Energy Saving Guide

Ensure your thermostat and programmer is set up so you can heat your home to suit your own personal needs.

Top tip:

Turning your thermostat down by just one degree makes a huge difference, helping reduce heat used. You can try doing this slowly and try a degree cooler for a few days and then a further degree after that.

Make everyone who lives in your home aware how your heating system is programmed and the potential savings that small changes can make. Kids could even apply for a Green Blue Peter Badge by pledging to reduce the thermostat by a degree.

Make sure you reach for a pair of slippers or warm jumper and layer up before you reach for the thermostat.

If you can feel a chill coming in from the outside then your heating system must work twice as hard – a waste of energy, not to mention the added cost to your energy bills.

Top tips:

·       Close doors and curtains to stop heat escaping.

·       Get radiator savvy: if there's a room (or two) you don't spend much time in, then switch off the radiator, or turn it right down, and shut the door to save energy.

·       Making your home draught-proof can be done by getting thick curtains, running draught excluders or seals along the gaps between windows and doors.

Consider having showers instead of baths and save water. The quicker the shower, the more energy you’ll save

You want to make sure the radiators you use are using are working to their full potential.

Air can often get trapped in your radiators, which makes them less effective. If your radiators aren’t warm all the way to the top, then you’ll know this has happened. Bleeding your radiators means getting rid of this extra air - you’ll need to use a screwdriver or a radiator key (depending on the type of radiator you have) to open a valve and let the air escape