MARTIN Lewis has issued an urgent warning over a simple thermostat mistake which could add £100s to bills.
The consumer champion and journalist issued the stern advice on the latest episode of his ITV Money Show last night.
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Addressing a member of the audience who said they turn their device up one degree over the colder months, Martin cautioned it is unnecessary and costly.
This is because a thermostat simply maintains a temperature in your home, so if it’s warm enough, putting it up one degree is pointless.
Martin said: “A thermostat says: ‘we will keep it at a set temperature’. Why are you turning it up in winter?
“That’s what the thermostat does. If you want it to be 20 degrees it will stay at 20 degrees and that’s the right temperature for you.
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“You don’t turn your thermostats up in winter, you just let it get to the heat. That’s all you need to do.”
Experts have previously told The Sun turning up your thermostat by just one degree can add £100 to your bills.
So by doing this multiple times you could be adding £100s unnecessarily.
It comes with energy bills for the average household on a dual-fuel tariff paying via direct debit stood at £1,834 a year, under the current Ofgem price cap.
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Of course, you could be paying more or less than this depending on your usage.
But the average figure is significantly higher compared to two years ago, before wholesale prices spiked.
So if you turn your thermostat up when your property is hot enough already, you will want to heed Martin’s advice.
How else to save money on heating bills
Setting the thermostat to the right temperature is just one way to save money on your heating bills.
There’s a number of tweaks, some taking just minutes, which can have a positive impact on your outgoings.
Having your radiators close to doors and other open spaces where heat can escape from a room can add £100 to your yearly bills.
Instead, it’s worth placing them underneath windows, where any cold air will enter and can be heated then circulated around the room.
Putting your thermostat in the wrong place at home could be adding £100s to your bills too.
The Sun previously spoke to Dan Khanlarpour, Checkatrade gas engineer at Gas Guru, who said you’ll want to place it in your hallway where it will pick up the average temperature of your home.
But don’t place it near a draughty window or door where it might cause the device to pick up a lower temperature than the average and force your boiler to turn on when not needed.
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“Anywhere with direct sunlight, or too close to a heat source such as a radiator or a fireplace should also be avoided,” he added.
This will cause the thermostat to read an “artificially” high temperature which will flick your boiler off too early.
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