Radiator habit engineer warns you need to ‘stop’ as it will ‘cost you more money’ on bills (Image: Getty)
With the UK gripped by freezing temperatures and soaring, Brits are scrambling to find ways to cut costs. This includes seeking out savvy methods for their homes and even shutting off radiators that aren’t in use.
But Ben Price, founder of , warns that turning off unused radiators might actually “cost you more” instead of reducing bills.
Heating and boiler specialists at Heatable are advising people to “stop turning off unused radiators” in an effort to save money during the cold months, as it could inadvertently “drive up heating bills”.
Ben clarified: “Turning off your heating in unused rooms by turning the radiator’s thermostatic radiator valve to zero or off can save you energy, but it could also cost you more money because ultimately they’re always directly related.”
Yet, he pointed out that this advice comes with a caveat depending on the age of one’s . For those with an older G-rated and non-condensing boiler, typically installed before 2005, turning off radiators in unused rooms may indeed lead to savings.
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Turning off unused radiators can inadvertently drive-up heating bills (Image: Getty)
On the other hand, modern condensing boilers, which most Brits would have if their boiler was fitted after 2005, work more efficiently at lower flow temperatures. Flow temperature refers to the water temperature within the flow pipe of a heating system or a specific section of central heating.
To maintain the perfect temperature without fuss, consider investing in one of the many smart modulating thermostats, which can automatically regulate the ideal flow temperature for your home.
If you’re not using a smart thermostat, you’ll need to manually adjust your boiler’s flow temperature, which varies depending on the type of boiler you own.
Boilers might be equipped with dials, a combination of dials and digital displays, or solely digital displays with buttons. Regardless of the type, it’s crucial to adhere to the manufacturer’s guidelines when tweaking the flow temperature.
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A modern condensing boiler has a “white pipe” coming out from the bottom of the unit (Image: Getty)
A handy hint for identifying if you have a modern condensing boiler is to look for a “white pipe” coming out from the bottom of the unit.
The reason behind this setup is tied to how contemporary condensing boiler technology functions; rather than losing heat through the flue pipe, it gets recycled back into the heating system.
With lower operating temperatures, modern boilers are designed for efficiency. Ben points out that simply lowering the flow temperature can be an “easy way to increase the efficiency” of your home heating system.
He pointed out that there are “two ways to achieve this” – through the use of a modulating thermostat and by increasing the surface area of your radiators.
The specialist explained: “Essentially that means that the unused radiators or radiators in rooms not being used should be left open or on.
“Not doing so will make your boiler have to work harder and burn more energy to reach the desired temperature of the radiators you have left on.
“This is all due to the fact that while the radiators are less hot, they are still capable of heating your home to the desired temperature.
“So, the thing to remember is if you are not using radiators in unused rooms, you still want to leave them on to allow water to continue to flow through them or the other radiators and ultimately your boiler will have to work harder.”