December 2022

In the UK, energy bills have almost doubled since this time last year.

It’s estimated that a typical household with average energy use, is now paying around £2,500 a year on their energy bills. This is expected to rise again in April 2023 when it’s predicted that a typical three-bedroom household with average energy use might then pay around £3,700 a year on gas and electricity. [1]

So, we’re all looking for ways to reduce our energy consumption this winter to lessen the impact of these price hikes on our pockets.

Of course, the more we can reduce our energy demand, the better off the planet will be too.

Heating UK buildings contributed more than a fifth of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2021 [2], so by reducing our energy usage, we’ll be reducing this figure too.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

There are many small changes which can make a meaningful contribution to reducing energy demand.

The UK government has just launched a new £18 million public information campaign, ‘It All Adds Up‘, which offers tips and advice for people to cut their energy use, while also keeping warm this winter. This forms part of the UK’s plan to reduce energy consumption from buildings and industry by 15% by 2030. [3]

The 3 top tips the campaign highlighted when initially announced were:

1. Reduce your boiler flow temperature
   The flow temperature of boilers is often set between 70°C and 80°C. If you have a condensing boiler, reducing this to 60°C lessens the amount of fuel the boiler needs and could save approximately £100 per year. It does of course mean rooms will warm more slowly.
2. Turn down radiators when rooms aren’t in use
   Turning TRVs down in rooms which aren’t used all day such as bedrooms and non-living areas to a lower setting reduces the volume of hot water, using less energy and can save approximately £70 per year.
3. Stop heat escaping through doors and windows
   Draught-proofing reduces energy wastage by stopping heat escaping and cold air entering through gaps around doors, windows, floors, and letterboxes and can reduce energy bills by approximately £60 per year.

In relation to the first point, it’s worth noting that you can reduce your boiler flow temperature as low as 55°C for a standard boiler which could save around 6% on heating, and as low as 40°C in autumn and spring for a combi boiler which could save around 9% on heating. But this is all dependent on your property age, type, and insulation levels, the type and size of your radiators, and your thermostat temperature.

Remember the lower the flow temperature, the more likely it is that your thermal comfort will reduce as the radiators may no longer be able to heat the space comfortably. Therefore, radiators may need to be updated.

Replacing current radiators with more energy-efficient ones such as Jaga’s Low-H2O Strada’s can also provide long-term savings. A system with Low-H2O radiators is proven to be up to 16% more economical than one with traditional steel panel radiators and up to 5% more economical than underfloor heating. For more information, see our ‘How Low-H2O radiators can reduce your heating bills’ blog.

It’s also worth mentioning here that if you have a heat pump, the lower the flow temperature, the higher the Coefficient of Performance (COP) so if you can run your heat pump at a 35°C flow temperature and have your radiators sized accordingly, the more efficient your system and the lower your energy bills will be.

These are the simplest, lowest-cost energy-saving tips that almost all UK households can do. But what else can we do aside from the obvious?

1. If you have a heat pump, check weather compensation is set up

The efficiency (or COP) of an air source heat pump varies depending on the design and operating conditions.

When manufacturers quote a particular COP for their product, often around 4, this is based on BS EN 14511 specified test conditions of a 7°C outdoor air temperature and a 45/40°C flow and return temperature. At external air temperatures lower than this, the COP will fall, as will the heating output of the heat pump.

If you keep your heat pump set at one set flow temperature throughout the year, for example, 50°C, and don’t take into account the changing outdoor air temperature, the heat pump will be supplying water at an unnecessarily high flow temperature, reducing the COP of the heat pump and increasing your energy bill.

To minimise on/off cycling and keep the flow temperature at the lowest possible level throughout the year, weather compensation should be used.

Weather compensation estimates how much heat the heat source needs to produce based on the difference between the external and internal temperatures. When done properly, it matches heat loss to heat generated and uses the lowest possible temperature to heat the space. The lower the flow temperature, the higher the efficiency and the lower your energy usage and bills.

We’ve mentioned this specifically for heat pumps because most heat pumps have this feature, but only more advanced boilers do. It can be added to your heating system as an additional control option, however, so may still be worth considering.

2. Don’t turn off radiators in unused rooms

We’ve already seen press misinterpretations of the government advice above, with some media articles advising homeowners to “turn off” radiators in unused rooms.

Of course, all heating systems and buildings are built differently with different thermal masses, different insulation, different heat sources, different emitter types and with varying occupancy levels and patterns, but usually, if the building is in regular use, then this is not always the best course of action.

For many buildings, steady state heating – keeping the heating on low and slow – helps keep a consistent, balanced flow around the system and minimises cycling of the heat source, be that the boiler or the heat pump.

Standard non-condensing boilers on the other hand do not work the same way. And if the space is rarely occupied then leaving the heating on the whole time is also not usually recommended.

If you have Jaga Low-H2O radiators, the response rate is so quick due to the low thermal mass and the fact they hold 90% less water than traditional steel panel radiators, that they can actually respond well to intermittent heating. As they heat up and cool down quickly, the heating doesn’t need to be left on for as long as it doesn’t need as much time to heat up and this means less energy wastage.

3. Insulate… everything!

OK, so this is an obvious one. But as well as the draught-proofing measures mentioned by the government, insulation is a low-cost measure which can significantly reduce energy demand and bills.

Loft insulation is one of the most impactful measures in terms of savings, although these are heavily dependent on a dwelling’s current levels. Most homes have some loft insulation and while there are diminishing returns to adding more top-up insulation, in many cases, it is still worth doing.

By topping up existing loft insulation from 50-100mm to 300mm, you could save around 6% on your gas bill, or £81 off a typical yearly gas bill. [4]

You should also make sure all pipework and your hot water cylinder, if you have one, is fully insulated as much as possible as this can also lead to significant savings on hot water bills.

4. If you have a combi boiler, reduce the water temperature

We’ve already mentioned about turning down the flow temperature of your boiler, but combi boilers can heat the heating and hot water at two separate temperatures.

You can turn the hot water temperature down to as low as 38°C, but 42°C is usually recommended. This means the boiler will condense more and use less energy and can save a typical household £26 or 2% on total gas bills per year.[4]

A temperature this low is usually fine if you have a dishwasher, but you may want to up it slightly if you don’t. And if you have a regular boiler with a separate hot water tank, it’s very important that you keep it at 60°C minimum to prevent legionella.

Timing your hot water is also an easy way to reduce energy consumption. Having it on for just two 1-hour periods per day can save a significant amount on your hot water bill.

5. Effectively use controls

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) states that a 3-6% reduction in heat demand can be achieved through more informed and smarter management of heating in existing buildings [5].

By installing and correctly using the most basic controls: a programmer, room thermostat (at least one) and thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs), the Energy Saving Trust found you can save £70 a year on your energy bills as well as saving 300kg of carbon dioxide.

Every heating system should have these basic controls. If your radiators don’t have TRVs, adding them is a quick, low cost and easy energy-saving measure. See our ‘TRVs: the simplest energy-saving accessory blog’ for more information.

For more advanced energy savings, you can also use smart heating controls.

These are connected to the internet and offer greater functionality, such as more detailed time and temperature controls, reduced hot water heating based on your usage pattern and space heating based on your occupancy habits, and some can provide load compensation and weather compensation too.

It’s worth noting that controlling the temperatures and timings of the heat source itself, i.e., the boiler or heat pump, will be where you can make the most significant energy savings, but additional control methods are a great way to control your system in more detail, often based on your lifestyle, to ensure you’re minimising energy wastage.

GET IN TOUCH

For more information about energy-efficient radiators, or to see how Jaga can help with your heating and/or cooling project, please get in touch with our expert team.

USEFUL RESOURCES

All figures in this article came from a range of trusted sources referenced below. For more tips and advice on reducing your energy bills this winter, here are some useful resources.

• Energy Saving Trust: Warm Home Hacks
• Ofgem: Actions for saving energy
• Nesta: Free and low-cost energy-saving actions

REFERENCES

1. Energy Saving Trust (2022) Warm Home Hacks. Available at: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Energy-Saving-Trust-Warm-Home-Hacks-guide-final.pdf
2. CCC (2022), Letter: Reducing energy demand in buildings in response to the energy price crisis. Available at: https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/letter-reducing-energy-demand-in-buildings-in-response-to-the-energy-price-crisis/
3. BEIS (2022), Press release: Government joins with households to help millions reduce their energy bills. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-joins-with-households-to-help-millions-reduce-their-energy-bills
4. Nesta and Cambridge Architectural Research (2022), Free and low-cost energy-saving actions to bring down bills, improve energy security and help the planet. Available at: https://media.nesta.org.uk/documents/Free_and_low-cost_energy_actions_to_bring_down_bills_improve_energy_security_and_help_the_planet.pdf
5. Element Energy for the CCC (2020) Development of trajectories for residential heat decarbonisation to inform the Sixth Carbon Budget. Available at: https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/development-of-trajectories-for-residential-heat-decarbonisation-to-inform-the-sixth-carbon-budget-element-energy/