Heating expert says you should never turn up the thermostat when you’re cold

It’s been a particularly chilly week, and a lot of us have been reaching for our thermostats. While it’s perfectly okay to finally let your central heating kick in, experts at Only Radiators have shared that ‘turning up’ the thermostat as it gets colder wouldn’t make a difference.

Not only that, but each degree increased on the thermostat could cost you an additional 10 percent on your annual heating bill.

Heating expert Dominic Lees-Bell says, “If you’re cold and you turn your thermostat up to 30 degrees in an attempt to make your home hotter, you’re essentially saying to your boiler ‘you couldn’t reach 20 degrees, so give 30 degrees a try’ with the rate of heating staying the same.”

Consider you’re asked to run 20 miles, but struggle to make it past 10 miles. As a response, imagine if the other person now moves the finish line 30 miles away instead, Dominic explained using this layman example.

“Your thermostat is a limiter, not an accelerator. A minimum and a maximum temperature limiter rolled into one.”

Hence, your best move for when you feel cold, would be to be patient. Central heating requires time to warm up the entire house, and turning up the thermostat in no way quickens the process. You’re stuck with a heating bill that burns a hole in your pocket instead.

With the cost of living crisis still rampant, visible across energy and other domestic pricing, “maintaining the thermostat at a regular temperature can certainly help cut down on some costs,” advises Dominic.

According to the NHS, the most frequented and lived-in parts of your house, like the living room and the bedrooms, should be at least 18°C during winter; while the Energy Saving Trust recommends it to be between 18°C and 21°C.

Dominic explains, “The evidence that’s available points to 18°C being the most appropriate threshold, particularly for the fit and healthy.

“What is also made clear was that the ageing process makes our bodies less able to regulate our temperature, and less able to detect the cold.”

“It’s important to consider the members of your household and their individual needs when deciding on an optimum room temperature.”