Gas doesn’t exactly come cheap so it’s understandable that you will want to heat your home as efficiently as you can. To give you a helping hand, we’ve provided a few top tips on how to improve the efficiency of your home heating.
Use a thermostat
A thermostat will allow you to set your heating and hot water to turn on and off at set intervals. This means you can get both heating and hot water when you need it most. You can also use your thermostat to set how warm you want certain areas of your home to be. Having more control over your heating will allow you to achieve greater efficiency.
Controlling your radiators
If you use radiators to heat your home, it’s a good idea to set your timer 15 – 30 minutes before you need to use a room, so it can be ready at your chosen temperature. It’s also a good idea to turn your heating off around 30 minutes before leaving your home. The room will stay warm until you leave, as the heating will have already built up to a comfortable level.
Controlling under floor heating
If alternatively you use under floor heating, you will need to set your timer around 45 minutes before you need to use a room, so it heats up in plenty of time. Like with radiators, it’s a good idea to turn off your under floor heating when you are planning on leaving the house, in order to save energy. We recommend turning your under floor heating off at least fifteen minutes before you leave the house.
Heating your home efficiently: Boiler advice
The way in which you set up and configure your boiler will also have a big impact on your heating efficiency. Here we’ve shared our top tips for the three main types of boiler likely to be found in domestic properties.
Conventional boilers
Conventional boilers are those that have a separate water tank and a single control for both hot water and heating. They usually go from 40°C to 80°C.
To ensure you are heating your home efficiently, you will need to adjust the thermostat on your water tank. Make sure it is set between 55°C and 60°C to heat your home efficiently. In the winter, it’s advised that you turn it up to the maximum of 80°C. Remember that this will make your pipes and radiators hotter, so take care if you have children in the house.
Combination boilers
Unlike conventional boilers, combination boilers come with separate temperature controls for heating and hot water. Your boiler is likely to have a temperature setting of 40°C to 80°C for heating and 40°C to 60°C for hot water.
In order to heat your home efficiently, it’s recommended that you set your heating to a high temperature of around 80°C in the winter and your water to the lowest setting available. Just make sure it’s hot enough to satisfy your requirements. Obviously you will not need to have your heating as high in the summer time, when the weather is generally better anyway.
Back boilers
Back boilers usually sit behind gas fires and have an adjustable temperature between 40°C and 80°C. In order to heat your home efficiently, you will need to set the thermostat on your water tank between 55°C and 60°C. You will then be able to adjust the boiler temperature to maximise energy efficiency.
In the winter, it’s recommended that you set your boiler temperature control to 80°C (which is likely to be the maximum). In the summer time, it can go down to between 55°C and 60°C or even lower, depending on your hot water requirements.
Need more advice on how to heat your home efficiently? Feel free to get in touch with our experts on 020 8351 3395.
