We Debunk 5 Common Energy Myths
Wherever you’re living in the UK, it’s likely that you’ll have been affected by the recent cold spell. But are you setting your thermostat to a higher temperature than normal or leaving the heating on a low setting all day, if you are, then you could actually be wasting money as well as not making a difference to the temperature.
There’s lots of myths about energy bill and the best ways to keep a home warm, we’ve listed 5 of the most common and why they’re rubbish.
Turning the thermostat higher will heat your home faster
When it’s really cold and you’ve trying to warm up, it’s not unusual to turn up your thermostat to try and heat your home quicker. But in fact, this won’t actually make a difference, it will heat your home at the same rate, wasting energy and costing you money.
The best way to warm up your home and keep it warmer for longer is to have it properly insulated, which could cut your bills down by around £300, some schemes also offer this service for free.
Leave your heating on a low temperature throughout the day
If you do this, it just means that your heating will remain at a constant temperature all day. Some people believe that this is cheaper than having the heating on for timed periods, due to the boiler using less energy on a low heat.
This is not true and if you’re not in your home whilst it’s on, then you’re wasting money heating an empty home. It’s best to use a timer or programmer to make sure that your home is only heated when you’re there, or you’ll just be wasting energy heating an empty house.
Keep your doors open and allow the heat to circulate and keep your home warm
If you have central heating, then your home will stay warmer for a lot longer than if you keep the internal doors closed. This is due to the hot air rising from a radiator then circling the room as it cools, the heating again to create a convection current. If the doors are open then this won’t work as well and you’ll lose some of the heat.
It’s better to close the internal doors and keep the heat in the rooms that you’re in, rather than allow the heat to circulate in rooms which aren’t in use.
Should you want to turn off the heating a specific room then do this through the individual radiators.
Using electric heaters are cheaper than central heating
The cheapest way to heat your home is through a standard central heating system with a boiler and radiators, these systems use hot water which will circulate through your pipes and connect to the radiators in the home. Electric heaters are a lot more expensive as they run on electricity, which ism more costly than gas.
The exact cost will depend on how long you use it, your energy provider, tariff and the type of heater, you can work out exactly how much you can expect to pay, by using online calculators.
You can’t switch suppliers without your landlord’s permission should you be renting your home
It’s a common myth that if you’re living in a rented property, you can’t switch energy suppliers without your landlords permission. However, it is possible to do this and there’s no need to inform your landlord as the decision lies with the person who pays the bill. You’ll only need to inform your landlord if your changing to a different meter, from prepayment meters to standard credit meters.
If this causes structural change to the home, then you may need to have your landlords permission before it’s carried out.
Should you have any questions regarding any of the myths and misconceptions mentioned above, feel free to contact our team for more information.
