Heating expert's 'free' two-minute boiler adjustment could save on energy bills

With energy bills continuing to rise and households set to embrace a cold winter, many will be looking for ways to reduce costs. Whether that's changing your laundry routine or ditching certain appliances, small changes can make a huge difference. This is especially true when it comes to the boiler. Nicholas Auckland, a heating and energy expert at Trade Radiators, explained that lowering your boiler's flow temperature to 55°C-60°C can save roughly nine to 12% on energy bills.

This works out at savings of £65 to £85, assuming a typical home uses 11,500KWh/year of gas. The expert said: "The flow temperature is how hot the water is when it leaves your boiler to feed the radiators, and most boilers are set around 75°C to 80°C from installation.

"However, this is too high for a boiler to run as efficiently as it should." To lower it, use the radiator icon on your boiler to find the flow temperature.

Turn it down gradually, starting at 60°C. If you find your rooms aren't heating up effectively, bump the flow temperature back up slightly until you find a comfortable point.

The expert warned: "This should be done on condensing combi boilers only. Modern gas boilers are condensing.

"This means that they recover extra heat from exhaust gases when the return water is cool enough. With very high flow settings, the return water is too hot, and the boiler condenses less, wasting potential heat.

"Reducing flow temperature to around 55°C to 60°C helps the boiler condense more, so you use less gas."

According to the expert, turning the flow temperature down means the water leaving the boiler is a bit cooler, and while radiators may feel less hot, and rooms may take a little longer to heat up, the thermostat temperature doesn't change, and you can still reach the same room temperature.

Nicholas noted: "Once the house is up to temperature, comfort is the same.

"Lowering the flow temperature is a free, two-minute adjustment that helps a condensing boiler do what it was designed to do, condense effectively and waste less energy.

"For many households, that's an easy £65 to £87 saving at today's prices, which can make a world of difference come Christmas time when money is tight."