusable hand warmers – initial cost £5 for a pair, cost to run less than 1p per hour
Keeping the thermostat at a regular temperature can help cut down on costs.
While it may be tempting to crank your thermostat up to 25C when it’s freezing cold, you might end up getting too hot; and this could quickly add up and cost you a fortune if you do it regularly.
Dominic’s top tips to stay warm this winter
Instead of cranking up your thermostat, Dominic shared his top tips on how to stay warm during cold weather.
Dominic recommended: “Put a jumper on, or a coat.
5 Money-saving tips for autumn/winter
1. Draught-proof your home
It takes time and money to heat up your home, so it’s important that you do as much as you can to keep in the warmth. Close your doors and windows, and fill any gaps with a draught excluder.
2. Dial down your thermostat
According to Energy UK, turning down your thermostat by just one degree Celsius could cut your heating bill by up to 10%, and save you around £85 per year. Plus, if you don’t have a thermostat, installing one could save up to £70 per year!
3. Move furniture around
Make sure not big, bulky furniture like sofas are blocking radiators.
4. Wash clothes on a lower temp and add an extra spin
Unless it’s bedding, towels or really dirty items, dial down the temperature to 20 or 30 degrees, and do a double spin to remove excess water.
5. Heat the person not the home
There’s not point heating up a room that no one is sitting in, so be mindful about which radiators are on.
“Ensure your home is fully insulated (cavity, attic, double glazed, etc).
“Clear items away from the top and bottoms of your radiators (the bottom is just as important for good circulation).
“Close windows (but make sure every room is still sufficiently ventilated).
“More carpets (carpets are 60% more insulative than fibreglass, famous for its insulative properties).
“Furnish with fabrics (because the more fluffy textiles you have around, the more heat will be trapped inside them).”