Based in the north east of England, we completely understand how important it is for you to save money on your heating bills, which is why we’ve included some information based on frequently asked questions about ways you can save money on your heating bills.

Tariffs. Switching tariff is an obvious, yet effective way to save money. Bills can be cut by nearly £200 a year by changing from your existing supplier. The gas, electricity and safety is all completely the same, only the price, billing and service will change.

Submit regular readings. If you don’t have your meter read regularly, your energy supplier guesses how much energy you use in a year and averages it out, which can leave you paying much more than you need. Check your meter once every three months. You don’t have to wait for someone to come out to read your meter, you can read it yourself and show it to your supplier. Record your usage results by calling your supplier or setting up an online account.

Draught-proof your home. Don’t let heat escape through the cracks. Draught – proofing is one of the cheapest and most forgotten about ways to save money on your energy bills and can save in between £10 – £50 a year. Drawing the curtains and blinds whenever you can so that heat is trapped in the room. Don’t put furniture in front of radiators as it prevents it from getting around the room. If you don’t use your chimney, get a draught excluder for it.

Heating. Should you leave the heating on low all day, or turn the temperature up and down? Using a timer is best – your thermostat is designed to turn your heating system on and off to keep your home at the temperature you set it. You can also keep your temperature on low all day, but turn the radiator valves up the max and keep the boiler down to the minimum.

Hotwater. The same question is asked about hot water – whether to keep it on all the time or turn it on and off as needed. This completely depends on the kind of boiler you have – if you have a gas, oil or LPG (liquified petroleum gas) central heating system, it will always be cheaper to time the system so that hot water only comes on when it is required. However if you use an electrical immersion heater, it’s cheaper to heat your water during the night.

Heaters. With regards to heaters, we recommend you stay away from electric heaters as the are the most expensive forms of heating. In general, the cheapest way to heat your home is with an energy – efficient gas central heating system, with a full set of thermostatic radiator valves. We have more information about this on our ‘heating’ pages.

Thermostats. It is definitely best to use as many individual thermostats and controls as possible, rather than just one main thermostat to control the house. By having lots of thermostats you can fully control how you have your home heated, by controlling the temperature of each individual room. A room thermostat saves, on average, £70 a year, and thermostatic radiator valves can save around £10 a year.

Closing doors. Heat rises, circles the room, cools, sinks to the floor and back to the heater to be reheated again. Closing the door makes sure this cycle remains in its designated room and allows the cycle to continue consistently. Therefore we recommend you keep all your doors closed when you have the heating on.

Insulation. Having your home insulated is probably one of the most effective ways to save money on your energy bills. Did you know that most of your heating is lost through the external walls and roof, 35% of heat is lost through the walls and 25% is lost through the loft. We offer cavity wall and loft insulation, which can save you up to £300 a year if you had them both done.