Keeping warm at home

There are many ways you can reduce the amount of energy you need to heat your home. Understanding your boiler and radiator settings, and finding the right temperature for your family, are the first steps.

Boiler settings

• Use the timer on your boiler to switch the heating on and off so you only use the heat when you need it. Most timers have a boost button so if you feel a chill, you can boost the heating for a couple of hours without turning the boiler on permanently.
• Check that the temperature on your water cylinder is set at 60°C and only heat your water when you need it rather than keeping it constantly heated.

Room thermostat

Keep your home between 18 and 24°C. Your room thermostat measures the temperature of the air flowing through its vents. Your heating should turn on if the temperature in the room drops and should turn off once the temperature on the thermostat is reached. 

Tip: Place your room thermostat away from drafts and from radiators to get a true reading of a room temperature.

Radiator settings

Thermostatic valves - most modern radiators have thermostatic valves fitted so the heat can be turned down. They work by shutting off the hot water running into the radiator when the air flow in the vents on the valves gets to the temperature you have set.

Try setting the valve to number 3 and see if this gives enough heating.

Tip: If you have your heating set to 24°C but you radiator valves set to 1, your boiler will be switching on to heat the room but your radiator may not heat up as much as you want as you have set it to turn off at a low heat. You need to test your heating to get it just right for your family. A rough temperature guide linked to the settings on thermostatic valves is below:

1 = 12°C
2 = 15°C
3 = 18°C
4 = 21°C
5 = 24°C