With the rising cost of living and high energy prices, many people are searching for the best methods to save money on heating costs. A long-standing, common query is whether it is genuinely more cost-effective to leave the heating running continuously at a low temperature versus turning it on and off as needed. This article takes a deep dive into this issue, investigating the best means for you to save cash on your heating bills and definitively answering the question: Does it work out cheaper to leave your heating on all day?
Is It Cheaper to Leave the Heating On All Day?
With the rising cost of living and high energy prices, many people are searching for the best methods to save money on heating costs. A common and long-standing query is whether it is genuinely more cost-effective to leave the heating running continuously at a low temperature versus turning it on and off as needed.
We take a deep dive into this common query, investigating the most effective means for you to save cash on your heating costs and definitively answering the question: Does it work out cheaper to leave your heating on all day?
Is it better to keep central heating on low or turn it on and off?
The idea that saving money is possible by keeping the central heating permanently on low is a common misconception, although there is some nuance to the argument.
The Myth of Constant Low Heat
According to experts like the Energy Saving Trust, leaving the heating on all day is typically a myth for saving money.
- The Insulation Problem: If your house is older or poorly insulated with heat leaking out through windows and draughts, leaving the heating on all the time means your boiler is constantly using energy to maintain a set temperature. With poor insulation, the boiler must work harder 24/7 just to retain warmth, leading to constant energy expenditure.
- The Inefficient Boiler: An older, inefficient boiler only exacerbates this problem, compounding energy waste.
The Argument for Constant Low Heat
Some engineers argue that leaving the boiler on low all the time can save energy in the short term, based on the physics of cooling:
- Reheating Demand: Turning your boiler completely off and then back on requires it to expend significant energy to reheat the home from a completely cold state back to the desired comfortable temperature.
- The Flaw: While reheating requires a burst of energy, the consensus is that the energy wasted through poor insulation during the periods when you don’t need the heating far outweighs the cost of reheating the house from cold.
What are the Most Energy-Efficient Ways to Heat Your Home?
If you insist on leaving the heating on constantly, your system will be working overtime just to retain your preferred indoor temperature. The more heat you lose through walls and windows, the more energy you will need to put in, hardly conducive to lowering heating bills.
A much more effective strategy to lower energy costs involves two steps:
- Insulation: Ensure your home has proper insulation (double-glazed windows, draught-proof doors, and quality loft insulation). This minimizes heat loss, meaning less energy is required regardless of your heating schedule.
- Programming: The most energy-efficient method is to program your heating system (using a timer or modern thermostat to switch on only when heat is required. Modern smart heating systems allow different temperatures to be set at different times, tailored precisely to the homeowner’s routine (e.g., warmer in the morning and evening, off during the day.
By using a timed boiler and thermostat in accompaniment with radiator temperature controls , you are adopting the most energy-efficient methodology for heating your home possible.
Testing the Theory
If your home already has decent insulation, you can put the theory to the test yourself:
- Timed Method Trial: Programme your heating system to run only at specific intervals when you need warmth (e.g., mornings and evenings).
- Constant Method Trial: Experiment by having your heating system switched on constantly for 24 hours a day.
- Data Collection: Trial each method over a dedicated week-long period. Take a reading from your energy meter at the start and end of each week to collate the data.
- Analysis: For reliable results, test each method when outdoor conditions are similar. This will clearly denote which approach is the most energy efficient for your specific property.
The Paramount Importance of Insulation
Regardless of the results of your heating experiment, installing proper insulation is the most fail-safe way to enhance your home’s energy efficiency and reduce bills in the long run.
- Loft Insulation: This is the cheapest and quickest place to start, as a roof can be responsible for over around 35% of a house’s heat loss.
- Wall Insulation: For houses built after the 1930s (with cavity walls), filling the gap between the inner and outer walls with insulation foam is highly effective. Older, solid wall properties require more costly internal or external insulation solutions, often needing professional assistance.
- Draught Proofing: The simplest and lowest-cost change is introducing draught proofing, which involves filling gaps around the edges of windows, doors, and even fittings like letterboxes using materials like expanding foam or self-adhesive rubber seals.
- Window Insulation: Double-glazing is standard in modern homes, as the air gap between panes is a poor conductor of heat. Closing curtains and adding insulating covers also helps to retain heat.
Is It Cheaper to Leave the Heating On All Day?
We classify the notion that it’s cheaper to leave the heating on all day as a popular misconception rather than an outright myth. While constant heat prevents the initial reheating energy cost, the energy wasted during unnecessary heating periods usually makes it more expensive.
A well-insulated home that uses the heating system only at specified, required intervals offers the best means to preserve energy and save on heating bills. If your heating is switched on all day, you are guaranteed to waste energy continuously.
Ultimately, the key to cost-effective home heating is insulation. A well-insulated property requires less energy in sporadic spells to maintain a comfortable temperature. This means less energy expended and lower energy bills in the long run.
Money Saving Tips: Central Heating & Efficiency
Here are some straightforward tips to help you save money on your energy bills:
| Focus Area | Tip & Benefit |
| Boiler | Upgrade Your Boiler: If your boiler is over 12–15 years old, replace it. Modern condensing boilers A-rated, over 90% efficient models significantly reduce energy bills compared to older systems that typically run at only 60–80% efficiency. |
| Annual Service: Keep your existing boiler safe and efficient by having it serviced annually, especially before the winter season. | |
| Temperature | Turn the Temperature Down: Reducing your room temperature by justLowering your thermostat by just 1°C can help reduce your heating bills by up to 10%. Experts recommend between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius in winter. |
| Insulation | Roof First: Roofs account for up to 35%, or around 35% of heat loss. Loft insulation is the cheapest and quickest DIY solution. |
| Wall & Floor: Tackle walls (cavity filling) and floors next to prevent further heat escaping. | |
| Smart Tech | Install a Smart Thermostat: These learn your routines and automatically optimize heating schedules. |
| Use Zoned Heating: Warm up only the rooms you are actively using by fitting smart radiator valves, which allows for localized temperature control. |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
| Question | Answer |
| How can you improve home insulation? | Start with loft insulation (the cheapest fix). Follow this with cavity wall insulation (if applicable), draught-proofing around all windows and doors, and upgrading to double or triple-glazed windows. |
| What are the main tips to cut heating bills? | The top tips are: ensuring excellent home insulation, programming your heating system to run only when needed (using a thermostat/timer), upgrading an old boiler, and reducing your room temperature by a small amount. |
| Can you save money by leaving the heating on all day? | The general consensus is no. While turning the system off requires more energy to reheat the house later, the continuous energy wasted due to heat loss through walls and windows over 24 hours is typically more expensive. Timed, intermittent heating in a well-insulated home is the most cost-effective method. |
Conclusion
In conclusion, the notion that it’s cheaper to leave the heating on all day is filed under popular misconception. While turning the system off requires an initial surge of energy to reheat, the consensus is that the continuous energy wasted through heat loss during unnecessary heating periods usually makes constant low heat more expensive. The key to cost-effective home heating isn’t continuous operation; it is insulation. By ensuring your property is well-insulated, you require less energy in sporadic spells to maintain a comfortable temperature, resulting in lower bills and a more efficient heating system overall.
