Two-minute boiler check that saves households £325 this summer

UK households have been advised to carry out a two-minute boiler check that could save you hundreds of pounds during the warmer months of the year.

Experts at Utility Bidder, a company that searches for the best utility tariffs for businesses, revealed that by making a few simple changes to your boiler settings, you could slash £325 off your bills this summer. Mark Gamble, head of supplier relations at Utility Bidder, explained how just checking your boiler’s flow will make it run more efficiently and slash hundreds of pounds from your bill.

He said: “Turning down your boiler’s flow temperature can make it run far more efficiently, without making your home feel colder. Check your boiler settings and reduce the flow temperature to around 60°C or lower.

“This helps modern boilers run in ‘condensing mode’, which uses less energy. Setting the flow temperature to the correct settings can increase the boiler’s efficiency by around 15%. Under the current Ofgem price cap, that simple adjustment equates to a roughly £325 saving a year on your gas bill.”

The expert also shared other tips that could save you extra cash, too. Households should check if their boiler has a summer setting, as switching it on will “ignore signals from thermostats or timers that might otherwise trigger the heating accidentally, helping to cut unnecessary energy use”, which could save homes £20 a month.

Additionally, thermostats should also be turned down by one degree, as doing so from the average 20C can make a significant difference to your bills. The expert says that according to The Energy Saving Trust, following this step could save households anything between £80 and £150 per year.

Mr Gamble added: “Taking the time to check your boiler settings now not only helps reduce unnecessary energy use during the warmer months.

“Many people assume that once the heating is off, their energy use drops completely, but in reality, timers, thermostats, and default settings can still trigger the system in the background.

“Making a few small adjustments, whether that’s switching to summer mode, lowering your flow temperature, or tightening up your timers, can have a noticeable impact on your overall energy use. These are quick, simple changes, but together they can lead to significant savings over time.”