TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR HEATING
With hard-pressed families facing huge energy bills this winter, the national Heating Helpline (http://www.heatinghelpline.org.uk) urges households to take charge of their heating system by keeping it under control.
16 November 2012 – With new research that shows that national incomes fell by 13% this year compared to the start of the recession four years ago, the last news that hard-pressed families needed to hear was the current round of price rises by the Big 6 energy companies, with some going up by an inflation-busting increase of 11%. This takes the average dual fuel bill to around £1300 year – a big chunk of household budgets. Faced with these spiralling fuel bills Heating Helpline (http://www.heatinghelpline.org.uk), the free consumer advice service operated by B&ES, the Building & Engineering Services Association, is urging homeowners to take charge of their heating systems to save money.
As the Heating Helpline points out; 84% of domestic energy consumption is used for heating and hot water, with 60% alone used on heating. Taking charge of your heating system is now a top priority and will help keeping energy use – and bills – down.
To help homeowners, the Heating Helpline has issued the top 5 tips for taking charge of heating in your home:
- Turning your room thermostat down by just 1ºC could save over £100 a year and you will never notice the difference.
- If you have an adjustable thermostat for your hot water you should set it to no hotter than 60°C (140°F). Any higher is a waste of energy and could scald; much lower and there may be a risk of harmful bacteria forming.
- Turn down the radiators in any spare rooms; why pay for a warm space with nobody in it?
- Replacing your old manually operated thermostat with a modern programmable electronic one will provide far greater control over your home’s heat by giving you the ability to set precisely when the heating comes on and at what temperature.
- Installing thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) to every radiator (they cost a few pounds each) means you will be able to manage the heat in each room.
The Heating Helpline website is packed full of money saving tips and also has an easy-to-use search facility to find local reputable registered heating engineers. Visit http://www.heatinghelpline.org.uk or call the Helpline free on 0800 810 8303.
Ends
Issued on behalf of the Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES) by Next Step Marketing Ltd
Media enquiries to: Heather Lambert. Tel: 44(0)1256 472020;
Fax: 44(0)1256 471010; E-mail: heather@nextstepmarketing.co.uk
Notes to editors
Since its formation in 1904, B&ES, the Building & Engineering Services Association (formerly the HVCA) has represented the interests of companies engaged in a wide range of building and engineering services including domestic heating and renewable technologies.
B&ES members are subject to regular, third-party inspection and assessment of their technical competence and commercial capability, carried out by an independent certification body at least every three years.
B&ES members who undertake gas installations are registered with Gas Safe – the gas safety watchdog body – and are also members of TrustMark, the Government-endorsed scheme designed to direct customers towards reliable tradespeople.
B&ES operates the Heating Helpline (http://www.heatinghelpline.org.uk) to provide consumers with free, impartial advice on every aspect of home heating.
Caption for Picture:
“Replacing your old manually operated room thermostat with a modern, programmable electronic version like this will mean much greater control over your heating and help keep bills down.”
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