SIX simple steps could ensure your radiators heat up in minutes over Christmas and keep your family warm and cosy.
Ensuring your heating system runs as efficiently as possible will not only keep you warm, it can also slash your energy bills by hundreds of pounds.
Jess Steele, heating and technology expert at BestHeating, stressed the importance of maintaining a heating system to ensure it’s working at its best.
She said: “Many homeowners are guilty of neglecting their radiators during routine cleaning, but maintaining your heating system, including regular radiator cleaning, is essential for its efficiency.
“Dust and dirt build-up can reduce the amount of heat radiators emit, forcing your system to work harder and increasing energy consumption.
“Keeping them clean not only improves performance but can also help lower energy bills, making it a cost-effective habit.
“Beyond cleaning, regular maintenance of the entire heating system, such as bleeding radiators to remove trapped air and servicing boilers, ensures even heat distribution and reduces the risk of breakdowns.”
There are several signs that your radiators may need attention, including if they’re slow to heat up or not a consistent temperature.
According to British Gas, a standard radiator should take between five and 10 minutes to heat up.
If you think your radiators aren’t working at their best or your house isn’t warming up quickly these simple tips from Best Heating could help:
Historically it’s been thought that the best position for a radiator is beneath a window in the coldest spot in a room.
However, with double glazing limiting the amount of cold air entering through windows, homeowners can consider other factors when deciding where to place a radiator.
What’s important is not to position a radiator behind large items of furniture such as sofas or cabinets.
If radiators are blocked, hot air will be unable to flow around the room, meaning it will take longer to heat the space.
And, Jess said obstructed radiators could also add £50 to your energy bills annually.
Curtains can also act as a barrier to heat, so if they cover a radiator it’s a good idea to fold them to sit on a window sill while your heating is on.
Keeping radiators clean will help ensure they run efficiently.
Dust, pet hair and other debris can build up in between your radiator panels and fins creating a layer of insulation that prevents heat from warming the room.
One of the best ways to clean the inside of your radiators is to use a hairdryer.
Just turn it to max and direct the nozzle between the back of the radiator and the wall to bow the dust out.
But, remember to put a sheet on the floor first to catch the debris.
Air can become trapped in radiators and make them less efficient, which will mean they need to be run for longer to warm a room – adding to your heating bill.
Bleeding radiators is simple, you just need a radiator key, an old towel and a bowl or jug.
Just wait until your radiators are completely cool and lay the towel under the pipes and place the jug or bowl under the valve.
Use the key to loosen the valve by turning it a quarter or half turn.
You’ll hear a hissing sound as air escapes and then water will begin to come out, at which point you can close the valve.
Jess said that bleeding your radiators could save you £130 a year in energy costs.
Ensuring your radiators are balanced is important to make sure your heating system is running efficiently.
Balancing the radiators will help ensure that they all heat evenly and the ones closest to your boiler, are not warmer than those further away.
To balance your radiators close the valves on them all and then slowly turn them on in small amounts starting with the one closest to your boiler.
Open the valves slightly further each time.
So, the one closest to your boiler may be opened a quarter turn with the next slightly more and so on until the furthest radiator is fully opened.
A more detailed guide to balancing radiators can be found on BestHeating’s website.
Your boiler pressure is important as if it’s too high there may not be enough hot water in the system to heat your radiators.
The boiler’s pressure gauge should sit between 1.2bar and 1.5bar.
If it is higher than 1.5bar you may need to take action, for example by bleeding radiators.
The Energy Saving Trust also suggests that if you have rooms that heat slowly even when radiators are working well, it may be worth considering installing reflector panels.
The foil panels fit behind radiators and bounce heat back into the room rather than letting it be absorbed into a wall.
The panels cost around £30 to install and could lower your heating bills by £25 a year.
Laura Court-Jones, Small Business Editor at Bionic shared her tips.
1. Turn your heating down by one degree
You probably won’t even notice this tiny temperature difference, but what you will notice is a saving on your energy bills as a result. Just taking your thermostat down a notch is a quick way to start saving fast. This one small action only takes seconds to carry out and could potentially slash your heating bills by £171.70.
2. Switch appliances and lights off
It sounds simple, but fully turning off appliances and lights that are not in use can reduce your energy bills, especially in winter. Turning off lights and appliances when they are not in use, can save you up to £20 a year on your energy bills
3. Install a smart meter
Smart meters are a great way to keep control over your energy use, largely because they allow you to see where and when your gas and electricity is being used.
4. Consider switching energy supplier
No matter how happy you are with your current energy supplier, they may not be providing you with the best deals, especially if you’ve let a fixed-rate contract expire without arranging a new one. If you haven’t browsed any alternative tariffs lately, then you may not be aware that there are better options out there.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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