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The bone-chilling weather is about to hit most parts of the world in just a few days. From snow storms to extremely chilling winds, living without a central heating system would be impossible. Especially in the United Kingdom where weather is unpredictable throughout the year, and winters are no exception.
However, the rising cost of energy bills is surely worrisome for the majority of people. The fear of rising costs and lower salaries would be a major concern. And in the future, the bills may tend to surge more as fuel poverty is hitting most households.
But there is always a ray of hope in the darkness, as we are going to reveal the most economical and efficient ways to use central heating. If you have never tried to cut down on energy bills by using central heating economically, don’t skip anything. You will come to know useful information that you may have never heard of before.
Let’s get started without further ado.
How Does Central Heating Work?
How does central heating works might seem boring, but we will try to explain it in an easy way. The central heating system working might look complex, but it is straightforward. The boiler is fueled by gas to manage the furnace and placed in a bathroom or kitchen. The boiler uses water that is electrically pumped to transfer heat into radiators. The boiler is fed by natural gas continuously backed by the main pipeline. Once you want the central heating to warm your room, you simply need to turn on the boiler powered by electricity. It opens the valve and allows gas to enter the sealed combustion chamber. The gas is turned on by an electric ignition system, while the jet supports a heat exchanger connected to a pipe containing cold water.
Efficient Heating Overview
In the present era, the amount of carbon emissions and greenhouse gases has disrupted our planet. From droughts to floods, and thunderstorms to unusual climate change, carbon emission has become a concern for the global leaders.
To reduce carbon footprint, highly efficient central heating systems have been produced. Here’s what you need to know about efficient heating.
- Efficiency is dependent on the amount of fuel converted to heat energy.
- One of the most efficient and economical heating systems is the heat pumps
- Comparing gas with electricity, electricity is far more efficient, but the cost is too high
- Heating bills can be lowered if you improve home efficiency
- Replacing your old boilers with the new ones will help you reduce energy bills.
What’s the Cost of Electricity and Gas in UK?
Winters are approaching and taking the cost into consideration would help you to save some money on energy bills. When it comes to natural gas, the average cost is 10.3 per kWh compared to electricity, which costs 34p per kWh. The prices are fixed as per the Energy Price Guarantee. But in spring 2024, EPG will expire, which will surely be worrisome as the prices may increase further.
Those who were finding ways to the most economical way to use central heating might feel the shock after the pandemic hits the world. The cost of energy bills also depends on several factors such as fixed rate tariff or variable tariff.
Heat pumps are the most efficient ones offering up to 350 percent efficiency and are more affordable than electric boilers. In short, gas boilers are the most efficient and economical ways to use central heating and cut down energy bills.
What is the Cost of Oil and LPG?
The cost of heating oil is nearly £0.09 per kW, which is slightly cheaper than natural gas. However, when it comes to LPG, the price is about £0.12 per kWh.
What Type of Heating is Cheapest in the UK?
Compared to other heating systems, gas boilers are the most efficient and cost-effective solution to keep your home warm and cozy. If you go for an electric heating system, they are going to cost you thrice the price of gas boilers. The cost of electricity currently in the UK is 34p per kWh compared to gas, which accounts for 10.3p per kWh.
When comparing gas boilers to air-source heat pumps, they are not cost-effective at all. Especially, if your home has got poor thermal insulation and openings such as windows.
Factors Affecting Home Heating and Cooling
The heating and cooling of your home depends on many factors. It is not only pertinent to how efficient your heating system is. Let’s take a brief overview of factors affecting home heating and cooling.
Size of Your Home
Property size is the major factor affecting the cooling and heating of a home. The bigger the house, the more consumption leading to high energy bills. To maintain heating in a big house needs a powerful heating system. Moreover, the amount of time it takes to make the room warmer will be increased depending on property size. So if you are living in a big home, you need to keep in mind that energy costs will be higher than those of smaller homes.
Insulation
Taking preventive measures to retain the heat in your home will ultimately lead to lower energy bills. However, if your home has poor insulation, you may need to consider insulating your home before you buy or upgrade your heating system. Some of the ways to insulate your home include:
- Floorboard Insulation
- Double or Triple Layered Windows
- Thermal Curtains
- Insulated Doors
- Plastic Lining for Windows
Taking all of the measures to insulate your home will ensure less energy consumption, retain more heat, and lower energy bills.
Fuel Type
The type of fuel used to heat your home depends largely on fuel type. As mentioned earlier, the cost of electricity is much more than that of natural gas. If cost is not the concern, electric heating systems will be much more effective. But if you want to slash down your energy bills, natural gas heating is the most cost-effective way to save money.
Why Heating Bills are too High in the Winter?
Heating bills are a major concern for most of the households. It depends on various factors as we have discussed in the previous section. But there are other factors that also play a pivotal role in the rising bills in the winter.
For instance, you might be consuming more than you need. One of the major reasons is the thermostat setting that you set and forget. This leads to warming up your home more than you need. And on top of it, if you wear normal clothes that aren’t warm, you may need more heating than the average household.
Another reason your bills are too high in the winter is the structure and layout of your home. Insulation is the most common factor of heat loss, leading to more energy consumption. Furthermore, poorly sealed windows and doors would lead to air leaks, which make it obvious that you need more heating than if the doors and windows were sealed properly.
Lastly, if your heating system is too old and you don’t bother about its maintenance, you end up paying more energy bills. The reason is that old heating systems are not fuel efficient and consume more energy than the new ones.
If you want to save more on energy bills during the winter, you can act smartly and take measures to slash energy bills.
What is the Most Economical way to use Central Heating and Save on Energy Bills?
Using central heating at home in the most economical way is easy and no-brainer. Here are some of the most economical ways to use central heating to reduce energy bills and keep your home warm without doing much.
12 tips to save money on your energy bills this winter
Find Common Areas of Heat Loss in Your Home
The smart approach to reduce heating bills is to identify areas in your house where heat loss occurs. There are holes, gaps, and vents that would not allow heat to stay in. Make sure to cover up these holes, vents, and cracks to prevent heat loss. Some of the common areas in your house where heat loss occurs are:
- Fireplace
- Roof
- Ducts
- Power Outlets
- Doors and Windows
Dress up in Warm Clothes
Instead of wearing shorts and a half-sleeved T-shirt in your home, it is good to wear warm clothes during the winter. Wear socks, a sweater, mittens, and a warm beanie to stay warm even when the heating system is not in use.
It’s a fact that you cannot stay in those clothes all day long. Turning on the heating system after spending chilling cold outdoors is an ideal approach. However, if you are preparing yourself to watch a good movie on a weekend night or read a book, make sure to curl yourself up in a warm blanket instead of turning on your heating system.
Let the Heat of the Sun Come in
It’s rare to see sunlight in the winter in the UK. But on some days, the sun shines brighter than normal winter days. Take advantage of the bright sun in winter by opening up doors, windows, and shades so that you can take advantage of its heat and of course vitamin D as well. However, once the sun disappears, make sure to properly close all the doors and windows. You can practice this every morning if luckily the sun shows up in the morning. Probably, it comes to rescue you to let you save on energy bills.
Close Extra Doors
We all have some rooms that are rarely used. For instance, the storeroom is mostly used to dump things up, and once done, it is not used for days unless you need to find or dump other items. Make sure to close the doors of these extra rooms, even when the heater is turned on.
Moreover, it is also important to close windows and vents that are not in use. While the heating system is turned on, make sure to cover the gaps and cracks with a towel or any other item that could prevent heat from getting out.
Switch off the Oven After Cooking
It’s a treat to eat warm foods and keep yourself warm. Making soup, baking cookies, and grilling rooster is a treat for everybody at home. But with all the cooking, the energy bills are also going to surge.
However, you should also make sure that the stove is turned off once you are done with the cooking. Don’t let the heat of your kitchen stay in, rather open the doors to let the heat transfer from the kitchen to other parts of your home. This way you can utilize heat not only for cooking food but also to warm up other parts of the house.
Adjust the Thermostat
Heating bills can be slashed down by adjusting your thermostat. And if you have a smart thermostat, it would be quite useful to cut down on your energy bills, as they are capable of turning off and on automatically when needed.
However, if you don’t have a smart thermostat, there are still plenty of ways to adjust and cut down on energy bills. For instance, you can set it to a minimum when going to bed or leaving for work. The best temperature to set for a heating system is around 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cover the Ducts
One of the common places for heat loss is the ducts in your home. If your home is not insulated and ducts are not covered properly, the heat loss will take place at a greater rate. You may turn on the heating system more than usual, which leads to high energy bills. Make sure to seal the ducts with the help of mastic sealant or foil tape. You will find a huge difference in your energy bills by not letting heat loss through ducts. This is one of the most effective ways to save heat energy in your home.
Remove any Obstacles
Your room setting plays a key role in keeping your home warm and cozy. For instance, you can move your sofa and center table somewhere else to change the aesthetics of the room. Moreover, it can also help in smoother airflow, which can keep your room warm for a longer time.
Another great way to improve heat flow throughout the home is to remove any obstacles. For instance, a shelf placed in front of a central heating vent would block the heat from flowing. Remove anything that is placed in front of heating vents so that air flows in all directions without any problem.
Get Your Home Inspected
Getting your home inspected to know what areas of your home are losing heat will allow you to save money on energy bills. You can either hire a professional or get it done by yourself. However, hiring a professional will help you to know more ways on the most economical ways to use central heating and save on bills.
Change Filters of the Heating System Frequently
Central heating systems have filters that need to be changed often or cleaned frequently. For instance, the accumulation of dust, pet hair, and debris would decrease the efficiency of the heating system. Make sure to change the filters before the winter starts and clean them after every week or two.
Service Your Heating Systems
If you are still searching for answers about how to reduce energy bills in winter, make sure to consider this tip as the most important one. Heating systems require regular servicing to help you reduce energy bills in winter. Servicing your heating system will ensure its efficiency at an optimal level, requiring less fuel.
You can sign up for an agreement with your heating company that includes annual maintenance and inspection of the central heating system. By signing the agreement, you will not only save money on energy bills but also let your heating system function at an optimal level. Moreover, it will increase the life of the heating system, which allows you to save more money on replacing or upgrading.
Replace Your Old Central Heating System
If you have tried all the aforementioned methods to save money on energy bills, but in vain, you need to replace your old central heating system with a new one. The newer versions of central heating systems are more energy-efficient, reduce carbon footprint, and save energy on bills during winter.
However, if you are unable to afford to install a new central heating system, you can check government funding grant ECO4 scheme eligibility to get a free first-time central heating grant. Without paying a dime, get your central heating replaced and save money along with energy.
Summing Up
In this post, we have discussed some of the most economical ways to use central heating to save energy bills during winter. We have also mentioned factors affecting the cooling and heating of your home. Moreover, you will also learn 12 tips to save money on your energy bills this winter we have mentioned in this post.
If you have any questions regarding the ECO4 government funding grant scheme, you can contact ecoenergyservices.co.uk at 0204-525-9721. For more updates regarding ECO4 Government funding grant scheme, keep visiting our website.
