An expert has said that many people do one thing when the temperature drops and it’s costing them more money
How we use our thermostats in cold weather is costing us more money, says an expert(Image: Getty)
If you haven’t already, the majority of households are cranking on the central heating as temperatures have taken a noticeable plunge in recent days. Despite an unseasonal warmer start to November, rain and colder weather is here and keeping the house warm has become a priority.
If you are one to turn up the thermostat when you feel the chill, an expert has warned that this action could be costing you more money. But why? Surely it makes sense to increase the heat when feeling cold?
Dominic Lees-Bell, a heating expert at Only Radiators, has shed light on why adjusting your thermostat in response to cold or warm weather isn’t advisable.
He has said that increasing your thermostat setting during cold weather won’t necessarily heat your home faster, the Express reports.
That’s because your thermostat simply instructs your boiler to maintain the house’s temperature at the set level. So, for example, If you set your thermostat to 20C in winter, it will heat your home to precisely that temperature.
Dominic explained that a common practice is to “crank up” the heat when it’s cold, which might seem logical but doesn’t align with how thermostats function.
He explained: “Your thermostat is, instead, a limiter, not an accelerator. A minimum and a maximum temperature limiter rolled into one.
“If you’re cold and you turn your thermostat up to 30C in an attempt to make your home hotter, you’re essentially saying to your boiler, ‘you couldn’t reach 20C, so give 30C a try’ with the rate of heating staying the same.
“It’s like someone telling you to run 20 miles. Yet when you flop at 10 miles they instead move the finish line to 30 miles away instead.”
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So, instead of cranking up the thermostat, it’s advisable to wait for the central heating to reach its normal temperature. And maintaining a consistent thermostat setting can help to reduce costs.
Although the urge to turn your thermostat up to 25C during freezing conditions might be strong, you could end up overheating and this could become costly if done frequently.
If you want to limit your use of the central heating, there are some clever hacks to keep your bedroom warm that don’t cost money.
These include rearranging your furniture and moving your bed away from outside walls. As a general rule, it’s best to place your bed against interior walls, since these walls are less affected by outdoor temperature changes and help maintain consistent warmth throughout the night.
It also makes sense to keep your bed away from your windows and make sure there is no furniture in front of radiators to allow them to work effectively.
Closing the bedroom curtains at sundown is another free way to keep the heat in the room.