Every day there seems to be more bad news about our heating bills.
Dire warnings from forecasters this week predicted the typical household could spend more than £4,400 a year on its energy in January, rising to £5,000 in April. What?!
This is crazy, I told my friend Harland, a heating engineer. But he told me there are some simple tweaks you can make to your heating system that can shave hundreds, if not thousands, off your annual bill.
Naturally, I asked him to give me these tips so I could pass them on to you too. I actually filmed our chat so you can see how to make these little adjustments. (See this on my site, moneymagpie.com)
Dire warnings from forecasters this week predicted the typical household could spend more than £4,400 a year on its energy in January, rising to £5,000 in April. What?!
Lowering your boiler water temperature is a good place to start saving money
The first thing Harland, who runs Guscott Heating Services (guscottheating.co.uk) in Kent, did when he came to my flat was to ask me if I knew what the ‘cab’ of my boiler was. Of course I didn’t. I didn’t even know there was such a thing!
In fact, the flow rate is the temperature at which the water leaves a boiler to travel through the heating system.
Harland found that mine was maxed out at 75 degrees when it shouldn’t be over 55 degrees.
“You need to find the radiator symbol on your boiler and turn it off,” he explained. “The best way to find it is through your operations manual, as it will tell you there. Or if you’re really struggling, you can call the manufacturer or a heating professional and they’ll tell you.
It took Harland 10 seconds to do this and that alone will save me about 16 percent on my gas bills. “For every 10 degrees you reduce the flow, you save 6 to 8 percent on your bills,” he said.
Smart controls and weather compensators can also help adjust boiler flow, based on outside temperature. They would probably cost you between £100 and £200 to install, but they would increase the heat efficiency of your home by between 3 and 5 per cent.
Smart controls can also help save money by altering boiler flow rates to match outside temperatures
He then examined the temperature of my hot water. “Look for the hot water symbol (usually a faucet) on the boiler and check the temperature,” Harland said.
“Most people add cold water when they use the hot tap, which is a huge waste.
‘Why heat water that you will then cool? By doing this, you lower the temperature of the hot water to a point where you don’t need to add cold. If it is not hot enough when you use it next, you can increase the temperature again. For every 10 degrees you lower the water temperature you will save between 3 and 5 percent on your bills.’
With mine we dropped the temperature by about 6 degrees, another 4 percent saving on my bills per year.
Just with these two small tweaks I immediately saved 15 to 20 percent on my gas bills.
Harland also surprised me by saying that it is often a waste of money to replace a boiler, even if it is 10-15 years old. “The industry is lying to us,” he said.
“A well-installed boiler with the right filters and a clean system, with regular maintenance, lasts a long time, up to 20 years. People think they have to replace their boiler every 10 years, but they don’t. Just have it looked after by a suitable heating engineer who will fit it to your needs.
Much of the inefficiency occurs due to poor installation. “Make sure your boiler isn’t overpowered for the size of your property,” Harland said. “In many homes, you could significantly reduce output and that would again reduce bills.
“Most boilers are installed at 24 kw and yet most homes only need them to run between 6 and 10 kw. You need the controls set to the most efficient levels. When you get someone to install a boiler should take into account how many rooms you have and set the controls to the most efficient levels.
“Ask them to quote that they will adjust your boiler and set it up correctly with the proper flow rates. Have them show you how to change the flow rates and boiler wattage and then you can save money on your own.
Then we looked at my radiators. Fortunately, mine comes out surprisingly clean, but Harland said if they fill up with sludge they increase your gas bill and your boiler will break down more often.
Installing a central heating filter in your boiler can save up to 8 per cent on your gas bills. Thoroughly cleaning the system, if you find the interior needs cleaning, will also increase efficiency.
People like me are always telling others to turn down the thermostat to save money. Harland went further and said it pays to find a decent, consistent temperature and keep it there rather than cranking the thermostat up and down.
“About 19 degrees is usually a good temperature for most homes,” he says, “although everyone is different and you need to know what you’re comfortable with. But stop turning it off and on. It used to be that turning your thermostat down one degree used to save you £80 a year, but after the price went up it’s now more like a £400 per degree saving!’
Avoid car rental scams
My least favorite vacation activity is renting a car. But sometimes you need wheels!
The problem is that renting a car puts you at war with the rental company right from the start. That’s what my friend Adam’s dad found when he rented a car through Ryanair after booking flights to Germany recently.
When he went to collect the car in Bremen, the salesman started a new reservation and added the extras he had already rejected when he applied online. He only got a refund after constant uproar.
If you need to rent a car abroad, arrange the rental before you leave. Comparison sites such as holidayextras.com and travelsupermarket.com are worth checking out.
If you need to rent a car abroad, arrange the rental before you leave. Comparison sites such as holidayextras.com and travelsupermarket.com are worth checking out.
Also, take out your car hire insurance before you go, again using a comparison site such as which.co.uk, gocompare.com or confused.com to get the most competitive price. If you go with the rental company’s insurance quotes, you’re likely paying over the odds.
When you pick up the car, read the contract the company wants you to sign. Check that he is not trying to charge you again for the insurance. Cut it off if you see it and ask for a new bill.
Rental companies often try to scare you into buying excess waiver coverage on top of your current insurance, but it just makes them money.
Check the vehicle and note and take photos of any damage, in case you need to prove it on the way back.
According to iCarhire insurance.com, nearly a fifth of car renters have found existing damage that was not marked on the paperwork at pick-up.
You want them to pay to drink wine in the sun
Majestic is looking for a ‘Vintern’ who will be paid £600 to spend a few days in the Portuguese sun drinking wine
It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it: wine company Majestic is looking for a ‘Vintern’ who will be paid £600 to spend a few days in the Portuguese sun drinking wine. Sounds like hell!
The chosen person will travel (expenses paid) to a Portuguese vineyard to drink wines and then to taste the same wines back home in the UK, to see once and for all whether wine tastes better abroad than at home.
No previous wine tasting experience is required, but applicants must be passionate wine lovers and have a valid passport. They can even bring a friend with them to “work”.
To apply for this challenging assignment, go to the Majestic.co.uk website (majestic.co.uk/information/majestic-vinternship) and submit the form by 22 August.
Iceland is helping 40,000 pensioners cope with the rising cost of living with a £30 voucher to help with food and other essentials. To be eligible, you must be of retirement age, live independently or with a carer, and rely on your state pension and benefits as your only income.
Call the Summer Cheer hotline on 0800 098 7877 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) to request a voucher. The campaign starts on September 16.
Each week, I’ll be sharing tips to help lower your bills when the new energy rates arrive. You may be able to get financial help from your energy company to get started. Scottish Power, for example, offers grants of up to £750 to reduce energy bills. Best of all, none of these grants have to be paid back. So whichever company you’re dealing with, call and find out what their criteria are for handing out that money and how you should apply.