Set your boiler’s flow temperature between 55 and 60 degrees
Set your combi boiler to 50c for heating and 55c for hot water.
Your home will feel just as warm, but you could cut your energy bills by 8%.

Control your thermostat.
Setting your thermostat to somewhere between 18-21°c is ideal, and turning down the temperature by just 1 degree could save up to £128 on your energy bill.

Turn off heating in unused rooms
If consumers are savvy about which rooms they use and when, and use the radiator valves to turn the heating off, they can cut energy usage significantly.

Turn the heating off sooner and on later.
Delay putting the central heating on by a month until November, and switch it off early in February rather than in March.

Air dry, don’t tumble dry.
Ditching the tumble dryer and drying your clothes on a washing line or clothes horse could save you £60 a year. Avoid drying clothes on radiators – this makes your boiler work harder.

Mind the gaps.
Professional draught-proofing can cost a few hundred pounds, or you can find draughts yourself using the back of your hand, or with a thermal camera, and make your own excluders for free using old fabric scraps.

Get in a night time routine.
You’ll keep more heat in your home if you pull your curtains before it gets dark (up to 15% reduction in heat loss!).

Reduce your shower time.
Keeping your shower time to just 4 minutes could save a typical household £70 a year!

Be bright with your lights.
Lighting makes up around 11% of a typical power bill. LEDs use 70-80% less electricity – so when it’s time to replace those bulbs, go LED. Making sure you switch off the lights when you leave the room can save a further £20 per year.

Install a water-efficient shower head
More efficient shower heads can reduce water consumption and gas usage – heating water accounts for about 20% of household gas consumption.

Southwark HandyPerson Service
Can help you with hanging curtains, draughtproofing, and other insulation work.
(£40/hour. £20 for all benefit claimants.)
Call: 020 525 1863
www.southwark.gov.uk/housing/support-services/handypersons