October is the month when the clocks go back, the evenings get darker and as a result, it starts to get much colder earlier in the day – and in the middle of the day, for that matter.
With the prospect of frosty mornings and potentially the first sleet and snow of the season, here are five ways you can stay warm without maxing out your utility bills.
1. Service your boiler
An efficient boiler isn’t just better in terms of energy consumption, but will also cost less to run and achieve the same level of heating in your home.
It’s worth the investment to have your boiler serviced, especially if you haven’t had it looked at for several years or you think it might be starting to misbehave.
You should also consider bleeding your radiators or have a plumber do it for you if they are not heating evenly all the way from top to bottom.
2. Set your thermostat
If you have a smart meter, it’s likely that you have an app that allows you to control your heating remotely, including when it switches on and off, and the target temperature for your home.
Even if not, you can adjust your thermostat to a comfortable setting so that you’re not wasting money on over-heating your home.
For even more savings, turn it down by an extra 0.5-1.0 degrees. You should soon adjust to the slightly cooler temperature and every little helps you to save money.
3. Heat the rooms you use
If you have a guest room you rarely use, think about turning the radiator in there down to save on heating a room that has nobody in it.
Turning the heat down, rather than off completely, means you still benefit from preventing condensation and other problems from having ice cold rooms.
Just remember to turn the radiator back up if you have guests to stay, or they could find themselves sleeping in an ice box!
4. Bundle up
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with putting a jumper on instead of putting the heating on, so don’t be afraid to wrap up warm and cosy around your home.
You can still put the heating on low – so you’re getting warmer rooms but using less energy – and this means if you do need to go into one of the rooms you’re not heating, it won’t feel as cold to you.
There are few feelings cosier than the ‘hygge’ of bundling up under a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate on a cold autumn or winter evening, and you can always light the fire or use a compact space heater to warm just one room if you’re staying put until bedtime.
5. Replace your boiler
An experienced boiler engineer should be able to offer an honest opinion on whether yours is past its best when they carry out your annual service.
You don’t want an inefficient boiler running up extra costs, and you definitely don’t want to be left with no heating due to a boiler breakdown.
A replacement boiler gives you the chance to invest in an A-rated energy efficient combi boiler and make some extra long-term savings on your household energy consumption in the years to come.