With the cold winter months well and truly behind us, you may be tempted to turn off the heating. Amid the cost of living crisis and soaring energy bills, people are trying to keep outgoings to a minimum.
But while you may think turning off the heating for Spring is the most cost-effective thing to do it's actually the perfect time to start preparing your heating system for the summer when the heating won't be used as much, the Mirror reports.
And so to help save us money on energy bills throughout the years, Daniel Nezhad from UK Radiators advises us to follow a few simple heating tips in order to maintain an efficient heating system. Take a look at his five heating tips below.
Read more: Martin Lewis urges homeowners to act now to save thousands on their monthly bills
Try not to turn your boiler off
Turning off your boiler to stop the heating from coming on would mean that you're also shutting off your hot water. So it's better to leave your boiler on. Instead of turning it off, try to tweak the settings of your thermostat or control panel to provide hot water and not heating.
The only downside to this is if you prefer using a central heating towel rail throughout the year, because this means you have to put your heating on.
One thing you can do to overcome this problem is to use a dual fuel towel rail, as these systems are value for money even if central heating is the more cost-effective option in the winter months.
Instead of running your central heating in summer just to dry towels in the bathroom, invest in dual-fuel systems that give you the benefits of central heating with more flexibility and control.
Reduce temperature of your heating
As days begin to warm up, cut down on the amount of time your heating is on for, especially when you're not at home. Evenings tend to be chilly even in spring, so leave heating on during these hours. But even then reduce the temperature to make sure no heat is wasted.
The ideal temperature to risk not getting too hot as weather fluctuates is the lower end of 18 degrees.
Spring clean your system
Spring is typically the time for a deep clean of your house - from ceilings to skirting boards. Your heating system is also ready for a deep clean in spring. Dusty or dirty radiators are not an eye sore but also reduce the efficiency of your heating. The dust not only clogs up the radiators but other issues like rust and grime can also impact how your radiators look and function.
Cleaning up your radiators could end up saving you money and ensure it's also ready in case you need to turn it on unexpectedly even during the warmer days.
Make use of sunlight
The sun is a blessing in terms of heating especially for south and south-west facing rooms. The brighter mornings and longer evenings mean not only a reduced use of lighting but also some reduced use of your heating as the sunlight streams in and keeps rooms warm.
So, the best time is to keep your curtains and blinds open in your sunniest rooms to get as much natural light and warmth as possible. The added bonus with using sunlight as an energy source is that you can even dry your clothes outside if you can, which in turn means you are putting damp clothes on cold radiators and causing external damage like corrosion and rust.
Turn on boiler once in a while during summer
Make sure to turn your heating on once in a while even during summer months. You might not need your boiler on during the summer, but it's best to fire it up once in a while to ensure it's working properly.
Similar to the battery in your car, if you don’t run your heating occasionally, you could find that your central heating won’t turn on when you come to use it in the autumn.
So, just switch on your heating once a month and wait till the radiators begin to get war. This will prevent the pump and diverter valve, which direct water around the heating system, from seizing up later when you really need the heating on.
