As winter deepens and the price of keeping a home warm climbs again in January, a quiet piece of household wisdom is making the rounds: that some of the most useful savings hide in small, unglamorous chores. A home maintenance specialist, Glen Pesket, suggests that dust on a thermostat, trapped air in a radiator, and unbalanced valves can quietly waste energy, and that attending to them takes less effort than most people fear. It is a reminder that comfort and thrift need not be opposites, and that care for the ordinary machinery of daily life can still make a difference when larger pressures
Bleeding radiators and cleaning thermostats could cut home heating bills without turning the heat down
You hear a hiss, then a steady drip, and that's usually all it takes.
Mark
Why does a dusty thermostat matter for a heating bill?
Mimi
Because the thermostat is what tells the system when to heat. Glen Pesket says dust or furniture can make it misread the room as colder or hotter than it is, so the heating runs when it shouldn't.
Mark
And the radiator advice?
Mimi
Bleeding releases trapped air so hot water can circulate again. He singles out towel rails as the worst for air build-up. Balancing is about valves, so each room gets an even share rather than one radiator overheating while another stays cool.
Luke
Before we go further, how much will this actually save? The article doesn't say.
Mimi
It doesn't. Pesket says collectively the tweaks can reduce energy use significantly, but no figure is given.
Luke
So that's one specialist's claim, not a measured result.
Mimi
Fair. It's reasonable maintenance advice, but the size of the benefit is unquantified.
Mark
Why now?
Mimi
The price cap changes in January, with typical dual-fuel bills projected at about £1,758.
Luke
That figure is the article's projection for typical bills. Your own bill will depend on how much you use.
Mark
So it's low effort, uncertain reward?
Mimi
Under an hour of work, by Pesket's account, and no need to turn the heating down.
Il Polso
- Households are bracing as a new energy price cap is set to push typical dual-fuel bills toward roughly £1,758 when January arrives.
- Turning the heating down is unappealing, since a cold home carries real risks to health, leaving many people caught between cost and warmth.
- Quick fixes are being pushed as a way out: wiping dust from thermostat sensors, bleeding stubborn radiators and towel rails, and balancing valves so heat is shared evenly.
- The approach is hopeful but unmeasured, with no figures yet showing how much these low-cost checks will actually save before the price rise lands.
As winter deepens and the price of keeping a home warm climbs again in January, a quiet piece of household wisdom is making the rounds: that some of the most useful savings hide in small, unglamorous chores. A home maintenance specialist, Glen Pesket, suggests that dust on a thermostat, trapped air in a radiator, and unbalanced valves can quietly waste energy, and that attending to them takes less effort than most people fear. It is a reminder that comfort and thrift need not be opposites, and that care for the ordinary machinery of daily life can still make a difference when larger pressures feel beyond our control.
The advice begins with something small and easy to overlook: a dusty thermostat. Glen Pesket, a home maintenance specialist at Saxton Blades, argues that dust or furniture blocking a thermostat or boiler sensor can make the system misjudge the room's temperature, heating spaces that do not need it and wasting energy in the process. A gentle clean or a clear space around the sensor may be all it takes.
The timing matters. A new energy price cap arrives in January, expected to lift typical dual-fuel bills to about £1,758 a year, and many households are already stretched. Turning the heating down is not an easy answer when a cold home can threaten health, so Pesket's point is that savings can come from modest checks rather than costly upgrades.
He also points to radiators. Towel rails are often the worst offenders for trapped air, and bleeding them with a small key, listening for the hiss and waiting for a steady drip, can let hot water flow properly again. Balancing the radiators, adjusting valves so no room overheats while another stays cold, takes some patience but spares the boiler unnecessary strain.
The source offers no measured savings, and Pesket's claims are general. What it leaves is a short list of free or nearly free tasks, each one likely to matter a little more once the January rise arrives.
The advice starts with a small, dull job: wiping the dust off a thermostat. According to Glen Pesket, a home maintenance specialist at Saxton Blades, that is one of several quick fixes that could cut the amount of energy a household uses without anyone turning the heating down.
The timing is deliberate. A new energy price cap takes effect in January, and it is expected to push typical yearly bills for dual-fuel homes up to about £1,758. The source describes households across the UK as under more financial pressure than ever this year, with energy among the biggest outgoings. Staying warm still matters, since a cold home raises the risk of illness, so simply lowering the thermostat is not an appealing option for many people.
Pesket's argument is that savings do not have to come from expensive upgrades or a full overhaul of the heating system. In his words, there are several easy adjustments most households can make in under an hour, and together they can reduce energy use significantly. The advice was reported by the Express.
The first is cleaning the thermostat or boiler sensor. Pesket says these devices quickly get dusty or end up blocked behind furniture. Dust and debris can fool the system into misreading a room as colder or hotter than it really is, so it heats a space it should not. A gentle clean, or moving items away from the sensor, is his remedy. Neglecting it, the report says, can cost you money.
The second is bleeding radiators, with particular attention to heated towel rails. Pesket calls towel radiators some of the worst offenders for trapped air and one of the most forgotten sources of inefficiency. Bleeding one takes a small key. You hear a hiss, then a steady drip, and that is usually all it takes to let hot water circulate properly again.
The third is balancing the radiators, which Pesket recommends doing now if it was missed earlier this winter. He says many people do not realise one radiator can overheat while another barely warms. Balancing means adjusting the valves so each room gets an even share of hot water. It involves some trial and error, he says, but it is straightforward and stops the boiler pushing harder than it needs to.
The source gives no figures for how much any of these steps would save, and Pesket's claims are general rather than measured. What it offers is a short list of free or near-free checks, ahead of a January price rise that will make each of them worth a little more attention.
Citazioni salienti
People assume that saving money on energy requires expensive upgrades or full system overhauls, but that's simply not the case.— Glen Pesket, Saxton Blades
Balancing is simply adjusting the valves so each room gets an even share of hot water.— Glen Pesket, Saxton Blades
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su South Wales Echo ↗
Economy & Finance