Get your home ready for winter

The temperatures are starting to fall, so you might be asking yourself when you should put the central heating on.

British Gas has revealed that most of its customers turn their heating on in late October or when minimum temperatures are below 9C for four consecutive days.

But it’s also confirmed that last winter, more than 1.2 million people called its engineers to fix broken boilers.

So if you want to avoid that happening to you when you need your heating the most, what can you do?

Get your boiler serviced

If you get your boiler serviced ahead of time, you can be sure it’s in top condition when the cold weather starts to bite.

A service typically costs around £100, which might sound steep at first.

But it’s much better than having your boiler break down in the depths of winter and paying for expensive repairs when you need it most.

Bleed your radiators

Check and bleed your radiators at the start of each heating season, so trapped air can be released and it will operate more efficiently.

It might sound fiddly, but it’s actually a really quick and easy way to save money.

Seal up the draughts

You could cut your energy bills considerably if you deal with all the gaps around doors, windows, floors and chimneys.

It doesn’t have to be expensive job.

Even cheap self-adhesive foam strips, draught excluders and keyhole covers can stop heat leaking out of your house.

Don’t block your radiators

That cosy armchair might look perfect in front of the radiator, but it’s actually trapping the heat and stopping it from filling the room. 

So move bulky furniture away and swap thin curtains for thicker ones.

A few rugs on bare floors will also stop warmth from escaping through the floorboards.

Don’t heat empty rooms

You don’t have to heat every room in the house, so stick to the spaces you actually use

Keep thermostat set between 18C and 21C

It can be tempting to turn up the thermostat when it gets colder, but that can be expensive.

Around 18°C and 21°C is the sweet spot when it comes to both comfort and cost. 

And dropping it by just one degree can knock around 10% off your heating bill, saving you roughly £75 a year.

Time it right

If you’ve got a programmable timer, set your heating to come on about 15 minutes before you get up and turn off half an hour before bed. 

It’s a simple tweak that means you’re warm when you need it and not wasting energy when you don’t.

Protect your pipes

The last thing you need in the winter months is your pipes freezing and bursting.

It’s damaging both to your home and your finances.

But you can reduce the risk by insulating your pipes.

I’m worried about the cost of heating my home – what can I do?

It’s important to acknowledge that a large number of people will be extremely anxious about the cost of heating their home this winter.

In fact, a recent study from uSwitch has found that more than two million households don’t plan to turn their central heating on this winter because of high energy bills.

That’s a 22% increase on last year and includes one in 20 households with younger children.

So if you're worried about paying for heating this winter, get in touch with your energy supplier.

We’ve also put together some details on what support is available, such as the warm home discount.