Reducing fuel consumption may seem an unrealistic ask, but it can be done easily if you use your heating system properly and efficiently. As of today, the price set by energy suppliers are still at the peak level thus it is practical to lower the energy usage within our homes. Keeping the efficiency of the heating system may help reduce the amount of energy we use, in effect lowering fuel expenses.



First of all, make sure that you thermostat is set at the lowest comfortable level, you may find that you get used to a cooler house and that you slowly reduce the temperature over time. Every degree that you reduce your thermostat will save you around ?65 a year on your heating bills.

Some people leave their heating on throughout the day even if they are not at home to make sure that the house is warm when they return. If you have a programmer or timer connected to your boiler you can make sure that it is set to come on just before you return home, thus making sure that the house is warm when you return and you are not wasting money heating an empty house. Further, you do not need the heating on when you are in bed, make sure the heating is set to turn off before you go to sleep, and if you are cold in bed get another blanket!

Your hot water tank does not need to be heating to scalding temperatures. If the thermostat is set at above 60 degrees then it's probably to hold and can lead to scalding. If your water is kept too much lower than 60 degrees there may be risks of legionella, so make sure that your water tank is set to the right level.

Make sure that you bleed your radiators from time to time to remove unwanted air from the heating system and keep your radiators working at their maximum output. Make sure that the heating system is turned off when you bleed your radiators so that more air isn't inadvertently drawn into the system.

Insulation is a good idea, if your hot water tank isn't properly insulated it's definitely worth getting it done. You can buy insulating jackets for around ?12 and you can install them yourself. It could save you as much as ?40 a year.

One final thing you can do is make sure that you are paying as little for your fuel as possible. British Gas is one of a few providers who have announced recent cost cuts, so if you are reaching the end of your contract it might be worth looking around and making sure that you are getting the best value for your money.