Heating controls help you keep your home comfortably warm without over-heating your rooms and wasting energy.
Octopus Energy issues message for UK households with thermostats(Image: )
Octopus Energy has urged UK households with thermostats to act – in the hope they could save £145. After Christmas, households are being reminded heating controls help you keep your home comfortably warm without over-heating your rooms and wasting energy.
Octopus Energy explains: “Tweaking your thermostat (using it as an on/off switch or boost for example) can mean more energy is wasted – you’ll be comfier and use your energy more efficiently if you set it and leave it on for when you need it.
“Setting your thermostat to somewhere between 18-21C is ideal, and turning down the temperature by just 1 degree could save up to £145 on your energy bill.”
READ MORE Warning over new UK diesel driving rules only 1,000 motorists are adhering to
The Energy Saving Trust said: “By installing and using your heating controls effectively, you could use less energy and save money on your heating bills. In fact, installing heating controls could save you £110 a year in Great Britain (GB) and £110 in Northern Ireland (NI).
“Some heating controls let you control your heating via an app. This lets you adjust your heating while you’re out, so you can get your home nice and cosy for when you get home.”
The experts add: “A room thermostat keeps your home at a steady temperature. It turns the heating on until it reaches your chosen temperature, then switches it off until the room cools slightly.
“You should set your thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature, which for most people is between 18C and 21C.”
A smart thermostat is an internet-connected thermostat that lets you control your central heating remotely: from your smartphone, for example.
Many smart thermostats can also automate your heating system in finer detail than a standard thermostat, which will usually just let you set the heating to come on at a specific temperature or time.
While the two are sometimes confused, a smart thermostat isn’t the same as a smart meter. A smart thermostat is specifically designed for managing your home heating system from a distance.