Met Office data has led experts to believe there is a single date we should all turn our heating off – April 1.
Yep, that’s April Fool’s Day...
But apparently, spring will have finally arrived by that point, despite the Arctic blast we’ve experienced in the UK in recent weeks.
Online heating specialists BestHeating used Met Office data to analyse average temperatures over the past five years to predict when the weather will change this year.
During a regular year, average temperatures exceed 10C from around March 7, and rising above 14C by March 22 – and that’s usually the time we can turn off the heating and the beginning of spring.
But, as we all know, that is definitely not happened this March, where freezing temperatures and snow have left quite a lot of us pretty chilly.
So, despite the ongoing energy crisis meaning bills have risen to new heights and the government had to extend its energy price guarantee, as most people probably switched those radiators on for an extra 10 days.
By April 1, it’s thought that the cold spell will have lifted and we will be back to the climate we are used to for that time of year – around 17C, as we experienced in 2021.
BestHeating’s technology expert Jess Steele explained that there is a “common misconception” that it’s only when the clocks go forward for British Summertime that heating use declines.
That’s always during the last Sunday in March (this year, March 26) at 1am.
But, as she pointed out, in the UK “warmer temperatures occur very gradually”.
“There isn’t a specific temperature that heating should be turned off, but once the outside temperature reaches more than 14C it is generally warm enough to do so.”
Steele also pointed out that while the cost of energy means it is tempting to turn off the heating earlier than you might like to to save money, this can have serious health impacts – including making your body more susceptible to respiratory diseases.
Steele recommended cleaning your radiators, updating your thermostats and servicing your boiler to get the most our of your home’s heating.
April can’t come fast enough.