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Why using heating controls is a smart way to save money?

Energy News, Energy Saving Tips, Household Tips, My Energy

One of the best ways to save money on bills is to invest in thermostats and controls. There is a number of different heating controls, therefore you should take your time to decide which one is the best for your individual needs.

Room Thermostats

Room thermostats keep the air temperature around the room at a comfortable level. The lowest comfortable temperature is 18 degrees but about 21 degrees is the optimal figure to keep everyone living in your household happy. This type of heating control works best when allowed an uninterrupted access to free flowing air. Make sure it is not blocked with curtains or furniture

Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs)

These devices are fitted to the radiators. They reduce the amount of water that passes through the radiator. This allows you to decide what temperature you want for each individual room.

Quick Tip: Stop using radiator covers as this will interrupt with your TRV data collection in regards to room temperature.

Cylinder Thermostats

Cylinder thermostat determines to what temperature the water stored in the cylinder is heated to. This prevents the water from unnecessary overheating. Once the temperature is right, the water supply from the boiler is turned off. The recommended temperature setting for this type of a control is between 60 and 65 degrees.

Timing Controls

This allows you to set up time periods for the boiler or central heating to go “on” or “off”. Make sure that the timer on the programmer is correct before setting the program up.

Wait for a cold evening and and keep record of the time your home took to warm up to a comfortable temperature. Then measure the time of your home to go cold form the moment of switching the control off. That way you identify your warm-up time and cool-down time. Set up your timer accordingly to your discoveries.

For more detailed information about types and use of heating controls visit Energy Saving Trust

Smart Heating Controls

Generally speaking, smart heating controls are more advanced ways of saving money through heating controls. After installing an application on your smart phone, you can easily manage your heating system remotely.

Benefits of using Heating Controls at Home

Your perfect set of heating controls should comprise a boiler thermostat, programmer, room thermostat and radiator valves (TRV). You can have immediate advantage of having your home heated without wasting any energy. Other benefits include:

Investing in new heating controls may still not bring you the desired results if you are on a high tariff or a billing plan that isn’t suited to your needs. Check our free online energy comparison tool to see if you can quickly switch to a new deal.

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High Energy Bills? Here Is How To Reduce Costs

Eco Living, My Energy

With everything that you are already doing to save money on your energy usage, are you still wondering why your energy bills are so high? It may be for a number of different reasons you have not taken into consideration which we aim  to cover in our latest blog post..

Energy consumption is inevitable. The number of electrical appliances rises each year, with British households owning 7 internet devices on average. Sadly, leaving your TV on standby and reducing the cooker usage may not be enough to banish the high gas and electricity bills you are facing every quarter. Here are some important indicators as to why your energy costs are not dropping.

You are not doing your meter readings regularly

After you have received your energy bill you should take your meter readings immediately. Next, compare the figures to the usage on your bill. This simple practice will allow you to keep track of what you have used and what you have been charged for. Neither under nor overestimated bills are good for your money saving efforts, so taking control of your inaccurate gas and electricity bill is a smart move to take.

Your energy provider put the prices up

Brexit has triggered a number of price rises amongst gas and electricity suppliers, Npower have already announced this year that they will raise standard tariff electricity prices by 15% from mid March, and gas prices by 4.8%. British Gas, although freezing their rates for now, will be looking to increase the cost of their tariff from August.

Whichever provider you are currently with, make sure you learn about any of their plans in terms of tariff changes and other costs in advance. Even though hanging on the phone to get through to the customer service department may not be that appealing, it is important that you have the up to date information from the first source.

If you think you are paying to much for your energy bills, enter your postcode into our free comparison engine to see if you can save money by making a simple switch.

Your double glazed windows aren’t energy efficient

Even though the common belief is that double glazed windows should be energy efficient, the fact is that they come in a range of different specifications, with some being better than others.

Windows performance can depend on how much sunlight can travel through the glass, or how much heat can be retained inside of the building. You need to think of how well fitted they are as air can leak through gaps around the window. The best way to investigate your windows’ energy efficiency is to obtain a Homeowner Energy Rating Certificate which can help with your home valuation if you decide to sell it in the future.

 Your home is not insulated properly

Apart from the obvious benefits of installing new home insulation, for example improved air quality, overall comfort of living, soundproofing and structural support for your property, your bank statement will look a lot healthier too. Be warned though that this is not a quick fix, but rather, a process of assessing your current insulation, recognising any condensation or damp issues, etc. Having medium to long term goals in mind you can significantly decrease your high energy bills and keep the trend over months to come.

Summary

To sum up, your high energy bills can be a cluster of many different factors. To identify specifically what is sabotaging your personal finance, consider doing the following:

  • Investigate how energy efficient is your home. You can order an Energy Performance Certificate online.
  • Check if you have got the right type of insulation installed. A good way to do that is to book a fee survey with your local home improvement installer
  • Compare & switch to a lower tariff using our free online comparison tool.

Reduce Your High Energy Bills Today With My Energy

Enter your postcode into our free online comparison tool today to see if you can save £100s on your energy bills.

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Energy Saving Myths That Make Home Owners Lose Money

Household Tips, My Energy

Energy saving myths are commonplace, with hundreds of different energy reducing advice articles out there, it can be hard to know what to believe. In the aura of today’s economical changes, we look at energy saving myths circulating around the internet that could make home owners lose money instead of saving.

Closing off all doors

Although it may seem like common sense to close the doors around the house to retain heat, this is one of the biggest myths out there. It will actually make your unit run harder and longer to keep the desired temperature.

As a result, you are losing money quicker than you think. Unless you live in a cottage that relies on natural fireplaces or stoves as a heating method, make sure you keep all the doors open to encourage free air flow.

Keeping the thermostat on low or high at all times

Many home owners still believe that it is cost efficient to set their controls on low or high and keep it that way regardless of the circumstances. Wrong, it is actually better to switch it on and off depending on the needs.

There’s absolutely no need to heat your home while you are not in, so make sure you program your thermostat settings around your daily routine and you are on your way to banish a cash consuming habit from your life.

What’s more, it is a good idea to have additional controls like thermostatic radiator valves installed to further lower the costs of energy bills. It is said you can save between £100 to £160 per year by getting hold of intelligent radiator heat controls.

Living in an old house

Home owners who think their old house is impossible to be more energy efficient due to cavities and cracks are falling victims to another myth. Having insulation installed may be the best decision you have ever made.

You have to be smart in terms of materials you use to insulate your home. That’s where modern technologies come to the rescue. Insulating with a product such as  Icynene spray foam insulation can be easily adjusted to the challenges that an old home may cause, for example thin rafters or the building’s listed status.

It is always best to check with trusted contractors before embarking on any home improvement project.

The stuff kept in the loft provides a cheap way of additional insulation

If this is something you have tried to apply in your home to easily fix your high energy bill, you need a serious reality check.

Boxes full of old clothes, furniture, whatever you store in your loft, will only make things worse. Don’t be fooled into thinking that these home made techniques can bring any benefit to your property.

Over short period of time, by stuffing your clutter up in the loft, you are stopping your existing insulation from trapping the moist from the air which is a quick way to build up of damp and mould. Not good.

Fireplaces are a great way to heat your home in winter

Even though they can create a very attractive feature, in terms of energy efficiency, they have the potential to be a drain on your heat and money sources.

The fireplace draws the warm air out from your room through the chimney making it a total waste to try to then reheat the interior. The cycle repeats itself and instead of enjoying a cosy atmosphere, you end up having to spend extra money and time keeping your home warm.

Home owners fall into the trap of believing in various energy saving myths for many reasons – their habits, their lifestyle or type of home they live in. The thumbs up rule to avoid any unwanted costs would be to seek advice from trusted websites that provide innovative home improvement solutions.

Need more tips? Read our Definitive Guide to Saving Energy for Homeowners.

Alternatively, you can speak to one of your local home insulation contractors to obtain accurate advice or a free survey on how to make your home energy efficient all year round.