As we've all seen over recent months, energy prices have gone through the roof and it looks like it's only going to get worse.
Martin Lewis (The Money Saving Expert #MSE) has recently reported that there is a further 65% rise in the energy price cap in October this year (2022), taking the typical user to £3,244 per year.
Now we can't show you how to half your bills overnight but we can help you make sure you are limiting your usage as much as possible so you are only paying for the gas you actually need. Here are our top tips:
1 - How Hot?
Straight off the bat, 2 tips in 1 here. Don't heat your water more than you need to. Run the bath and have to add cold all the time? Can't have the hot tap on full to wash your hands because its too hot? - We are paying to heat our water hotter than it's needed, it's just a waste of money so don't.
If you've a combi Boiler, you will often see a dial on the front of your boiler with a tap showing, this is how hot your water will be pumped out - dial it down a little till you get to a temperature that works fine - IMPORTANT NOTE- Your boiler is set to heat your water buy a number of degrees, so the warmer your mains water is the hotter it will be heated to. When we get to colder weather your hot taps won't be as hot so you can just knock it back up till you find the right spot. You can do the same with the radiator temperature. Your heating will still come on and heat till the house is where you want it to but it will take a tiny bit longer (think of it like your car fuel usage, drive at 60mph as opposed to 100mph. You get to the same place but use a lot less fuel).
If you've a hot water tank in the house, that's where you can adjust the tank thermostat down a little so your water isn't heated quite as hot - Make sure you don't turn it below 60 degrees or you risk the development of legionella within your water.
Remember - If you aren't sure on any of this, get in touch and we should be able to talk you through how to do it (and no, we won't charge you it's free advice).
The second part of this one is your heating - You've all heard this one before but its big, knock your heating thermostat down by a degree or two if you can. Whilst that won't save you a penny whilst its hot like now, when your heating comes back in the autumn reducing how hot we heat the house does save money.
2 - How Smart are you?
Smart thermostats or even just programmable thermostats will help save you money. By programming your heating to come on and off when you need it means you don't leave it running when you don't need to. Smart thermostats link in to your home WiFi and come with a mobile app allowing you to control the heating from anywhere in the world, very handy if you've forgotten to turn the heating programme off for a couple of days during a weekend away (or worse still whilst on a 2 week holiday); or, as is the case in our house, if you don't want to get up to go turn it off so you sit there and take a jumper off; problem solved, heating off at the swipe of a finger.
If you don't have a thermostat or want to upgrade, Lombardi Heating Ltd can help - Most boilers can have them added. Taking control of your heating and energy usage will more than repay the outlay of having a thermostat installed.
3 - Radiators don't really radiate...
Well, they do... and they don't. Most modern radiators will have thin metal fins at the back (or in between two or even three panels). The purpose of these is to heat up and draw cold air past them, warming it so it rises out the top... just where we've covered them with curtains or pants and socks. This really impact how much heat they pump out, meaning you have your heating on longer to get the house to temp. Try and give your radiators some space to breathe and they will repay you with lower heating bills.
4 - Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRV's)
These are an easy one, TRV's regulate the temperature of each individual radiator in your home. Most of us have them but if you don't, its worth getting. Not every room needs to be heated to the same level. Spare room or hall doesn't need to be as warm as your front room. When you are warming a room more than you need to you are wasting energy and making your boiler work hared than it needs to. It's a relatively straightforwards job to do and will be saving you money from the day you put your heating on.
5 - What does Martin think?
Go visit Martin Lewis website to see his latest tips from when to fix your deal, when to change and what to look out for. As boring as it all can be, its normally quite easy to make quite significant savings if you get your energy usage and tariffs as efficient as they can.
Remember - Contact us at Lombardi Heating Ltd for any queries or questions, we are always happy to help.
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