Is It Cheaper to Leave the Heating On Low All Day? A Retired Gas Engineer Answers, by Graham The Heating Man on YouTube. 13 min 28 s.
- Video length
- 13 min 28 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Decide which kind of house you have. A timer house runs the heating in set periods. An on-low-all-day house keeps it ticking over. Note your current thermostat setting before you change anything.
Take the straight answer. For a gas boiler, keeping the heating on low all day uses more energy and costs more. A warm house loses heat the whole time it stays warm.
Drop the old claim that it costs more to warm a cold house back up. The gap between inside and outside temperature drives heat loss, so a cooler house loses heat more slowly.
Use your programmer so the heating comes on shortly before you get up, goes off when the house is empty, and comes back on before you return.
Set the room thermostat to at least 18°C in rooms you use regularly, and warmer if you feel the cold. Comfort comes first.
If someone is at home all day, run longer, lower heating periods rather than short hot blasts, and keep the rooms you sit in warm.
Turn down the thermostatic radiator valves in empty bedrooms and spare rooms so you only heat the rooms in use.
Try it for a week. Read the meter at the same time each day, note the weather, and compare with your normal routine before you decide.
Never take the boiler cover off to change a setting. If the heating will not come on or will not go off whatever the timer and thermostat say, call a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Tips and common mistakes
Turning the thermostat up high will not heat the house faster, it just runs longer.
Heat pumps work differently from gas boilers, so this advice does not carry over.
Cold snaps and damp weather are a good reason to raise the temperature rather than feel guilty about it.
Ask a qualified heating engineer if you are unsure what suits your own house.
Questions
Is it cheaper to leave the heating on low all day?
No. For a gas boiler, keeping it on all day uses more energy and costs more than heating when you need it, because a warm house loses heat constantly. Let it cool when nobody needs the heat.
What temperature should I set my thermostat to?
Aim for at least 18°C in rooms you use regularly, and warmer if you need it, especially for older people or anyone unwell. Health and comfort come before the bill.
Does it cost more to heat a cold house back up?
Not enough to cancel out the saving. The bigger the gap between inside and outside temperature, the faster heat escapes, so a cooler house loses heat more slowly.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
