YOU might be forking out hundreds of pounds extra a year due to a little-known boiler mistake.
On average you could be spending up to £550 in unnecessary money, but it could be up to £1,000 if you have a big house.
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Especially nowadays with rising costs and soaring inflation, you don’t want to spend more than you have to.
To avoid those big bills, Nicholas Auckland, heating expert at Trade Radiators, says it’s important to get an annual boiler service done.
This is a check carried out by a plumber to make sure everything works the way it should.
If you don’t look after your boiler, you could end up needing a power flush done.
This gets rid of excess air in the system which would normally cause accelerated corrosion, essentially breaking or damaging your boiler, but you’ll need to hire a professional to do it.
On average it costs £550 to get done, but it could be more.
Mr Ausland said: “It depends on a number of factors, size/age of system and number of radiators.
“Generally looking at a day rate to complete, rates can depend on location, probably taking an average of around £550 for a standard three-bed modern house.
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“Prices could stretch to over £1,000 for a large property with period radiators as it may likely take a couple of days to complete.”
He continued: “Regular annual boiler service plus a system health check will mitigate those big bills and ensure the system is running efficiently.”
It’s worth noting a lot of boiler cover plans include annual checks alongside any repairs that need to be done, but do call up your provider to check if you’re not sure.
If not you might need to pay a small fee to have these checks done – a one-off boiler service in the UK costs on average £80, according to MoneySupermarket.
But that’s if you have a gas boiler – an oil boiler may cost between £50 and £180, but you can call up a plumber to check prices before committing.
These charges will largely vary depending on the type of boiler you have, model and age of it, where you live, and who is carrying out the service.
If you’re not sure what type of boiler you have, make sure to consult your instruction manual.
How else can I save on energy bills?
If you have a combi boiler with an eco mode, make sure it’s set to this because it could save you £225 a year.
If it doesn’t have an eco mode, you will need to check the two dials on the boiler.
One controls your central heating, which you can leave, and the other sets your hot water tap temperature. Turn the second dial down to 50C.
Switching off the boiler’s pre-heat setting and turning down the temperature can also help you to lower your energy costs.
The pre-heat setting involves the boiler retaining some hot water for whenever someone needs to run a shower, or run a tap.
One savvy saver told The Sun how he slashed his energy bill by £100 a year with this trick.
But remember there are other simple mistakes you could be making elsewhere around the house.
For example, make sure you never overfill the kettle, because it could add an eye-watering £87 to your yearly bill.
For more tips and mistakes to avoid, read our guide.
