The simplest way of bringing down your central heating bill is to reduce the temperature in each room by a barely noticeable one degree centigrade by adjusting your thermostat. Although you might not think that this would save you that much money, in reality this action alone can bring down your heating bills by up to ten percent.



If your radiators don't seem to be working properly, and are cold at the top and hot at the bottom, then you may well need to bleed some of the excess air out of them using a radiator key, which can be cheaply obtained from most DIY stores.

You should put some newspaper below the bleeding valve, and wear clothes that you don't really care about when you do this, as dirty water from the heating system has a tendency to spray all over the place when you do this. Make sure that your heating is off when you do this, or else you may be scalded.

The majority of radiators built within the last ten to fifteen years are fitted with a little device known as a TRV, or Thermostatic Radiator Valve. This device allows you to set different temperatures for different rooms, typically up to a maximum value of 22 degrees Celsius. It keeps the temperature of the room constant, and conserves energy by measuring the room temperature and switching the radiator on or off depending on whether the desired temperature has been reached.

In order to have the TRV function correctly, it is vital that it is not obscured by curtains or furniture, so that it can read the room temperature accurately, ensuring that it is able to shut the radiator down when the temperature in the room has met the preset value.

If you only have one single room temperature dial for the whole property, it will be difficult to achieve the right temperature balance between the rooms, as some will be bigger or better

insulated than others. . This is where TRVs really come into their own, as they allow you to adjust the temperature in each room independently.

Pressurised, or unvented tanks are a great way of storing your domestic hot water, as they bypass the common problem of low water pressure in the shower and the hot taps. It also removes the need for a second cold water tank in the loft. This is achieved by utilising a pressure control valve and a refilling cylinder to ensure a constant pressure within the tank.