‘I’m a heating expert – people are using their thermostats incorrectly when it’s cold’

After days of strong winds, rain, and snow, temperatures in the UK are remaining on the chilly side, which means most people will be cranking up their thermostats.

However, while this may seem like a great way to heat up your home quickly, it could actually cost you money.

Dominic Lees-Bell, a expert at has explained why you shouldn’t turn your thermostat up when it’s cold – or down when it’s warm.

The heating expert said turning up your thermostat when it’s cold won’t heat your home faster. The thermostat in your home tells the boiler to keep heating the until it reaches the temperature you’ve set it to and maintains that temperature.

If you set your temperature to 20C in winter, your thermostat will heat your home to that exact temperature.

Dominic explained that most people tend to “crank up” the heat when it’s cold. While this may seem like a completely reasonable thing to do, this is not actually how thermostats work.

He explained: “Your thermostat is, instead, a limiter, not an accelerator. A minimum and a maximum temperature limiter rolled into one.

“If you’re cold and you turn your thermostat up to 30C in an attempt to make your home hotter, you’re essentially saying to your boiler, ‘you couldn’t reach 20C, so give 30C a try’ with the rate of heating staying the same.

“It’s like someone telling you to run 20 miles. Yet when you flop at 10 miles they instead move the finish line to 30 miles away instead.”

Rather than turning the thermostat up higher, it’s best to wait for the central heating to reach its usual temperature.

Keeping the thermostat at a regular temperature can help cut down on costs.

While it may be tempting to crank your thermostat up to 25C when it’s freezing cold, you might end up getting too hot; this could quickly add up if you do it regularly.