By Nicholas Earl
Charity group Nesta has launched an app showing homeowners how to lower the flow temperatures of their boilers and cut down record energy bills.
The virtual step-by-step guide is being supported by consumer watchdog Which?, industry group Energy UK, and suppliers EDF, E.ON Next and Octopus Energy.
Nesta calculates that reducing the flow temperature to 60°C or below would take £112 off annual energy bills for the average households.
This would mean that if 10m UK households reset their flow temperatures, it would cut £1bn from energy bills, while also saving 1.7m tonnes of carbon emissions – the equivalent of almost six million transatlantic flights.
This follows the Government ditching plans for a £15m public information campaign to provide households tips on how to reduce their energy usage effectively and drive down bills.
Boiler flow temperature refers to the temperature a boiler heats water up to before it circulates around the radiators in a home.
Combination boilers work most efficiently if the flow temperature is set to 60°C or below, but boilers are often set much higher than that.
Lowering flow temperatures saves customers more money than fitting a smart thermostat – which saves a typical household £64 per year – alongside other better known free measures, such as closing curtains at night (saving £10 per year) and placing foil behind the back of radiators (saving £3-11 per year).
Nesta calculated that if a household with average gas consumption combined lowering their boiler flow temperature with reductions to the temperature of their hot water and adjusting thermostatic radiator valves, they could save around £180 on annual energy bills.
Topping up loft insulation or adding a smart meter as well would bring savings up to £230.
This was especially valuable data, considering that people don’t know they can save money by reducing their boiler’s flow temperature.
Only 1 in 10 people had lowered their flow temperature in the last year, compared to 6 in 10 who had lowered their thermostat, according to ONS research.
Reducing demand cuts down energy bills
Due to the rising price of gas and electricity, the Government has brought in the Energy Price Guarantee, which means that the maximum unit price households can be charged for electricity is 34p per kWh of electricity and 10.3p per kWh of gas.
This means that the annual energy bill for a typical household will rise to £2,500, rather than £3,549 per year in line with the energy price cap.
However, the amount each household actually pays depends on the amount of energy they use, meaning people can benefit by making their home as energy efficient as possible.
Most people are already planning on taking some steps to energy money on their energy bills this winter.
Two thirds of people (67 per cent) polled by the Behavioural Insights Team for Nesta said they would wear warm clothes instead of turning on the heating in their homes this winter, while 57 per cent said they would keep the heating on for fewer hours and 46 per cent said they would lower the thermostat.
More than half (51 per cent) also said they would close curtains while 12 per cent said they would put foil or reflectors behind radiators.
Madeleine Gabriel, Director of Sustainable Future at Nesta, said: “While the Energy Price Guarantee is helping millions to avoid financial ruin from high energy bills, the actual amount people pay still depends on their energy use, so it is important that anyone needing to keep costs as low as possible this winter feels confident taking action. Many people are already doing as much as they can to save money on energy bills but there are hidden tricks that people can take themselves that don’t affect their comfort.
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