Stay warm, spend less

Energy Savers Week 2025

Are you looking for help on how to keep warm for less this winter?
 
Citizens Advice has teamed up with Energy Saving Trust for Energy Savers Week (20 - 26 January 2025) to help you stay warm and spend less on your energy bills with our winter heating checklist.
 
As part of Energy Savers Week we’re sharing five things you can do at home to help you reduce energy use and save money in the process, by making sure your heating is working as effectively as possible.
 
Stay warm spend less on your energy bills checklist for winter 2025 

1 - Check your radiators

  • Bleed your radiators - Cold spots caused by trapped air could mean your radiators aren’t giving out as much heat as they should. You can bleed your radiators yourself:
  1. Some radiators have a valve that can be bled using a flathead screwdriver
  2. If the valve has a square spindle with no flathead cutout, you'll need a radiator bleeding key. You can get a radiator key from most DIY shops or online
  3. Please ensure the heating’s off and has had time to cool down before bleeding
  4. You may need to repressurise the system after doing this. You can check your boiler’s user manual for how to do this or check with a heating engineer.
  • Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) - the numbers normally correspond to a specific room temperature (e.g. on a scale of 0-5, 5 is typically 30°C), so turning them up to the maximum or minimum could still mean you're over or underheating that room in your property. On a 0-5 scale, 4 is usually okay for rooms that need to keep warm and 2 or 3 is okay for rooms that don't need to be as warm.

 

2 - Check your boiler’s flow temperature

  • The flow temperature is the temperature of the water your boiler sends to your radiators and hot water cylinder (if you have one)
  • Turning your boiler’s flow temperature down can reduce your heating bill by as much as 9%, according to some claims
  • This is set on the boiler itself - you can check your user manual to find out how to change this. If you're unsure, you can ask a heating engineer to reduce the flow temperature for you
  • If you have a combi boiler, you could turn it down to 60°C in cold weather. In mild weather you might be able to turn it down as low as 50°C
  • If you have a boiler with a hot water cylinder, you can turn it down to 65°C. Don't set it any lower otherwise the boiler won't be able to heat your hot water cylinder to a safe temperature
  • After reducing the flow temperature, your boiler will take longer to heat your home and your hot water (if you have a cylinder). You should set your boiler to come on earlier to give it more time to work
  • Find out more about your boiler’s flow temperature by watching this video
  • Turning down your boiler thermostat may not be suitable for all homes, especially if your home is already underheated, or certain heating system types
  • If your home feels cold or struggles to reach a comfortable temperature, consider other energy-saving measures instead.

 

3 - Keep your heating set at the lowest comfortable temperature (typically 18-21 degrees)

  • Setting a higher temperature on your room thermostat doesn't make your property warm up any faster but it could waste energy. Set your heating to come on earlier so that it has longer to work; this uses less energy than turning up the thermostat
  • You should keep your home warm enough so there’s less risk of your home becoming damp and you getting ill. If you have a health condition that might be made worse by the cold, ask your GP or a healthcare professional what temperature you should keep your home at.

 

4 - Book in a boiler service

  • The last thing you want is to switch your heating on during a cold snap only to find it’s broken down. You should also think about getting a service booked in with a Gas Safe engineer if you haven’t already had a service in a while. This will also ensure it’s working safely and efficiently
  • Also check if an annual service might be needed to keep your boiler’s warranty valid 

 

5 - Don’t rely on portable electric heaters

  • Portable heaters are best for short-term use, not as a replacement for your whole house heating system. If you want to heat a single room, it's usually cheaper to use your central heating and adjust the thermostat and TRVs
 
For more information on how to keep warm and save energy this winter:
 
 

Other ways you can save energy and money

Turn off the lights: Remember to turn lights off when you’re not using them – even if it’s just off for a few seconds. This could save around £6 a year.
When it’s time to replace the bulb, consider going for an LED bulb - these reach full brightness right away and cost a lot less to run than older bulbs.
 
Make simple savings in the kitchen: You could save around £12 a year by using your washing machine on a 30-degree cycle instead of higher temperatures. Ditch the dryer to save even more money - dry your clothes on racks inside or outside in warmer weather to save up to £50 a year.
 
Heat can escape through your chimney: Installing a chimney draught excluder to help stop heat escaping through your chimney could save you around £55 a year.

 

Further tips

For more advice on using less energy at home please see these resources:

 

Where to go for help

If you’re having difficulty taking the steps outlined above, there are places you can turn to for help and expert advice.
 
Call our helplines for advice
  • Call the Citizens Advice Consumer helpline for advice on energy: 0808 223 1133
  • Call our Debt helpline if you’re having issues with money and debt: 0800 240 4420
These helplines are available 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. They are not available on public holidays.
Calls are free from mobiles and landlines.
 
Relay UK – if you can’t hear or speak on the phone, you can type what you want to say: dial 18001 followed by the phone number. You can use Relay UK with an app or a textphone. There’s no extra charge to use it. Find out how to use Relay UK on the Relay UK website.
 
Contact your local Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice and Energy Saving Trust logos for Energy Savers Week 2025

Published: January 2025

 

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