Households across the UK can stay toasty and warm this winter with one heating change and get £90 back on bills.
It’s that time of year when budgets are tight and with energy bills set to rise again in January, households should look to make small savings where they can.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, turning your thermostat down by just one degree can save the average home around £90 per year on heating costs.
During the colder months, it can be tempting to crank up the heating to stave off those winter chills, but according to the World Health Organisation, the NHS, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), and Age UK, the temperature only needs to be set at 18C. This temperature is considered to be enough to keep you warm in winter and safeguard against the cold.
A temperature between 16C and 18C is recommended for families with babies while they sleep to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, and the elderly may also benefit from a slightly higher temperature than 18C.
But even if you set the thermostat at 20C, down from 21C, that small reduction can result in decent savings of up to £90, so it’s worth making the change and putting on an extra jumper if necessary to cut your heating costs.
It’s particularly important to be thrifty now as Ofgem has confirmed household energy bills will rise again from January 1, following a 1.2 percent hike to its price cap.
It means the typical bill for homes in England, Scotland and Wales will go up from £1,717 to £1,738 per year – or an extra £1.75 per month. The price hike follows a 10 percent rise in October.
Additionally, around 10 million pensioners will miss out on Winter Fuel Payments this year, which are worth up to £300, thanks to a Labour rule change, so it’s worth making savings where you can.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “Older people, struggling without their winter fuel payment, who were praying for a reduction in energy prices to help them in the New Year, will be bitterly disappointed.
“The news that the energy price cap is instead slightly rising is the latest in a series of blows for pensioners living on a low or modest income, who do not receive Pension Credit because they don’t claim it or are not eligible.
“There are millions of older people in this situation and we know that many are hoping against hope that something will turn up to help ease their situation over the next few months, when the weather is at its coldest. If you are an older person for whom every penny counts, managing your energy bills until the rise in your State Pension starts coming through from April just got harder.”