THE UK has been hit with a cold spell and it could be tempting to leave your central heating on all night, but make sure you weigh up the costs.
Energy prices are currently sky high so leaving your radiators on while you’re asleep means you’ll be hit with an even bigger bill.
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Parts of the UK could be facing temperatures as low as -12C tonight, and weather warnings are in place across the country.
According to research from Energy Helpline, keeping your radiators on all night will cost you an extra £10.80 a day.
Over the course of a week, that would cost you £75.60, and if you did it all month you could be paying out a whopping £335.
That’s for an average family home on the energy price cap, which is currently the cheapest available energy deal.
The calculations also assume the central heating has been left on between 10pm and 7am, with one hour of heating costing up to £1.20.
But there are cheaper ways to keep warm at night when cold weather sets in – we explain.
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How can I keep warm at night without leaving the central heating on?
It’s better to have your heating on for a few hours in the evening and then set the timer so it comes on an hour before you plan to get up.
Another way to keep warm at night is to simply layer up and make sure you have a thick winter duvet.
If you’re worried about being cold at night, you could invest in an electric blanket.
Turning it on about half an hour before you go to sleep will warm your bed up and it’s also much cheaper to run.
According to research from Uswitch, they use 100 watts of energy for a double bed – costing 0.8p in total to run for 30 minutes.
That means if you used it seven days a week for this length of time, it would cost you just 5.6p.
Alternatively, if you do want to have the central heating on in your bedroom, make sure you turn off the radiators in the rooms you’re not using to cut costs.
Finally, some households are eligible for money off their heating bills when the temperature falls below zero.
Cold weather payments have been triggered some parts of the UK – find out if you’re eligible for a £25 discount.
Martin Lewis warns energy bills will rise by £600 a year in April
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