Experts over at Which? have shared a little-known boiler hack to slash your energy bills substantially and help the environment – and it takes just seconds to complete
Slash your energy bills this winter with this expert-approved hack that takes seconds.
With Ofgem’s energy price cap rising by 1.2 per cent on January 1 – the average dual fuel household paying by direct debit will see their annual bill go up from £1,717 a year to £1,738, an increase of £21. Combine the hike with plunging temperatures, weather warnings, and threats of snow – and things seem pretty bleak for cash-strapped Brits. If you’re concerned about energy bills this winter, it’s understandable that you want to avoid putting the heating on. However, a cold home can quickly result in a slew of costly problems, including mould spores and frozen pipes. Luckily, there’s a way to cut your spending without having to sacrifice your warmth.
Taking to Tiktok, an expert from Which? explained how if your boiler flue (the pipe on the outside) is releasing lots and lots of steam – you’re probably wasting ‘hundreds of pounds every year’. “If you have a combi condensing boiler, then head to the front panel,” the consumer brand said. “It will look a little something like this. (with a dial or buttons to control the flow temperature). There should be a little picture of a radiator by it. Most people have it set to high at 70 or 80 Celsius.”
The expert explained that this setting isn’t your thermostat, but the temperature of the water as it leaves the boiler and goes into your radiators. Turning this down to 60 degrees Celsius could save you on average £65 a year. If your dial doesn’t have numbers, Which? states ‘pointing the knob straight up usually does the trick’.
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Setting your boiler to the lower temperature will make it more efficient as less wasted heat will get ‘spewed’ out of the flue. If you set your living room to 21C, it will still reach your target temperature – but might take you a little bit longer. “Those with hot water tanks should avoid it all together unless you get expert advice,” Which? added. If 10 million households turned down the flow temperature on their combi boilers to 60°c or below this could wipe £1billion off UK energy bills and save 1.7 million tonnes of carbon emissions – the equivalent of nearly six million people taking transatlantic flights. You can learn more about the hack here.
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