WHY BOTHER?
Heating your home is one of the major ways that any household creates carbon pollution.
Dialing down your thermostat will save money too. Research from the Energy Saving Trust states you can typically:
- Save £55 and 300kg of carbon dioxide a year by turning the room thermostat down by one degree.
- Save £70 and 300kg of carbon dioxide a year by installing and correctly using a programmer, room thermostat and thermostatic radiator valves.
(Typical savings for a three-bedroom semi-detached home, heated by gas. Figures are based on fuel prices as of June 2021.)
GET INFORMED
Read our blog “How to dial down your home energy consumption”.
Watch this short video from the Energy Saving Trust and the Telegraph, with five easy tips to save up to £400 per year and save energy (3 mins).
And this animation from B&Q, which offers even more practical tips (3 mins).
UNDERSTAND YOUR HEATING CONTROLS
This short video takes your through the main types of thermostat and how to use them (3mins).
This guidance from the Energy Saving Trust provides an overview of thermostats and heating controls, and the benefits of “dialling it down”.
And here, Which? magazine offers a round up of how to adjust typical boilers and thermostats.
Lost your manual? To find information on the heating controls in your house, you can use Google of course, but also try YouTube. For example, searching on YouTube for “Honeywell thermostat” brings up this list of instructional videos, and then you can scroll the photos to see which one looks like yours, and watch the video.
TALK IT OVER WITH YOUR HOUSEHOLD
Have a discussion with the other members of your household; different people like different temperatures. Explain why it’s beneficial to dial it down, and agree on a lower temperature for your thermostat that you can all cope with. Try it for a month.
Whilst you are at it, why not also identify any other energy measures that you might want to take, for instance by looking together at the guidance from the Energy Saving Trust or Waterwise.
CAN’T KEEP THE HOUSE WARM ENOUGH?
If your concern is that you can’t keen the house warm enough, then;
- why not borrow our thermal imaging camera, to spot heat loss from your home?
- read our guidance on insulating your home.
COMMIT
Sign up to Count Us In today, and make changes that matter.
When you register, tick to say you are part of the St Albans Climate Action Network, and then your steps will be counted alongside other local people.
Dialing down your thermostat, and using only the heating you need, is one of the 16 highest impact steps you can take.