British Gas, Octopus, Eon, EDF and OVO customers told they could save £130
A previous version of this article was headlined "British Gas, Octopus, Eon, EDF and OVO customers told they will get £130 in bank accounts". We would like to make clear that the "£130 in bank accounts" refers to a potential saving by making one small change. We are happy to clarify this and the headline has been amended accordingly.
UK households have been told how they can get a big boost to their bank accounts. It involves making a simple change to the way they use their heating.
Freezing temperatures over recent days will have had many households whacking up the heating to stay warm. But often, homes might be warmer than they need to be.
Experts say knocking the thermostat down by just one degree could make a huge difference to bills - as much as £130 a year according to University College London. An ideal temperature for homes is 18C to 22C and for vulnerable or elderly people it shouldn't be below this.
READ MORE: £200 cost of living payments to enter bank accounts every month in 2025
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But many homes may have the heating ramped up too high, for example at 23C or higher. Bringing it down 1C or slightly more will still keep homes warm but could deliver big savings on energy bills.
Llewellyn Kinch, CEO of solar platform and home energy specialists MakeMyHouseGreen, said: "An ideal temperature while you're up and active at home is about 20C. You should find this to be about right for moderate levels of activity in the house.
“Set your heating to 20C when you’re in and active. This temperature strikes a good balance between comfort and winter energy efficiency. If 20C feels chilly, wear warm clothing or use a blanket rather than cranking up the heat”.
"Dropping the temperature at night for eight hours can save up to 10% on heating bills annually. If it’s cold outside and you switch your home heating off entirely when you’re asleep or out, the house can get very cold, and requires a lot of expensive energy to heat back up. So just tweak it down when you don’t need it to stay cosy - and save.”