Yahoo News State pensioners hit by Winter Fuel Payment cuts can save £300 with 99p item
State pensioners facing a worrying and costly winter after the double blow of the fuel payment cut and Ofgem price cap hike could get back £300 with a simple tip. Experts have said a 99p item could unlock the hefty savings over the colder months.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has restricted the £200-£300 Winter Fuel Payment, previously given to all pensioners, to those in receipt of Pension Credit and some other means-tested benefits, meaning around 10 million older people will lose out. On top of that, Ofgem has announced a further rise in the price cap from January 1, when the average annual bill is set to go up by £21 from £1,717 to £1,738 a year.
The October-January cap is already a 10 per cent increase on the previous quarter, meaning householders are already starting to feel the squeeze. Another hike in January, albeit by a much lower 1.2 per cent, will add to gas and electricity costs, but energy advisors say there are ways to help offset the rising prices of heating our homes.
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According to Stephen Day, a heating expert from iHeat, a simple 99p tool could be the key to reducing heating costs and saving households up to 20 per cent on their heating bills. He said: "A heating system that is running efficiently can save you as much as 20 per cent off of your energy bills, meaning you could save over £300 just by doing some simple maintenance."
He says the easiest and cheapest way to ensure your heating is working efficiently is by using a 99p valve key to bleed your radiators. Mr Day explained: "Over time, air can become trapped in your home's central heating system, preventing radiators from warming evenly. This causes cold spots and forces your boiler to work harder, consuming more energy to maintain the desired temperature. The result? Higher energy bills."
He added: "This task often goes overlooked, but for less than the price of a cup of coffee, you can make sure you get your money's worth every time you pop the heating on. The good news is that bleeding radiators is easy, even for those without technical expertise, and takes just minutes to do." Elderly or disabled people who aren't able to carry out this task themselves could ask a neighbour, friend or relative to do it for them.
How to bleed your radiators
Turn off your heating – Let your radiators cool down to avoid any risk of burns or leaks.
Locate the bleed valve – This is typically found at the top of the radiator, at the side
Use the radiator key – Insert the key into the valve and turn it slowly anti-clockwise. You’ll hear a hissing sound as trapped air escapes.
Close the valve – Once water starts to drip out, turn the key clockwise to close the valve.
Check your boiler pressure – After bleeding the radiators, ensure your boiler is at the correct pressure level. You can usually find out what level of pressure it should be by looking in your boiler manual.
Online radiator specialist BestHeating says if your radiators still aren't getting hot, there may be other factors at play besides trapped air. You could also have a faulty thermostatic radiator valve (TRV). To check and clean the TRV, first ensure it is not stuck by trying to turn it to a higher setting. If it remains unresponsive, it might need to be cleaned with a damp cloth, lubricated with WD-40 or a similar product, or replaced.
When some radiators are hot but others remain cold, it could be a balancing issue in which the hot water is not evenly distributed across the system. In this case you can adjust the lockshield valve on the warmer radiators - it is usually found at the bottom. This will allow more hot water to reach the colder radiators. It requires a small adjustment and testing over time to balance the heat across all the radiators.
Another cause may be the boiler not working properly, causing insufficient hot water to circulate through the heating system. This is likely to be a result of low pressure in the boiler and you may need an engineer to look at this.
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