MILLIONS of households could slash their gas bills with a simple trick.
With average energy bills hitting £2,500 this weekend, people are looking for ways to bring their costs down.
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A boiler tweak could be just the trick you need.
Adjusting the flow temperature on the boiler could reduce the energy you use by between 6% and 8%, according to the Heating & Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC).
That means the amount you spend on gas could fall by the same amount.
Isaac Occhipinti, energy expert at the HHIC, said: “Heating bills are so high and we know people are looking for different ways to save.
“Most people know about turning their thermostat down to save money but changing the temperature flow of their boiler could also help.”
The hack works by tweaking the heating thermostat on your combi boiler to reduce the flow temperature through your radiators.
This is the temperature the water leaves the boiler to heat your home.
Many boilers are set to heat the water up to 75-80°C. But many homes can still get warm with much lower heating flow temperatures.
It’s a trick that could save up to eight per cent off your energy use – knocking the same amount off your gas bill.
With an average house using 12,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of gas a year and the price of that gas now capped at 10.3p per kWh, those households could save up to £99.
Bigger households using extra energy could save more.
The amount of energy – and money – you save will depend on different factors, from the temperature outside, the age of your house and the level of insulation in your home.
Isaac said: “It’s impossible to give an absolute saving because the UK housing stock is so variable.”
The magic temperature to set your boiler flow at is between 55 and 60 degrees, according to Octopus Energy.
Of the 115,000 of its customers that tried the tip, more than nine in ten rated it useful.
Although there are tips online to show you how to do this, including at theheatinghub.co.uk and Nesta.co.uk, Isaac says it’s generally best to ask expert to avoid getting it wrong, which could leave you paying more than you need to.
He said: “When you have your boiler serviced, ask the engineer to help you find the right flow temperature.”
He explained how it works: “Turning down the flow temperature on a combi boiler can make it operate more efficiently as it extracts more energy from the gas that is burnt and uses this additional energy to heat the hot water in the radiators.”
The hack can be used on combi boilers, but not if you have a boiler with a water tank. Around two in three households have a combi.
Some homes may already have high tech room thermostats that adjust the flow automatically, or you may find your boiler is already set at the right level.
Adjusting the flow temperature on your boiler is just one measure you can take to bring down energy bills.
Others include plugging draughts, improving insulation and setting the heating to come on for a shorter time.
The other more well-known temperature hack – turning down your thermostat by a degree or two – should be top of the list of measures you take.
The Energy Saving Trust reports that reducing the thermostat temperature by 1 degree can reduce your fuel bill by 10%.
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The right temperature is usually between between 18 and 21°c over the winter months.
Isaac said: “Try adjusting the setting to 18 degrees centigrade and if you feel cold adjust it upwards a degree at a time until you reach a comfortable temperature, allowing a few hours for the room to adjust to the new temperature before increasing the setting.”
