As we all battle over control of the thermostat amid soaring energy prices, an age old debate has no doubt come up in your house at some point this winter: is it cheaper to use the heating only when you need it or is it better to leave it on low all day?
Fortunately the Energy Saving Trust (EST) is on hand to do some serious myth-busting when it comes to all things heating - and the answer might surprise you.
Sorry team ‘leave it on all day’, you’re in the wrong.
According to EST, you’re just wasting money by using heating you don’t actually need - especially if you’re out for periods of the day.
Leaving your heating on means your boiler will just keep on firing up over and over again.
Combine this with the fact that energy leaks out of your home even if it’s well insulated, you’re just wasting energy, heat and money - ooft.
Instead, EST says that it’s better to use a central heating timer or programmer to control when your heating and hot water comes on and goes off.
Set the timer so that your heating switches off at times you’re not in the house (or are cosied up in bed). Schedule the heating to switch on half an hour before you get home or before you get out of bed in the morning to save on heating costs.
To make sure as little heat is leaking out your home as possible when you have opted to fire up the boiler, EST advises investing in some professional draught-proofing of windows, doors and blocking cracks in floors and skirting boards, which save around £125 a year on energy bills. DIY draught-proofing can be much cheaper.