Martin Lewis warns how simple thermostat mistake could add hundreds to your bill
Martin Lewis has urged customers to not make one simple mistake which could add hundreds to energy bills.
The Money Saving Expert spoke to audience members of ITV’s Martin Lewis Money Show about top tips to save money on energy costs.
One member of the audience said they had turned their thermostat up by one degree in the winter months.
But Mr Lewis, who founded the MoneySavingExpert website, warned them this was ‘unnecessary’ and ‘costly’.
He said: ‘A thermostat says: “We will keep it at a set temperature’. Why are you turning it up in winter? That’s what the thermostat does.
‘If you want it to be 20 degrees it will stay at 20 degrees and that’s the right temperature for you.
‘You don’t turn your thermostats up in winter, you just let it get to the heat. That’s all you need to do.’
He also urged customers who had a combi boiler to check the flow temperature.
This is the temperature the boiler heats up the water to before sending it to radiators.
Mr Lewis explained the flow temperature should be set at 60 degress – but a lot are usually programmed higher than this.
He said: ‘You normally want it to be around 60° but most people’s boilers are set higher – that’s really inefficient. You can turn this down, it won’t affect the heat in your house, and it’ll still be the same temperature.
‘It won’t affect your hot water temperature – it might take slightly longer to get up to the maximum temperature.
‘But it can cut £100 a year off your bill and is well worth everyone doing.
‘This is an absolute no-brainer and everyone with a combi boiler should be trying this.’
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