It feels like summer barbecues and closing your windows and doors to keep the heat out was just five minutes ago, but already thoughts are turning to the cold nights and the winter chill that’s creeping back into our homes.
It’s only mid-September but some households have already got the heating back on, and many others will be no doubt thinking about when to pull the trigger and get the boiler back on. But among the many myths, misconceptions and arguments about running the heating, one common point of contention is around what time of day you should heat up your house.
Should you put the heating on before bed? Should you set it to come on before you wake up? Should it be on all day at a low level, or should you just turn it on and off as and when you need it?
The answer can depend on your personal circumstances and your house itself but, generally, the experts at The Energy Saving Trust have a rough guide to when you should turn on the central heating and why.
The Trust says that you should set your heating to come on 30 minutes before you get up in the morning, and have it turn off again half an hour before you go to bed.
It explains: “Generally, it’s useful to have your heating come on around half an hour before you get up in the morning. Then, have turn it off again around half an hour before you go to bed.
“If you’re planning on being out of the house, you can turn the heating off while nobody’s in.”
The Trust also argues that you should not keep your heating on all day, unless you have a heat pump.
It says: “If you have a boiler, then no – keeping your heating on all the time will use more energy and cost you more money.
“It’s more energy efficient, and better for your bills, to have your boiler come on when you need it.
“But if you have a heat pump, then you can save money by leaving the heating on all day.”
And if you have a thermostat, it’s even easier to set your heating correctly to not only keep you warm but save you money.
The Trust adds: “If you have your heating controls set properly then your boiler won’t fire up unless your home is cold enough to need it. This means you can turn the heating back on when you think it might get too cold. Your boiler will then only start when it needs to.
“The main thing to get right is your room thermostat. Generally, you’ll want to set this somewhere between 18°C and 21°C, and this will make sure the heating doesn’t come on until you need it to. It also makes sure you’re not overheating your home over the winter.
“In fact, turning your thermostat down from 22 to 21 degrees could save you £90 a year in Great Britain and £100 in Northern Ireland.
“It’s still worth turning the heating off altogether over the summer though. This way, you’re not wasting energy by keeping the boiler running.”