Martin Lewis issues 'think about it' verdict on leaving the heating on low all day

Courtney Eales
·2-min read
Someone adjusts their heating on a dial
-Credit: (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)


Households up and down the country have been left with no choice this week but to find ways of staying warm as temperatures have plummeted. Turning the heating on is tempting when things get chilly, but it can be costly if left on for a long time.

The cold weather isn't going anywhere anytime soon as yesterday, November 20, the Met Office issued a five-day cold weather alert as temperatures dropped below freezing and icy conditions continue. the warning remains in place until 6pm on Saturday, November 23.

This means people will be using more energy than they might have expected for this time of year. In October, Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis offered advice to viewers of ITV's This Morning about the most cost-effective ways of using heating.

READ MORE: Met Office issue warning as map shows where snow and ice could hit Liverpool

READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing's Chris McCausland issues career update away from show

He said: "They say it's better to only put the heating on when you need it. You pay to pump energy in as and when is needed, and to keep pumping it in constantly isn't efficient. Using a timer's best, because your thermostat is designed to turn your heating on and off to keep your home at the temperature you set it at. So in general I'd stick with that."

A common view held among people is keeping the heating on low will not burn a hole in the pocket, the money expert offered some helpful advice about this, he said: "There are some engineers who argue that keeping the heating on low with all the radiators on and the boiler down can work as it reduces condensation."

The 52-year-old warned "when the heating is turned off it collects within the walls, and can help conduct heat outside the home.

"This means you lose heat more quickly and will use more energy as a result. So if your house is prone to that you may want to think about it."

Further advise issued on Martin Lewis' MoneySavingExpert.Com website states "leaving the heating on all day leads to greater heat loss and means higher cost"

They added" The concept is simple: pump heat into your home when you need it; don't pay to keep pumping it when you don't. It says this is the best way to save energy and money (using a timer's best, so your thermostat turns your heating on and off to keep your home at the temperature you want)."

Latest stories

  • I know where in landfill my missing £600m fortune is, computer expert tells court

    A father seeking to recover a lost hard drive from a landfill site containing an apparent £600 million Bitcoin fortune has told a court he knows where to look.

  • Watch as Florida gator drags massive python across pond

    Large Burmese pythons are known to eat alligators in Florida’s Everglades region. But sometimes the opposite is true. The accompanying footage, captured Nov. 28, shows a large gator swimming across a pond with a giant python in its

  • Met Office map shows where snow could fall TODAY as UK braced for chilly weather

    Wintry conditions will return for some Brits

  • Three dead and dozens hospitalised after eating endangered sea turtle

    Turtle may have grown toxic from consuming contaminated algae

  • Work begins on one of world's biggest batteries in Cardiff, creating 1,200 jobs

    Plans for the energy park, along with an eight-storey data centre, were approved by Cardiff Council's planning committee in October, 2024

  • Floods force closure of Herefordshire road off A49

    A ROAD closure is in force for a Herefordshire road just off the A49 after it was hit by flooding.

  • What we know about the Christmas weather forecast

    Spoiler: it looks pretty grim for most of the UK.

  • Met Office issues two weather warnings for Greater Manchester

    Conditions could be wild in the next few days

  • UK tourists visiting Canary Islands issued warning over '70kmh winds'

    Yellow and amber weather warnings are in place across Spain

  • Deepest container ship to visit UK docks at Port of Felixstowe

    MSC Elenoire, the deepest draught vessel to visit the UK, arrived at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk.

  • Why flooding caused so much damage at a seaside Carmarthenshire village

    An 80-page report has examined floods which happened in quick succession last winter

  • Meet the aging hunters battling bears in rural Japan

    STORY: In rural Japan a gunshot rings out. A bear slumps in a cage."This brown bear got too close to a human community. It wasn't right here but over that way in the middle of the town and on the roads close by. In this kind of situation, we have no choice other than to trap them." Bears are making their way closer to homes, and putting people’s lives at risk. Keeping the townspeople safe often falls on the shoulders of a dwindling band of aging hunters, like 75-year-old Haruo Ikegami. "I'm often the first one that gets there when they're caught like this, and I always say, 'oh come on, you're already in there?' I can't bear it."Once a common sight among the trees, hunters like Ikegami are now older, and fewer in number than before. :: RUNNING OUT OF TIMEJapan’s population is both aging and shrinking.As of 2020, about 60% of gun license-holders, like Ikegami, are over 60. And in areas where bears roam, some residents wonder what will happen when these hunters can no longer do their job. In the town of Naie, Tatsuhito Yamagishi has accused the local government of taking hunters for granted."They say we should train new hunters, but there's nothing specific on how we should do this. Who's going to hold the training sessions and the workshops? In a few years' time when we (hunters) are all over 70 years old, will there even be anybody left who could teach people how to hunt bears, even if they wanted to?"Naie’s local government declined to comment on the dispute with Yamagishi, but said officials were taking steps to address the bear problem.Japan’s environment ministry says it subsidizes local governments to train officials and conduct bear drills.But the country’s reliance on recreational bear hunters could become unsustainable, according to the hunters themselves, officials, residents and experts Reuters spoke to. :: BOLDER BEARSBoth black and brown bears’ habitats have been expanding, in part because of depopulation in rural areas, experts say.Some believe this, and less managed farmland, may be making bears more daring.And the animals appear to be raising cubs closer to human settlements, causing them to fear people less than before.All this has contributed to an increase in human-bear incidents.In the twelve months through March 2024, 219 people were attacked. Six fatally. More than 9,000 black and brown bears were trapped and culled over that period, according to Japan’s environment ministry.84-year-old Katsuo Harada carries scars from over 20 years ago, when a bear sank its teeth into his skull.'It was like it was gnawing on a raw radish, scraping and crunching. I passed out at the sound and I don't know what happened beyond that."Harada is now part of a group that helps keep problematic wildlife at bay."I feel that I have to protect the people living here. Whenever I set a trap, you saw today there are four locations, I'm driven forwards by the thought that if I hadn't laid the traps, somebody could have been killed." One common way to trap bears is by using a large cage with bait, like a deer carcass, salmon or honey. The trap is designed so that the creature steps on a metal plate when it goes near the bait, triggering the door to close. The local authorities then make a call on what to do with the animal and may involve licensed hunters to kill it. The trapped bear is looked after and fed until it is culled.As an alternative solution, some companies are turning to technology.This “Monster Wolf” robot growls, barks and emits threats. Costing about $2,500, it is triggered by a sensor and powered by solar energy.It has shown some success, but Yamagishi explains that it takes years for humans to learn how to trap bears and insists their expertise will remain indispensable. :: DWINDLING FRONT LINEResponding to the increase in attacks, the Japanese government this year proposed relaxing rules around gun use to make it easier to shoot bears in urban areas.But hunters say it’s hard to find new recruits because the job is expensive, unappealing, and exhausting.Some get 8,000 yen, or about $50 from local governments for a bear cull. This might cover expenses and fuel, Ikegami says, but little else. A system is needed, they suggest, where hunters are paid enough to support a family. Because if the younger generation doesn’t take up the torch, the last line of defence will soon be gone.

  • 'Water emergency' warning on two Canary Islands popular with UK tourists

    'Water emergencies' have been extended in two holiday hotspots

  • Pensioners given air fryers to help reduce bills after winter fuel payments cut

    Pensioners in North Lincolnshire are to be given free air fryers or slow cookers to help them reduce energy bills after the loss of winter fuel payments, the area’s council has said.

  • Merthyr sinkhole update as new dam built and 24-hour security guards in place

    Almost 30 homes were evacuated from a cul-de-sac in Merthyr Tydfil on Sunday after a 50ft deep sinkhole appeared in the road

  • Scientists puzzled by asteroids that hit Earth 35 million years ago and seemingly left no climate impacts

    UK scientists used hundreds of tiny fossils that lived in the sea at the time to understand climate shifts tens of millions of years ago

  • Ukrainians find new energy sources to beat blackouts as winter arrives

    Standing on the rooftop of a 16-storey residential apartment building in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, Valerii Pyndyk pointed to several rows of solar panels. Pyndyk hopes the installation - one of the first of its kind by residents in Kyiv - will help about 1,000 families living in the building get through what could prove Ukraine's most difficult winter since the start of Russia's invasion. The two previous winters of the war were already challenging, but Russia has now intensified its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with at least 11 major missile and drone strikes since March.

  • Devastating landslide destroys parking lot amid severe flooding in Thailand

    Striking footage from Betong district in Thailand's Yala province captured the aftermath of a terrifying landslide that cascaded down a mountainside and destroyed the parking lot of an office building. The asphalt was forced into the air up to 16 feet in places, causing widespread damage to vehicles and the building.

  • What is Bovaer, the cattle feed supplement which is prompting boycotts by conspiracy theorists?

    Arla Foods has insisted that the Boevar cattle food supplement will not filter through to human consumption as conspiracy theorists attack farmer-owned co-operative

  • The most expensive US property for sale is a mere $295m – and likely to flood

    The sprawling Florida mansion sits in one of the most vulnerable places in the US to climate-driven disasters