My ‘overlooked’ move to heat rooms quicker and slash energy bills by £120 – it takes just 30 seconds

IF you’re worried about the cost of heating during storm Isha and Jocelyn, an “overlooked” household move can save you money on using radiators.

In fact, changing just one thing could cut your bills by up to £120 a year. 

Rising energy bills can be a worry for a lot of people this time of year, but there are some things you can do to try and cut down.

We spoke to Nicholas Auckland, a heating expert at Trade Radiators who explained how just moving furniture could help you slash money off your bills.

He said: “On average, you’re looking at saving around £120 a year if you move your sofa from blocking your radiator.”

The heating expert explained that sofas and other large soft furnishings “take heat from your radiator instead of letting it circulate in the room”.

He added: “You then feel the need to turn the heating up to make the room feel warmer, and you’re left with spending around £120 more a year just to keep your living space warm.”

Nicolas gave us his top list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to placing furniture and saving money on your heating bills:-

Do’s

• Leave gaps between heating sources and furnishings to allow the air to circulate in the room.
• Use open or slatted furniture that allows the heat to pass through (this is a good option if you must have your furnishings against the radiators).
• Consider opting for furniture with legs that elevate off the floor – this will allow heat to radiate more freely
• Aim to arrange furniture in a way that allows heat to flow around the room – consider putting larger furniture against walls with no radiator.
• If you are building a new property or thinking about doing extensive work ensure to keep radiators positioned away from doors.

Don’ts

• Never place furniture directly in front of the entire radiator as it will significantly hinder the heat distribution and reduce overall efficiency.
• You should never hang heavy curtains directly over radiators as these will trap the heat and prevent it from entering the rest of the room.
• Don’t block the thermostat in your home, it should be clear at all times so that it can accurately sense the room temperature to control the heating effectively.

It might not be possible for you to move your furniture around in your home if space is at a premium.

If that is the case there are still things you can take into consideration such as what kind of furniture you buy.

Nicholas said: “Heavy, solid furniture is worse than slatted, open furniture.

“This is because it traps the heat and doesn’t allow for successful air flow around the room.

He also added that large furniture is also worse than a smaller piece for the same reason.

If space is limited in your home, Nicholas recommends opting for smaller furniture.

He said: This will mean that there’s less possibility of blocking the radiator and that there’ll be more air flow in the room that helps with circulating the warm air. 

Nicholas also added that you could invest in a “radiator reflector” that helps reflect the heat from your radiator into the wider room.

“It’s also important to make sure you keep internal doors closed in order to trap heat in the room instead of letting it out.”

Other ways to save on heating bills

There are plenty of other things you can do to help slash your bills too.

Experts at Checkatrade have shared some home heat-proofing hacks that could improve your home’s heating efficiency.

Draught proofing can save the average household £45 a year, the team said.

You can do this by using rugs, draught excluders or thicker curtains to prevent heat from escaping under doors and between floorboards.

Also, don’t forget to bleed your radiators, as this prevents energy waste by removing excess air and distributing heat more evenly.

By increasing the jacket thickness on your hot water cylinder you can save around £35 a year.

This is because it keeps your hot water at temperature for longer, without the need to use more energy.

Also, you can try just turning your thermostat down by one degree, just this one change could save you up to £100 a year on your energy bill.