Can you save money by keeping the heating on? Afternoon tea. Going down the pub. Sunday roast. All brilliant British pastimes depending on who you ask. But saving money on energy bills could count as a left-field entry to that list as well. The volume of people we come across asking if it is cheaper to leave the heating on all day suggests as much!
Can you save money by keeping the heating on?
So we thought we’d take a deep dive into this common query, investigating the best means for you to save cash on your heating costs.
And ultimately answering the question, does it work out cheaper to leave your heating on all day?
Keeping your central heating on low vs turning it on & off
According to the experts at the Energy Saving Trust, the idea that you can save money by keeping your central heating permanently on low is a myth.
This is mainly because of problems with home insulation. If your house is old or draughty, for example, heat will be leaking out through windows and doors.
While leaving your heating on all the time will mean your boiler is constantly using energy to keep the temperature at a set level, with poor insulation it will have to work even harder to maintain this temperature.
An inefficient boiler, which already uses a lot of energy to run, is only going to add to the problem.
Despite the above facts, some engineers still maintain that keeping your boiler on low all the time can save you money – in the short term at least.
This is because turning your boiler on and off regularly will mean your boiler will need to use more energy to heat your home from cold to the desired temperature.