Save money heating your home
This advice applies to Scotland. See advice for See advice for England, See advice for Northern Ireland, See advice for Wales
There are things you can try to help you save money and stay warm at home. You can:
make sure you're using your central heating controls correctly
check your boiler's flow temperature
check your hot water controls
find ways to keep heat in your home
You should only follow heating advice from websites and organisations you know you can trust. Heating tips on social media and internet forums might not be safe or save you any money. It's usually better to use your central heating or storage heaters to heat your home.
Don’t stop heating your home
It's important to think about your physical and mental health.
You should keep your home warm enough so there’s less risk of your home becoming damp and you getting ill.
Using your central heating controls correctly
If you have radiators or an underfloor heating system heated by water from a boiler or a heat pump, this means you have central heating.
If you have central heating, you’ll usually have ways of controlling how your home is heated. You might have:
a device to set the times when your heating turns on or off - called a timer or programmer
a device for setting the temperature your room must reach before your heating turns off and on again - called a room thermostat
valves that let you control each radiator separately
You might have a single device that is a timer or programmer and a room thermostat. It lets you set different temperatures at different times.
If you have smart controls, you might be able to set them up on a smartphone app.
You can use your heating controls to keep your home at a comfortable temperature without heating it more than you need to.
Most of our advice about heating controls focuses on using a boiler and radiators to heat your home. If you heat your home in a different way, there are some things you should check first.
If you have a heat pump
Don’t adjust any settings until you know how this will affect the system. If you want to change your system’s heating times, contact your installer and ask them for advice.
You can use the advice on this page to change the settings on your room thermostat and radiators instead.
If you have underfloor heating
Your underfloor heating might be:
heated using water from a central heating boiler or heat pump
heated using electricity
If your underfloor heating uses heated water from your boiler, there will be 2 metal rails with plastic tubes at the bottom called a 'manifold'. It’s usually in a cupboard.
You can follow the advice on this page to set the room temperature and heating times. Don't change any controls on the manifold, unless a heating engineer says you should.
If your system uses electricity, you won’t have a manifold. You can follow the advice on this page to set the room temperature and heating times.
If you have storage heaters
If you use storage heaters, you can check how to use your storage heaters correctly.
If you have portable heaters
Try not to use portable heaters for long periods of time. They usually cost a lot more to run than turning on your central heating or using storage heaters.
If your central heating boiler isn’t working, you should fix or replace your boiler if you can. It’s much more expensive to use portable heaters on their own.
Check the instructions for your central heating controls
Check if there are instructions written on your boiler. If you need to change the controls on your room thermostat, timer, programmer or radiator valves, the instructions might be written on them.
If you don’t have the instruction manual, search for it online - you’ll need to know who made your boiler or heating controls. You might also find videos that show how to use your controls.
If you’re not sure who made your heating controls, check your boiler or any separate controls for the manufacturer name and model number. There might be a sticker or manufacturing label. This might be underneath, on the side or inside a control panel or battery compartment.
Set the best temperature for you and your home
Your room thermostat senses the temperature of the room it’s in. If the temperature reaches the level you've set, the room thermostat turns off your central heating for your whole home. If the temperature gets colder than the level you've set, it turns the heating on again for your whole home.
If your room thermostat is portable, don’t keep it near a radiator or behind curtains or furniture. Keep it in a central location like a hallway.
How to set the temperature depends on the device you have.
If you have a single device that is a timer or programmer and a room thermostat
You should set 2 temperatures for your home:
a comfortable temperature when you’re at home and awake
a lower temperature when you’re out or asleep - called a ‘setback temperature’
A temperature between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius is usually comfortable. 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.
If you're not sure what temperature will be comfortable, start with your room thermostat set at 21 degrees Celsius. Then try setting your room thermostat 1 degree Celsius lower and see if you still find the temperature comfortable. Repeat this process until you find your lowest comfortable temperature. This will save some money on your heating bill.
You should set the setback temperature to be 2 or 3 degrees Celsius lower than your comfortable temperature - but don't set it lower than 16 degrees Celsius. If your home is colder than 16 degrees Celsius, there’s a risk of your home becoming damp and you getting ill.
For example, you could set the temperature to 18 degrees Celsius at the times when you're home and 16 degrees Celsius at the times when you're out.
Setting higher temperatures won’t make your home heat up faster - it just means you'll use more energy to make your home hotter.
If you have a timer or programmer and a separate room thermostat
You should set a comfortable temperature for your home. A temperature between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius is usually comfortable. 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.
Don't set it lower than 16 degrees Celsius. If your home is colder than 16 degrees Celsius, there’s a risk of your home becoming damp and you getting ill.
If you're not sure what temperature will be comfortable, start with your room thermostat set at 21 degrees Celsius. Then try setting your room thermostat 1 degree Celsius lower and see if you still find the temperature comfortable. Repeat this process until you find your lowest comfortable temperature. This will save some money on your heating bill.
Setting higher temperatures won’t make your home heat up faster - it just means you'll use more energy to make your home hotter.
If you don’t have a room thermostat
It’s worth getting a room thermostat fitted if you can. You’ll be able to control the temperature more easily, and it might save you money on your heating bills.
You might be able to apply for help with the cost of installing heating controls. Check if you can get help paying for home improvements.
If you can’t get help with the cost, ask a heating engineer or registered electrician to install the room thermostat. They should install it in a central location in your home, like a hallway.
Check if they’ll charge you to give you a quote for the work - and how much they'll charge.
If you have a gas boiler, you should use a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Find an engineer on the Gas Safe Register website.
If you use an electrician, make sure they are experienced with heating controls for boilers.
Find a registered electrician on the Electrical Competent Person Scheme website.
Set the times when your heating is on
Think about the times when you don’t need your heating to be on. For example if you’re out during the day, you could set the heating to be off or at the setback temperature until you’re due to come home.
It takes time for your home to warm up and cool down. If you’re not sure how long it takes, try turning the heating on about 30 minutes before you need it. You should turn it off 30 minutes before you’ll stop needing it. You might need to turn on your heating earlier if your home takes longer to reach a comfortable temperature.
If the weather is colder than usual, it might take longer for your home to reach a comfortable temperature. You might need to turn on your heating earlier while the weather is cold. When the weather gets warmer again, you’ll need to remember to change the timings back.
How to set the times when your heating is on depends on the device you have.
If you have a single device that is a timer or programmer and a room thermostat
You should set your device to heat your home to:
the comfortable temperature at times when you're going to be at home and awake
the setback temperature at times when you’re out or asleep
Make sure your heating follows the timings you’ve set. The setting might be labelled ‘auto’ or have a symbol of a clock. If you leave it on a different setting, it might ignore the timings you set.
You should also check that the clock is set to the current time so it turns the heating on when you want it to.
Sam has a single device that is a programmer and a room thermostat.
On a normal day, Sam gets up at 6am. She leaves her home at 8am to go to work.
Sam sets her device to heat her home to:
18 degrees Celsius starting at 5:30am - this means her home is warm when she wakes up
16 degrees Celsius starting at 7:30am - this means her home isn't kept as warm while she's out
Sam gets home at 6pm. She goes to bed at 10pm.
Sam sets her device to heat her home to:
18 degrees Celsius starting at 5:30pm - this means her home is warm when she's at home
16 degrees Celsius starting at 9:30pm - this means her home isn't kept as warm while she's asleep
If you have a timer or programmer and a separate room thermostat
You should set the room thermostat to your comfortable temperature. Leave it set at that temperature.
Use the timer or programmer to:
turn the heating on at times when you're going to be at home and awake
turn the heating off when you’re out or asleep
Make sure your heating follows the timings you’ve set. The setting might be labelled ‘auto’ or have a symbol of a clock. If you leave it on a different setting, it might ignore the timings.
You should also check that the clock is set to the current time so it turns the heating on when you want it to.
Sam has a programmer and a separate room thermostat.
On a normal day, Sam gets up at 6am. She leaves her home at 8am to go to work.
Sam sets her room thermostat to 18 degrees Celsius. She leaves it set at this temperature.
Sam sets her programmer to:
turn the heating on at 5:30am - this means her home is warm when she wakes up
turn the heating off at 7:30am - this means her home isn't kept warm while she's out
Sam gets home at 6pm. She goes to bed at 10pm.
Sam sets her programmer to:
turn the heating on at 5:30pm - this means her home is warm when she's at home
turn the heating off at 9:30pm - this means her home isn't kept warm while she's asleep
Check your radiator valves
Your radiator might have valves that let you set how warm it gets in each room.
Manual valves usually have a cap with no numbers:
Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) usually have a dial with numbers or symbols:
Smart radiator valves (SRVs) can be controlled with an app on your smartphone. The SRV might have a small screen that displays the temperature, or buttons and dials to change it:
You might be able to change the setting on the valves to save energy and money on your heating bill.
Don’t change it to the lowest setting - this will turn off the radiator. Even if you don’t use the room much, you should still heat it a bit to stop damp and mould developing. It will also protect your pipes from freezing in cold weather.
How to change the setting on the valves depends on the type of valves your radiator has.
If you have manual valves
Manual valves work like a tap to let hot water into the radiator.
Turn the cap anti-clockwise to make the room warmer or clockwise to make it cooler.
Change the settings on the valve to be warmer in the rooms you use most. For example you might set it to be warmer in the living room, and cooler in a spare bedroom.
Don’t turn the cap all the way clockwise - this will turn off the radiator. If your room thermostat is in the same room, turning off the radiator means the room can’t reach the temperature on the thermostat. This might cause your heating to be on for too long.
If you have thermostatic radiator valves
TRVs work like a separate thermostat for each radiator. They sense the temperature in the room and automatically switch off the radiator when the room is warm enough.
The higher the number you set on the dial, the warmer the room will get. On a dial with numbers 0 to 5, the numbers usually mean:
0: off
1: 10 degrees Celsius
2: 15 degrees Celsius
3: 20 degrees Celsius
4: 25 degrees Celsius
5 or max: 30 degrees Celsius
Your TRV might also have a snowflake symbol. This is a low temperature which stops your pipes from freezing.
If your TRV has different numbers or symbols, check the user manual. If you can't find the user manual, check the manufacturer's website.
Set the dial to be warmer in the rooms you use most. For example you could set the dial to 3 in the living room, and 1 in a spare bedroom.
If there’s a cover on your radiator, the TRV will sense the temperature inside the radiator cover instead. This might be warmer than the number you set on the dial. If you can't remove the radiator cover, you might need to set the dial slightly higher so you can heat the room to the temperature you want.
If your room thermostat is in the same room as a TRV, make sure the TRV is set higher than the temperature on the room thermostat. If you set the TRV to a lower temperature than the room thermostat, the radiator won’t be able to heat the room to the temperature on the room thermostat. This means your heating might stay on for too long.
If you have smart radiator valves
SRVs work like a separate thermostat for each radiator. They sense the temperature in the room and automatically switch off the radiator when the room is warm enough.
You can normally control the temperature with a smartphone app. You might be able to set different temperatures in each room at different times of day.
Set the temperature to be warmer in the rooms you use most. For example you could set the temperature to 21 degrees Celsius in the living room, and 10 degrees Celsius in a spare bedroom.
If there’s a cover on your radiator, the SRV will sense the temperature inside the radiator cover instead. This might be warmer than the temperature you set. If you can't remove the radiator cover, you might need to set the temperature slightly higher so you can heat the room to the temperature you want.
If your room thermostat is in the same room as an SRV, make sure the SRV is set higher than the temperature on the thermostat. If you set the SRV to a lower temperature than the room thermostat, the radiator won’t be able to heat the room to the temperature on the room thermostat. This means your heating might stay on for too long.
Check your boiler flow temperature
If you have central heating, you can change the temperature of the water that flows to your radiators. This is known as the ‘boiler flow temperature’.
Your boiler flow temperature might be higher than it needs to be. You can save money if you set it to a lower temperature.
How to change your boiler flow temperature depends on what type of boiler you have.
Check what type of boiler you have
If you have a boiler and a separate hot water tank, you probably have a standard boiler.
Your hot water tank will probably be in a cupboard or in your loft:
If you don’t have a separate hot water tank, you probably have a combi boiler.
If you have a standard boiler with a separate hot water tank
Your boiler flow temperature also affects how hot your tap water is.
You can turn the boiler flow temperature down to 65 degrees.
Don't set the temperature lower than 65 degrees - this is important to kill harmful bacteria in the water.
If you have a combi boiler without a separate hot water tank
A combi boiler supplies hot water to your central heating and your taps. This means you don’t need a separate tank for heating your tap water.
A combi boiler has separate controls for the flow temperature to your heating and your tap water. Changing the flow temperature to your radiators doesn’t affect the temperature of your tap water.
You can turn down the boiler flow temperature to your radiators to any temperature - but make sure to keep your home warm enough and comfortable.
It’s safe to make changes to your boiler flow temperature yourself. If you don’t feel confident making the changes, you could ask a boiler engineer to do it when you get your boiler serviced.
Keep heat in your home
There might be free or low cost ways you can keep heat in your home.
This can save you money because you won’t need your heating on as much.
Close your curtains and blinds when it’s dark
Curtains and blinds can keep the heat in at night.
Even if it's cold, it's worth keeping your curtains or blinds open when it's light. This lets the sun warm the room.
If you have central heating, make sure your curtains don’t hang over the top of your radiator. Tuck the curtains behind the radiator instead.
You shouldn’t hang curtains over an electric heater - this is a fire risk.
Find ways to block draughts
Draughts are caused by warm air escaping through gaps and cracks in your home.
If you’re just heating one room, keep the doors closed. You can reduce other draughts in your home by blocking some of the gaps that let air through - for example:
keyholes and letterboxes
cracks in your floorboards
a chimney you don’t use
the gaps at the bottom of your doors
It's important to make sure that you still have fresh air coming into your home - this will help you avoid problems with mould.
Find out how to block draughts on the Energy Saving Trust website.
Put secondary glazing film on your windows
Secondary glazing film is a clear, thin material you attach to your windows.
If you don’t have double-glazed windows, secondary glazing film is a cheaper way of stopping heat from escaping through your windows.
You can usually install secondary glazing film yourself and it’s easy to remove.
Search online for ‘secondary glazing film’ to find places you can buy it.
Find out how to install secondary glazing film on the Centre for Sustainable Energy website.
Use heated throws or blankets
You can use heated throws or blankets to keep yourself warm without turning up your heating. They use electricity, but only cost around 3p each hour to run.
You should check that any heated throw or blanket you have is safe to use. Look at the label and make sure it has a safety mark.
It might have a ‘UKCA’ safety mark:
Or it might have a ‘CE’ safety mark:
If your throw or blanket doesn’t have either of these marks, don’t use it.
Check how to use your electric blanket safely on the Electrical Safety First website.
Grants for energy-saving home improvements
You can save money by making your home more energy efficient.
You might be able to get help with the cost of things like insulation, a new boiler or improvements to your heating.
Check if you can get help making energy-saving improvements to your home
If you’re struggling to pay your energy bills
You should check what to do if you’re finding it hard to pay your energy bills.
Page last reviewed on 21 December 2022