Brits urged to change heating settings today to save £400 on energy bills

Energy bills have been at a record high since the start of winter last year, and households in Britain can’t wait for a warmer season to cut down on usage. According to the experts, today is the date to adopt these two changes in order to save £400 on your gas and electricity spending. Here is what to do.

Turn off the heater for good

Households in Britain can use today's clock change to do some energy ‘spring cleaning’ that will help cut costs and save them hundreds of pounds, according to one energy expert.

Dr Steve Buckley, the energy doctor at smart metre energy saving app Loop, said it is possible to spare almost £400 by adapting your habits from this point of the year onwards.

A cut-off point for high energy usage in your home is a good way to start.

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Research Loop carried out last year showed half of the users kept their heating on until the end of April. But those who turned their heating off earlier in the monthused 10% less gas overall than those that didn’t.

Buckley said:

There is an opportunity to save by minimising heating your house in the morning as it will naturally heat up during the day in spring, as the days become warmer and brighter.

He suggested turning your heating off for an extra hour a day over the next month, which could save around £100 during the summer months.

​​According to Jordan Chance, a heating expert from PlumbNation, well-insulated homes will retain their heat even when temperatures are low into the early spring, although every home will be different.

Change thermostat settings

Another way to lower bills is to check your thermostat - if it’s still set too high, there’s a risk that your heating will run unnecessarily during the day, overheating your house, and wasting gas and money.

Buckley advised:

If you aren’t ready to turn your heating off completely, turning down your thermostat by as little as one degree can also result in savings, reducing gas usage by 10%.

You can turn it down further, from 21 to 18 degrees, and save around 30%, which is around £300 for an average home each year.

By adopting these two simple tricks you could save £400 on energy bills this spring.

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Sources used:

- The Sun: 'How the clocks going forward could save nearly £600 on your energy bills'

- Mirror: 'Why today is the exact date you should turn off your central heating to save money'