When it comes to heating our homes, it’s difficult to know whether some of the information we hear is true or false. There are many myths surrounding heating which could be costing you hundreds of pounds of wasted money. Here we attempt to sort the truth from the fiction so you can stay toasty for less this winter.
Heating Fiction
Heating your water all day so you don’t run out of hot water – with a properly insulated water tank, there is no reason to waste electricity by keeping your water on all day. A simple half an hour in the morning or timed for before you get up in the morning will keep your water warm to at least midday. This is far more economical too.
Leaving the heating on all day is another suggestion some people make for keeping a warm temperature throughout the house all day. They believe that it’s also more economical to keep the heating running low rather than turning it on and off several times a day. However, this is not the case as you end up partially heating the house while no-one is in to benefit from it and then when people do come home, they find the house is not warm enough.
Another myth is that turning up the thermostat will heat a room quicker. Many people surveyed admit to doing this but it has no effect on heating a room any faster and only heats the whole house to a higher temperature.
Heating Facts
Drawing your curtains – it turns out that this action is not purely psychological but does have a real insulating impact on keeping your home warm. Making sure you draw the curtains at sunset can reduce heat loss by as much as 17%.
Bleeding radiators is as important as people say it is. If a radiator feels hot at the bottom but cold up top then your home isn’t being heated effectively as your radiator contains trapped air and is not warming up as it should. Bleeding is simple, just put a radiator key into the bleed valve, open the valve and release some of the trapped air. Fancy a radiator revamp? For new designer aluminium radiators, visit www.apolloradiators.co.uk
Where you place your furniture can have a big impact on the effectiveness of your heating. Sometimes it’s through necessity but large furniture items like sofas really shouldn’t be placed right in front of a radiator. If you have space issues then consider differently shaped radiators to suit your needs, such as a vertical radiator.
Having an old boiler could be wasting you a ton of money. A boiler of more than ten years service could be wasting every 30 pence in the pound spent on heating and water. An upgrade to a more modern system will see much better energy-efficient and savings in the long-term. Updating to an A rated condensing or oil-fired boiler can be 90% more efficient than an older model.
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