Essential Tips To Save Money On The Central Heating Bills

February 6th, 2010 by Steve Evans

Despite the recession, the cost of out energy is constantly rising and we need to pro-actively think of ways to minimise the central heating costs. Here are some essential tips for cutting down those central heating costs that eat into your wages each month. No matter what changes you decide to make, just bear in mind that the small ones can have a large impact on the overall costs, so it is well worth considering all possible improvements outlined below.

1. Head down to the basement and reduce the setting on your hot water thermostat by about 10 degrees. Of course, use your own judgement, but you will probably find that you don’t need to go below 120 degrees with the thermostat temperature.

2. Since you’re already at your boiler adjusting the heat, it is a good idea to check that the filters are clean too. A dirty and clogged filter will force your unit to work much harder and stay on longer as it struggles to penetrate anything through the central heating system.

3. Check your air ducts for gaps, leaks or disconnects. It is true when people say that any disconnection problems or suchlike could be adding up to 25% to your energy bill, so you need to make sure all outlets are sealed. Its fine if you don’t trust yourself to do this though, because the central heating experts can come over and sort it for you. Also, you can kindly ask the engineer to check the ducts whilst he is at your home, and this will help you to make sure you are being as energy efficient as possible.

4. Adjust your thermostat a few degrees lower. Trust in me when I say this really does add up. When the bill comes through you will be glad you did this.

5. It may be that your thermostat isn’t a modern, programmable one, this should most definitely get upgraded. The reason is, you can set the thermostat so the temperature setting in your house is lower at night than during the day, when you are awake. Also, if you are away at work during the day, you can set it for a lower temperature and have it programmed to start heating the house a little bit before you come home. These programmable thermostats aren’t very expensive, and you can either install one yourself or call the trusty engineer out to save time.

Taking the time to implement these tips will drastically reduce your home heating bills. The advice included here isn’t meant to take you days and days to implement- just reserve a few hours to get them done. Now roll up your sleeves follow these tips and start saving money on your heating costs!