A drop in temperature paired with rising energy costs means more households are facing higher bills this Christmas.
While energy prices dipped in October, the lack of government support this winter means many will pay even more.
A one-bed property, or low-usage household, is expected to pay over £25 more a month, since last year.
With this in mind, we looked at how to keep your energy usage and bills low while keeping warm this Christmas.
Is it cheaper to warm a room or yourself? We look at the cheapest appliances to keep you warm
Should you turn the heating on?
Central heating is one of the most expensive ways to heat your home, especially with prices staying so high.
The current Ofgem price cap limits the price of gas to 6.89p/kWh and 27.35p/kWH for electricity.
It means that a 24kW gas boiler costs £1.65 to run for an hour, while an average 12kW electric boiler – or eight radiators – would cost £3.28 per hour.
An electric boiler that heats four radiators in your home would cost £1.64 an hour to run, similar to a gas boiler.
If a gas boiler is left on for eight hours a day it would set you back £13.20 a day, or £92.40 a week. A 24kW electric boiler is even more pricey, costing £19.44 for 8 hours a day and £136.08 per week.
In January, the price cap is set to rise to 7.42p/kWh for gas and 28.62p/kWh for electricity. It means that a 24kW gas boiler will cost £1.78 to run for an hour, while a 24kW electric boiler will cost £3.43.
Depending on what type of boiler you have, it’s clear that having it on for even just a few hours could set you back a fair chunk of money.
There are ways to cut your usage and bills, but don’t entirely neglect your radiators.
Turning them on, even if briefly, will help to keep your walls warm and help prevent issues like damp and mould.
And to make sure you’re only heating the rooms you use, consider turning down the radiator valves in other rooms.
> Energy-saving tips to help you afford the bills – and the myths that won’t do much
Heaters
An electric heater can be a good alternative to central heating, particularly if you have an electric boiler which costs a lot to run.
Using a heater limits the amount used and depending on how well insulated your home is, can help to heat up the room for some time.
An average electric heater uses 2kW of energy per hour, meaning it costs 54.7p an hour to run, compared to £3.28 for a 24kW electric boiler.
If you live in a smaller home and have an electric boiler, heating four radiators, it will cost you around £1.64 an hour and you can pick one up for as little as £30.
Source: Howden Insurance/This Is Money
Home insurance specialist Howden Insurance said: ‘If you’re looking to heat a larger space but still concerned about paying the full price of having the heating on, electric heaters could provide a more cost-effective solution, although not as efficient as other options, these are still a great cheaper alternative.’
> Is it cheaper to use an electric to warm the room I’m working in?
An oil heater is another option if you want to keep costs down. It uses electricity to heat a reservoir of thermal oil inside the heater. When it heats up, all of the warmth created is transferred to the liquid.
On average, it uses around 1.5kW of energy on average, meaning it costs just 41p per hour to run, or £3.28 for eights hours a day.
You can buy one for as little as £40-50 but bare in mind that they take a bit longer to start emitting heat, so you may have to run it for longer than you would an electric heater.
Finally, infrared heaters are another cost-effective and energy-efficient way to heat a room. They could set you back as little as £40 and cost 30.08p per hour to run for an average 1.1kW heater.
Infrared heaters don’t heat the air, like oil and electric heaters do, rather they emit infrared radiation that only warms the objects it touches.
It means they use all the heat they produce and there is no loss in the transfer, but it also means that it’s not the most effective way to heat a large room.
Infrared heaters work as soon as they’re turned on, but also stop radiating heat once they’re turned off. Since the air is not warmed, the room will lose heat very quickly.
Hot water bottle
A hot water bottle is a great way to keep yourself warm in the house without using central heating.
The average 3kW kettle, when full, costs less than a penny to boil for a minute, and around 1p to boil for 10 minutes.
You won’t necessarily need to refill it every hour too so it could work out much cheaper than even an electric blanket.
However, there are ways to cut your usage if you’re a fan of a hot water bottle. The Energy Saving Trust recommends buying an eco kettle that only boils the amount of water required, as it can save 20 per cent less energy than a conventional electric kettle.
It also says if you avoid overfilling your kettle, you could save yourself £11 a year.
Electric blanket
An electric blanket has become a popular choice, especially for those living alone or who feel the cold easily.
Heating yourself rather than heating a room can help you cut costs drastically. An average electric blanket’s power rating is around 0.1kWh, meaning it costs 2.73p an hour to run.
There are plenty of blankets on sale, starting from as little as £40, and so it could be a good investment to lower your bills.
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: ‘Heated blankets and hot water bottles can be used to warm up the bed before you get in, and can mean you don’t need the heating on for as long in your bedroom.
‘A 100W electric blanket used for an hour would cost 3p, while running a kettle for ten minutes in order to fill a hot water bottle would cost around 1p.’
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This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
