By Sally McLean

Copyright dailyrecord

As we get further into September, many of us have already noticed the dip in temperatures and are contemplating turning the heating on . But households in the UK are wasting hundreds of pounds each year on energy bills by making some simple mistakes with their home heating. The average energy bill for gas and electricity in the UK is £1720 due to the energy price cap but from October 1 until December 31 that rises by 2 per cent to £1755 for the average household. And one simple mistake which many homeowners are guilty of is adding an extra 10 per cent to their bills every year, say experts. Heating specialist, Ryan Willdig from Heatforce is concerned that many Brits are unaware of how to reduce their monthly heating bills and wants to provide additional education to prevent Brits from wasting both money and energy. He said that the biggest mistake that’s costing people extra cash on their heating bills is overusing the thermostat. Ryan said: “When it’s cold, many of us will boost the thermostat, thinking that it will heat our home faster. “However, this isn’t the case, and while it won’t heat your home any faster, what it will do is waste energy and therefore waste money.” Ryan has highlighted four other ways households are ramping up their annual heating bills. “There has been a lot of misinformation over the years that leaving the heating on low all day is a lot more cost-efficient than just using it when you need it. In reality, it’s far more efficient and cost-effective to only use the heating when required,” Ryan explained. He added: “As well as this, ensuring that radiators are off in any spare rooms is also key, but ensure that the doors for those rooms remain closed so that the heat isn’t going in there, and the cold air isn’t coming out.” Ryan said: “Placing sofas, curtains, or even radiator covers in front of your radiators traps the heat behind them. It’ll force the systems to work that extra bit harder, increasing your bills, straining your boiler and producing heat that isn’t going to go anywhere. “Radiators shouldn’t have anything in front of them, and this includes (cosmetic) radiator covers. They need to be completely bare to ensure the heat can travel around the room properly that you want to heat.” “Nobody likes maintenance, and those annual boiler services do creep around fast, but they wouldn’t be in place if they weren’t essential.” Ryan added: “Skipping your annual boiler service means minor issues could go unnoticed, which could reduce its efficiency. “If you’re due one, then it’s best to get this booked in September to avoid any serious malfunctions in peak winter when you need your heating the most.” Ryan said: “Poorly insulated homes, particularly lofts, walls and windows, allow heat to escape quickly. Simple and cheap fixes – such as draught excluders and radiator reflectors can save money in the long-run. “These won’t take long to put in place; you can dedicate an hour or two on a weekend to ensuring all of your windows and walls have the right insulation in place. A small, but noticeable difference when it comes to both how hot your house will get, but also your monthly bills.”