Most of the British public think they know what they’re doing when it comes to their home heating controls. New research has currently shown that more than 60% of Brits are making at least one error that could be costing them greatly.
Something as simple as setting your thermostat to 22C and not 21C could add an extra £75 a year to your annual energy bill – ouch!
Myth #1: Turn the Thermostat Up When It’s Cold Outside
Did you know 52% of Brits actually do this! The thing is, a thermostat is designed to maintain the household’s desired temperature, whatever the weather, so turning it up when it’s cold outside doesn’t really help. Although most of us will think to turn up the heating, after a while you will begin to feel too hot – in this case you’ll have wasted a large amount of energy as well as cash in the process.
Myth #2: Turn Up The Thermostat to Heat Up a Room More Quickly
35% of Brits think this old trick works… coming home to a chilly house is never nice, and 9 times out of 10 we will be tempted to turn the thermostat up to maximum – but unfortunately this won’t get you to a comfortable temperature any quicker. A thermostat doesn’t control the speed of the temperature, it controls the final temperature – so next time you get the urge to blast the heating up to its max, stop and think… do I want an overly uncomfortable warm house?
Myth #3: Leave The Heating On Low Constantly Will Be More Efficient Then Turning It On And Off
An incredible 38% of Brits think this is true but in actual fact (according to the Energy Saving Trust) all this means is “homes are heated when no-one is there to benefit from the warmth, which then makes the house too cold when people are home”. It’s more beneficial to use a thermostat programmer to control the timing to your heating – keeping you warm at home but saving you money when you’re not.
Myth #4: Keep Your Hot Water On All Day To Make Sure Your Hot Water Doesn’t Run Out
31% of people actually go ahead with this due to them thinking that if they don’t they will run out of hot water. This will be costing home owners far more on their energy bills than what they actually need to. Instead of setting your hot water to be on for the whole day, simply set it to come on roughly half an hour before you want to get up and start your morning routine. Then you could set it to come on before you arrive home for work – if you’re likely to be doing a few household chores, but leaving it on all day, every day will simply waste money.
Myth #5: Keep Electric Storage Heaters on All the Time
Did you know that only 38% of people who own an electric storage heater fully understand how they work? Electric storage heaters were originally designed to work by using the cheaper, ‘off-peak’ electricity so that they charge up overnight then release the heat during the day – but not everyone understands exactly how they work. Many storage heaters have a built in electric panel heaters, but leaving the heaters on all the time with the incorrect settings can cost you far more than you expect to spend.
Now you know the myths, you can remember them for next time and start to save money!
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