The energy giant says combi boilers work best when they heat radiators to 60°C or below
Octopus Energy insists UK households set their boilers to certain temperature(Image: )
Octopus Energy has insisted UK households set their boilers to a certain temperature. The energy giant says combi boilers work best when they heat radiators to 60°C or below. But this ‘flow temperature’ is often set much too high, between 70°C-80°C.
It only takes a few minutes to lower your flow temperature, and it can be changed back instantly. There’s nothing to lose by trying it.
Octopus said: “Set your flow temperature to between 55 and 60 degrees on your combi boiler. Take a look at Nesta’s Money-Saving Boiler walkthrough to see how, depending on your boiler, you could save £65”
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A hot water tank is separate from your boiler. It will be a large unit that’s usually found in a cupboard or attic. It stores your hot water.
It is usually located in an airing cupboard but could also be in an attic. They are usually cylindrical and have insulation on the outside.
Which? explained: “Most homes are heated by wet central heating. The heating flow temperature of your boiler is the temperature at which water leaves your boiler on its journey to your radiators.
“It’s different to the setting on your thermostat. For example, if you set your thermostat to 19°C, your boiler then heats water much hotter than that and sends it to your radiators to warm your home until the air around the thermostat reaches 19°C.”
Which? added: “By default, many boilers are set to heat this water to 75-80°C. But many homes with condensing combi boilers can be suitably warmed with heating flow temperatures of 60-65°C or lower.
“Lowering that temperature means your boiler uses less gas and operates more efficiently.
“Combi boilers also let you select how hot the water supplied to your taps is. As a result, you can adjust both your heating (radiator) and hot water temperature separately.”