Reduce your electric heating costs

This guide will help you understand the typical energy consumption and costs of electric heating and how to reduce them. Updated November 2023 to reflect the latest price cap rise as part of the Energy Price Guarantee that will come into effect on 1 January 2024.

At the time of writing, we are heading into a challenging situation when heating and electric bills have risen once more with no option to shop around for a cheaper tariff, and temperatures are dropping close to zero degrees Celsius or even below zero, especially overnight.

For the period of January to March 2024, the Ofgem price cap will be set at £1,928 for a typical household per year – a rise of 5% or £94 from the 2023 cap. The price cap does not limit your total bill, which depends on how much energy you use. The way you pay for your energy, where you live, your meter type and your consumption will affect your energy bill. 

So finding ways to save on your electric heating has never been more relevant.

What’s changing?

From 1 January 2024, for a typical user paying by direct debit, the unit rate will be 29p/kWh for electricity and 7p/kWh for gas. The average daily standing charge will be 53 p/day for electricity and 30 p/day for gas.

The good news that this rise is temporary, with predications saying that the price cap will by reduced by 6% from 1 Apr 2024 to 30 Jun 2024 to £1,816 a year.

We want to do whatever we can to help you keep your bills as low as possible as winter approaches. Read on to understand how you can reduce your costs while keeping warm.

How do I save money on my electric heating?

The main way to save right now amid the current energy crisis is simply to use less electricity. You can do this by following the tips below:

Turn your thermostat down by 1°C

The simple act of turning down your thermostat by 1°C can save you around £100 each year (based on the average household energy bill in the UK). For every degree you lower the temperature by, expect to cut bills by around 4%. This is based on an electrically-heated semi-detached house and assumes a comfortable temperature of between 18-21C.

The World Health Organisation says that a room temperature of 18 degrees is enough for healthy adults, with slightly higher temperatures needed for the very old or young.

Only switch your heating on when you need it

People often say that it’s cheaper to leave the heating on low all day, rather than just turning it on when you need it. According to the Energy Saving Trust, this is a myth – you should only have your heating on when required. They’re clear that having the heating on only when you need it is, in the long run, the best way to save energy, and therefore money.

Only heat the rooms you use

By only heating the area where you are most active, the heat generated in that room will remain there.

Keep doors closed

The Energy Saving Trust say it’s better to keep doors closed for rooms that you don’t heat.

Radiators, electric panel heaters and convection heaters all work by creating a convection current in a room. As hot air rises, it circles around to the other side of the room, cools and sinks and travels back along the floor to the heater to be reheated again.

Closing doors makes sure this current remains within the designated space, and stops cold air entering.

Use localised heating controls

As well as using a thermostat and timer, using individual electric radiators rather than your entire electric heating system can save energy and money. This is especially effective when you lower the heating in rooms that aren’t used as frequently as others. 

Install radiator insulation panels 

Install radiator insulation panels for additional energy saving. These panels are relatively simple to install and will reflect the heat back into your room rather than allow it to be lost through the walls or windows. The panels can be purchased from most DIY stores.

Install effective insulation

Cavity wall insulation can cut around £115 off your heating bill each year, for example.

Draught excluders

You can fit draught excluders to outside doors, windows, and letterboxes to help keep heat inside.

New double glazing

Replacing all your old windows with modern double glazing is a significant investment. But, if you plan to stay in your home for the long-term, you could save you around £135 each year by stopping heat from escaping.

How energy consumption works

The first step in controlling and reducing your electric heating costs is to understand how you consume energy in your home. 

Your property

The age of your home, its size, the number of external walls, and the quality of your insulation will all affect the efficiency of your heating system and have a considerable impact on energy consumption and costs.

Room size

If your radiator is too small for the room, it will struggle to reach a suitable temperature, especially in the colder months, and this will use more energy. And if you get a radiator that is too big, you’ll probably pay more than you needed to.

Insulation

If you have modern insulation, then heat loss will be minimal, and your radiators will reach the desired temperature sooner. This means your heating will consume less electricity and consequently be cheaper to run.

Controlling costs with efficient electric heaters

With people spending more time living and working from home than ever before, what can be done to curb our ever-increasing heating bills? Once you know that your electric heating can deliver the heat you’ll need, one important question is; will it deliver that heat efficiently?

There are some features your radiators should have to help you control your energy consumption:

Accurate heating controls

Without accurate heating controls, you may be accidentally setting your heaters too high, meaning you will be wasting money, or too low, meaning your rooms won’t be warm enough.

Flexible programming

If you can programme your heating day-by-day or hour-by-hour, you can then schedule your heating to come on only when you need it, for example, the times you are active in individual rooms.

Built-in energy monitor

Some modern electric radiators have built-in energy monitors that allow you to  to keep an eye on your energy usage easily. And for every degree of temperature you reduce your heating by, you’ll save up to 8% in energy cost. 

Adaptable start functions/timer

An adaptable start timer or built-in function will allow you to programme your radiator so that the room is warm ready for when you need to use it.

Open window detection

A radiator with built-in open window detection functionality will automatically shut down when it senses a fall in temperature within a set time frame. This saves you money by avoiding unnecessary heating.

SMART controls

SMART stands for “Self-Monitoring Analysis & Reporting Technology”. Modern smart controllers and devices can learn what temperatures work best for you and your home.

They learn by tracking the inputs you make using the device to adjust temperatures and timings. Like how warm or cool you like your rooms to be. And what time you leave home and what time you return. 

Some can even respond to the weather conditions and adjust the radiator or heater temperatures automatically, saving you money without any effort at all.

Learn more about SMART controls for electric heating.

Conclusion

We hope this guide helps you control your electric heating costs this winter. In these challenging times, electric radiators offer a simple way to control the heating in your home and keep your heating bills under control, giving you one less thing to worry about. 

We offer a range of efficient, modern electric radiators and storage heaters that will give you noticeable value-for-money this winter, and for many years into the future. 

Use the links below to explore our range or use our heating design enquiry form to tell us what you need for your home. And you can always call our friendly team for advice about any electric heating on 01382 566942 (Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm).