TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR HEATING

With the average ‘Big Six’ standard tariff dual fuel energy bill still an eye-watering £1,300 compared to £800 just five years ago, and with households facing another winter of juggling the household budget to pay these very high bills, B&ES, the Building & Engineering Services Association who operate Heating Helpline, the free consumer advice service, are urging homeowners to take control of their heating systems to save money.

11 November 2014 – The average ‘Big Six’ standard tariff dual fuel energy bill is still an eye-watering £1,300 compared to £800 just five years ago, and paying these bills is now one of the biggest worries for most households.  With 84% of domestic energy consumption in the home used for heating and hot water and 60% used for heating alone, taking control of your heating system should be a top priority and will help keep energy use – and bills – down.  That’s the message from B&ES, the Building & Engineering Services Association who operate Heating Helpline, the free consumer advice service.  To help homeowners they have 5 top tips for taking control of heating in your home:

• Turning your room thermostat down by just 1ºC could save over £75 a year and you will never notice the difference.  And if there’s a chill in the room think twice before you crank up the thermostat – it’s then all too easy to forget it’s on the higher setting.

• 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 of the house.

The Heating Helpline website is packed full of money saving tips and has a range of free downloadable guides.  It 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.

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