The exact temperature to set your thermostat to save on energy bills and stay warm

TEMPERATURES have already started dropping with many of us seeing snow settle throughout the UK

Now is the time many of us look to put our heating on or up, but as energy bills soar, looking to save money is more important than ever.

The typical household energy bill has now gone up by £94 taking the average bill from £1,834 to £1,928 per year, after the energy price guarantee came into effect in October.

If you have a bigger family that uses a lot of energy, you’re likely to go over £1, a year.

The price of electricity has risen from 27.35p per kWh to 28.62p per kWh.

The unit rate for gas has risen from 6.89p per kWh to 7.42p per kWh.

Energy prices are still notably higher than they were two years ago before the ongoing cost of energy crisis began.

Luckily, there are clever tricks you can do to try and keep energy costs down.

One easy thing you can do is change the setting on your thermostat.

Energy experts have revealed the exact temperature to set it at so that you can save cash and keep warm throughout the winter.

When it comes to your thermostat, the Energy Saving Trust recommends you should set it to the “lowest comfortable temperature”.

For the majority of us, this is between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius.

It’s just the right balance between keeping your home warm, and keeping those energy bills as low as possible.

If you have your thermostat set at a higher temperature you can probably afford to turn it down and still keep cosy.

Of course, there are exceptions like anyone who is in ill health, and there is support available to cover extra costs.

Just by turning down the temp by a single degree, you could save as much as £100 a year.

If you cut it by more you will obviously make even bigger savings.

Experts at Uswitch found that the temperature inside a fifth of UK homes is hotter than Lanzarote over winter, and more than a million properties are heated to 25°C or more – hotter than Sydney.

So, if you’re at the higher end of the ideal 18-21C temperature scale, then you could still try reducing it by a degree or even two to make savings.

The Energy Saving Trust also says that you don’t need to turn your thermostat up when it is colder outside, the house will still heat up to the set temperature.

“It may take a little longer on colder days, so you might want to set your heating to come on earlier in the winter,” it said.

So, if you have your heating on regularly this winter, it might be time to review your settings.

Here are some more top tips for reducing your energy bill, plus extra help you can get.

Top tips for saving hundreds on your energy bill

A properly insulated home can help reduce energy bills by stopping excess heat from escaping.

Prices for draught excludes start from a fiver in most stores but a thick blanket rolled up next to a draughty door will work just as well.

Loft insulation is also very important as it can stop heat escaping, therefore slashing your heating bill.

You can buy insulation from all local builder merchants or retailers such as B&Q and Wickes.

Hot water bottles are a great investment, they are always great for a cost-free way of keeping warm.

And you don’t even have to buy one – you can make them for free by filling a large piece of fabric with old clothes or rice.

If you’ve got a few pennies to spare consider buying an electric blanket.

They are another great way to keep warm and most cost around 3p an hour to run.

Some energy companies are giving away free electric blankets this winter so it’s worth checking with your provider.

Switching off so-called “vampire devices”, that drain energy when left on standby or used inefficiently, could save you on your bills as well.

Here are 18 straightforward ways to cut your energy bill now.

More help with energy bills

Between November and March 2023, a £300 one-off “Pensioner Cost of Living Payment” started being paid out to eight million households.

It is being given to those who already get the winter fuel payment – which is worth between £100 and £300 for those over state pension age.

Millions of households have also started to get the £150 Warm Home Discount between December and March 2023.

There’s also help from the Household Support Fund – which has been extended with a £421million boost.

What you’ll get through the fund depends on where you live, but some households are set to get hundreds of pounds of free cash for food, energy bills and essentials this winter.

Check out more energy bill help you can claim worth as much as £3,435 a year.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

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