YOUR boiler might not be top priority as the sun shines on a glorious bank holiday weekend – but it needs attention if you want to keep energy bills down.
And with prices at all time highs, your home may need all the help it can get.
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Bills rocketed by 54% at the start of the month, all because the price cap shot up to £1,971.
That meant an increase of £693 for the average household, though the exact cost can vary depending on your use.
And a dodgy boiler could easily be to blame for any extra pennies on top of that, so taking the time to check over it, even during a heatwave, will benefit in the long run.
If you check over you boiler even when you’re not using it, you’ll nip any small problems in the bud and reduce the chances of your system breaking down at some point.
If it were to breakdown that could result in far more costly repairs or replacements.
An old and haggard system is going to be more energy consuming too.
It drives up your bills even when it’s trying to do minimal effort – for example you’re only using it for hot showers now, compared to having the radiators on blast throughout the winter.
Ideal Heating explains how if your boiler sounds like a kettle when it heats up, it means there’s a build up of grime or limescale inside the boiler’s heat exchanger.
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Because of this, the boiler won’t run efficiently and will waste money and energy in the process.
It may take some advance planning, but starting to switch on your boiler intermittently in the spring and summer will help prevent the build up – once or twice a month would do the trick.
Then you can detect any problems with your boiler before you need to start using it regularly.
You’ll also help prevent the build up of grime, dust and other debris which can cause a boiler breakdown or blockages.
Check it out
Having a regular boiler service will make sure your boiler is running efficiently and safely too – and you should do this once a year.
A heating engineer can service your boiler in around an hour, but be prepared that you might be left without hot water until they are finished.
You may have to fork out for the service too – it could be up to £120.
Boilers have a warranty of around 10 years, but if you have not had regular services the warranty does not stand.
Common problems with your boiler can be easily fixed though, and as a result you could save £100s.
Simply cleaning it once in a while might do the trick too.
The Easter weekend could be the perfect time for a spot of spring cleaning, but don’t let your efforts stop at the boiler.
Giving it a once over with a dust cloth will prevent its tubes and pipes from getting clogged up.
It is worth giving your boiler a little TLC when you’re not using it – another way to make sure it’s working to its best ability is to kit it out properly.
Experts at EnergyHelpline explain how insulating your boiler and covering any exposed pipes can typically save £80 a year.
You can dress up your hot water tank with a jacket and insulate the pipes too to make sure that exposed areas don’t waste heat either.
Don’t forget the radiators either
Radiators, in this weather?
You might avoiding them while it’s warm outside but ignoring your radiators altogether could leave your boiler working double time later in the year.
Making sure to regularly bleed your radiators will keep costs down as your boiler won’t have to work any harder to get the heat pumped out when you do come to switch it back on.
Bleeding gets rid of trapped air, and it’s recommended you carry out the radiator maintenance at least once a year.
Neglecting to bleed your radiators could stop them from running properly, so you could end up wasting energy heating nothing.
How else can I lower my energy bills?
There’s plenty of tips and tricks you can try at home to cut down your usage, from DIY insulations to the great un-plug.
But be careful of some hacks that may even add to your bills.
You can get help to cover costs too from the government and through suppliers.
A £200 energy rebate is planned for later in the year to households with lower energy costs in the short term.
The discount will need to be repaid in £40 annual instalments though, starting from April next year for five years.
There’s also a council tax rebate on the way to most households if they’ve not had it already, and it’s worth £150.
It won’t strictly bring your energy bills down, but the £150 is designed to help households battle the cost of living.
Plus some energy providers help with hardship grants – British Gas, for example, just announced further funding for its own, offering £2million more to those who are struggling.
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