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How to Save Money on Heating Bills
Useful Advice on How to Save Money in your Home
Date published: 4 September 2012
Most money spent on energy in the UK, goes towards heating and hot water bills. Understanding your central heating system is important in order to save money on energy bills and protect the environment. Therefore, if you want to reduce the amount of money spent on your bills, you should understand how the central heating system works. This article will provide some helpful tips about central heating based on boilers and radiators and about central heating based on electric storage heaters to help you save some cash on gas bills and protect the environment.
Central heating made out of boilers and radiators
This would be the most common form of central heating encountered in the UK. The boiler heats up the water, which is pumped through pipes to radiators, taps and/or showers for both bathrooms and kitchens. Boilers can work on different types of fuel (as presented in a previous article about how boilers work) such as solid fuel, gas, oil or electricity. Central heating based on gas is the most common form of heating in the UK, because it is the cheapest; equally, gas-based central heating is also the most environment-friendly. In some areas of the UK, where gas is not available, boilers can also run on oil, coal or wood.
In order to be more energy-efficient and protect the environment, you should follow some simple steps:
1. Install heating controls to save water and space
They will allow you to maintain a comfortable temperature in your house without wasting fuel or heat because you will be able to turn the heating off whenever not needed. A room thermostat will control the heating system by switching the heating on and off whenever it reaches your preferred temperature. Equally, a timer or a programmer will allow your home to be heated according to different lifestyles. In addition, thermostatic radiator valves will allow heating control in individual rooms. Also, check our article on what a central thermostat does.
2. Make sure you obey the law
According to the law, if you replace your boiler, you need to make sure that your new boiler is Sedbuk-compatible, which means that your boiler needs to have a minimum efficiency of 88%. If your boiler is not at least 88% efficient, not only are you spending more money on gas bills and damage the environment, but you are also breaking the law.
3. Consider switching to solar-energy based central heating
There are several benefits to solar water heating such as cutting your carbon emissions, reducing your bills and having hot water throughout the year. For further information, I recommend this very interesting YouTube video below on how to generate your own energy from Energy Saving Trust.
4. Insulate your house.
Similar to the previous three steps, insulating your home will help you save money and the environment. House insulation will minimise the heat loss. In other words, you heat up the house and the warmth released will last longer because it will no longer trickle through the walls, ceiling, floor and windows. I found an elaborate and helpful article on how to insulate your home for less.
5. Add chemical inhibitors.
This will help you prevent corrosion and therefore, maintain the efficiency of your central heating, protect the environment and save some money on your gas bills. The reason why applying corrosion inhibitors is important is because corrosion deposits can reduce the efficiency of radiators. Sometimes, scale can develop in heating circuits and on boiler components and applying inhibitors will hence help prevent those as well. TradePlumbing features a whole range of chemical inhibitors at affordable prices.
Central Heating based on electric storage heaters
As already argued, most houses in the UK have gas-based central heating systems. Electricity-based central heating systems are more common in blocks of flats and in houses with no connection to the gas mains. The system heats up overnight, when energy is cheaper (i.e. Economy 7) and release the heat during the day. The downside to electric storage heaters revolves around how much energy they need and how much carbon dioxide the electricity power stations emit. With electric storage heaters, it is also likely that you have a hot water cylinder for storing the water. In order to save some energy you should follow some of the same steps as in the case of centr
Useful Advice on How to Save Money in your Home
Date published: 4 September 2012
Most money spent on energy in the UK, goes towards heating and hot water bills. Understanding your central heating system is important in order to save money on energy bills and protect the environment. Therefore, if you want to reduce the amount of money spent on your bills, you should understand how the central heating system works. This article will provide some helpful tips about central heating based on boilers and radiators and about central heating based on electric storage heaters to help you save some cash on gas bills and protect the environment.
Central heating made out of boilers and radiators
This would be the most common form of central heating encountered in the UK. The boiler heats up the water, which is pumped through pipes to radiators, taps and/or showers for both bathrooms and kitchens. Boilers can work on different types of fuel (as presented in a previous article about how boilers work) such as solid fuel, gas, oil or electricity. Central heating based on gas is the most common form of heating in the UK, because it is the cheapest; equally, gas-based central heating is also the most environment-friendly. In some areas of the UK, where gas is not available, boilers can also run on oil, coal or wood.
In order to be more energy-efficient and protect the environment, you should follow some simple steps:
1. Install heating controls to save water and space
They will allow you to maintain a comfortable temperature in your house without wasting fuel or heat because you will be able to turn the heating off whenever not needed. A room thermostat will control the heating system by switching the heating on and off whenever it reaches your preferred temperature. Equally, a timer or a programmer will allow your home to be heated according to different lifestyles. In addition, thermostatic radiator valves will allow heating control in individual rooms. Also, check our article on what a central thermostat does.
2. Make sure you obey the law
According to the law, if you replace your boiler, you need to make sure that your new boiler is Sedbuk-compatible, which means that your boiler needs to have a minimum efficiency of 88%. If your boiler is not at least 88% efficient, not only are you spending more money on gas bills and damage the environment, but you are also breaking the law.
3. Consider switching to solar-energy based central heating
There are several benefits to solar water heating such as cutting your carbon emissions, reducing your bills and having hot water throughout the year. For further information, I recommend this very interesting YouTube video below on how to generate your own energy from Energy Saving Trust.
4. Insulate your house.
Similar to the previous three steps, insulating your home will help you save money and the environment. House insulation will minimise the heat loss. In other words, you heat up the house and the warmth released will last longer because it will no longer trickle through the walls, ceiling, floor and windows. I found an elaborate and helpful article on how to insulate your home for less.
5. Add chemical inhibitors.
This will help you prevent corrosion and therefore, maintain the efficiency of your central heating, protect the environment and save some money on your gas bills. The reason why applying corrosion inhibitors is important is because corrosion deposits can reduce the efficiency of radiators. Sometimes, scale can develop in heating circuits and on boiler components and applying inhibitors will hence help prevent those as well. TradePlumbing features a whole range of chemical inhibitors at affordable prices.
Central Heating based on electric storage heaters
As already argued, most houses in the UK have gas-based central heating systems. Electricity-based central heating systems are more common in blocks of flats and in houses with no connection to the gas mains. The system heats up overnight, when energy is cheaper (i.e. Economy 7) and release the heat during the day. The downside to electric storage heaters revolves around how much energy they need and how much carbon dioxide the electricity power stations emit. With electric storage heaters, it is also likely that you have a hot water cylinder for storing the water. In order to save some energy you should follow some of the same steps as in the case of central heating made out of boiler and radiators.
- Install controls
- Insulate your house
- Put a jacket on your cylinder even if it is already insulated
However, the main recommendation would be to replace the whole lot with a boiler system.
To conclude, these are some simple steps to follow to save money and the environment, irrespective of whether your central heating is gas or electricity based. For example, it is always good if you install energy controls and insulate your house. Installing energy controls will allow you to set heating to your preferred temperature. Equally, house insulation means that the warmth released by the radiators will be kept indoors for longer. For central heating based on boiler and radiators, you could also switch to a high efficiency boiler, switch to solar energy and add chemical inhibitors to the boiler to prevent corrosion.
- Install controls
- Insulate your house
- Put a jacket on your cylinder even if it is already insulated
However, the main recommendation would be to replace the whole lot with a boiler system.
To conclude, these are some simple steps to follow to save money and the environment, irrespective of whether your central heating is gas or electricity based. For example, it is always good if you install energy controls and insulate your house. Installing energy controls will allow you to set heating to your preferred temperature. Equally, house insulation means that the warmth released by the radiators will be kept indoors for longer. For central heating based on boiler and radiators, you could also switch to a high efficiency boiler, switch to solar energy and add chemical inhibitors to the boiler to prevent corrosion.
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