A heating and energy consultant has revealed to the Expressthe one thing households should do to their boilers to reduce energy usage and save money on bills.
Heating contributes to a large amount of energy usage, and as the temperatures drop, that usage will rise. Therefore, making small changes can have a dramatic effect on the final number on your bills. Rob Bohm, who works for CLPM, an independent construction project consultancy, revealed one adjustment that can make a significant difference to energy bills this winter, and it is absolutely free to make.
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Mr Bohm said: “Now if you’ve got a boiler—which could be since 2006—oil or gas, and you turn the thermostat on the boiler, not the room thermostat, the boiler thermostat, down to 60C, the boiler will run more efficiently and that’s a no-cost thing to do.”
The expert also touched on the importance of regular boiler maintenance to ensure that it is running efficiently and that there are no safety concerns.
He explained: “[It] is very important [for the boiler] to be annually serviced, for safety reasons, that’s really important. If you do not get it regularly serviced, some types of boilers, especially oil boilers, can get clogged up. And if that becomes inefficient but also potentially unsafe. So in terms of safety, it’s absolutely paramount to have your boiler serviced once a year.”
A boiler service will also check other settings to ensure that it runs at “optimum efficiency” and other parts of the system that often get forgotten, such as the water in the heating system, which will “degrade” if not looked after.
The expert added: “What then happens is that almost like a time eval sludge will come to effect within the heating system, which coats all inside the pipes, pumps, and radiators, again reducing efficiency.
“The one thing to do is certainly work on occasionally getting the system tested to ensure the water quality is good, and if not, the system being cleaned is certainly beneficial to make the system run as best as it possibly can.”