How to Cut Your Heating Bills — 13 Tips That Actually Work

Many UK households struggle with rising energy bills. 

The global markets and grid infrastructure shape a large part of energy prices.

But you can take immediate, practical steps at home to reduce your heating costs (without losing comfort).

Here are 13 actionable tips to lower your heating bills, followed by government schemes and background context on UK energy costs.

1. Tweak your heating habits

It's a common belief that leaving your heating on low all day is cheaper than switching it on and off. However, many experts say this is a myth. 

Your home loses heat continuously regardless of whether the heating is on or not. 

Keeping the heating running all day just makes your boiler have to work continuously to replace lost heat, which uses more energy overall

It's more efficient to heat your home only when you actually need it, using a timer or thermostat schedule rather than a constant low setting.

2. Turn down and upgrade your thermostat

Turning down your thermostat setting by just 1°C can cut your heating bill by up to £75 a year.

Old mechanical thermostats can suffer a 3–5°C delay before switching your boiler on. This lag forces your boiler to work much harder to recover room temperature. 

Upgrading to a modern smart thermostat improves accuracy and gives you precise schedule control.

3. Lower your boiler flow temperature

Most combi boilers leave the factory set to an 80°C flow temperature. 

Turning this down to 55–60°C allows a condensing boiler to operate in its efficient condensing mode. 

This simple adjustment reduces gas use by up to 10% with no loss of comfort.

Look at your boiler dial or digital installer menu for the radiator temperature setting. Turn the radiator flow temperature down to 55–60°C. 

And you can ask a Gas Safe engineer or plumber to check the right setting for your property, especially if you have underfloor heating or a well-insulated home.

4. Use TRVs and heat specific rooms

Heating unused rooms wastes energy. Install thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) to manage heat room-by-room rather than switching off the whole system.

Warning: Turning off all radiators whilst leaving your boiler running does not save money and can cause damp. 

5. Bleed or flush your radiators

Cold spots on a radiator usually mean hot water isn't circulating properly. This means your boiler has to run longer than it needs to.

The fix for this depends on where the cold spot is.

Cold at the top, warm at the bottom 

This usually means trapped air. Use a radiator key to bleed the valve until water appears, then retighten it.

Cold at the bottom, warm at the top 

This happens when sludge has built up inside the radiator. For milder buildup, a chemical flush (adding a cleaning solution to circulate through the system) may be enough.

But for more severe blockages, book a professional power flush to clear the system out completely.

Warning Both of these tasks (especially power flushes) should be carried out by a professional.

6. Adjust your hot water habits and insulate your cylinder

Managing hot water efficiently lowers gas and electricity bills. Three main levers help bring hot water costs down:

• Reducing your shower time by two minutes
• Setting your hot water cylinder thermostat to 60°C. This is high enough to prevent bacteria growth, but low enough to avoid wasting energy
• Fitting a hot water cylinder jacket to retain heat on conventional boiler systems.

For combi boiler users, lowering your flow temperature (as outlined in tip 3) delivers equivalent hot water efficiency gains.

7. Draught-proof your home

Stopping draughts is a fast, low-cost way to retain heat.

For windows, fit draught-proofing strips and close thick curtains at sunset. Double glazing is also very effective.

For doors, use bottom draught excluders (or old towels or clothes) and keep internal doors closed.

If you have an unused fireplace, block the chimney with an inflatable pillow. Fill floorboard gaps with silicone filler.

8. Unplug appliances not in use

Appliances drain electricity whilst sitting on standby. Common culprits include:

• Laptops
• Computer chargers
• Televisions
• Set-top boxes
• Games consoles
• Kettles. 

Switch these devices off at the wall or unplug them to avoid paying for standby electricity.

Further reading: How to Clean Kitchen Appliances (& the Mistakes That Could Be Making Things Worse).

9. Install loft and cavity wall insulation

Around 25% of a home's heat escapes through an uninsulated roof. 

Installing 270mm of mineral wool loft insulation can save between £200 and £380 every year according to Energy Saving Trust figures.

Insulating cavity walls prevents further heat loss through your home's outer walls and structure (often called your building’s envelope by professionals).

Focusing on insulation and draught-proofing first (a fabric-first approach) protects your home's efficiency before you consider larger heating equipment upgrades.

10. Install solar and battery storage

Solar panels generate free electricity during daylight hours.

Paired with a home battery, you can store surplus energy generated during the day and use it during the evening peak (when grid electricity is most expensive). 

And pairing solar with a dynamic tariff lets you go further: charge your battery from the grid overnight at rates as low as a few pence per kWh, then discharge it during peak hours. 

A typical 4kWp solar system with a 10kWh battery can cover a large proportion of a home's annual electricity needs.

11. Install heat pumps

There are two main kinds of heat pumps: 

• Air source: These extract heat from outside air. They are relatively flexible to install as they can be mounted on walls or floors outside.
• Ground source: These extract heat from ground soil. They are more expensive to buy and install, and require more space, but they perform more consistently when temperatures drop significantly.

Heat pumps are three to four times more efficient than gas boilers for every unit of electricity used.

The main barrier is upfront cost. Heat pumps work best in well-insulated homes and at lower flow temperatures. 

So, completing the 'fabric-first' steps in this guide (insulation, draught-proofing) before installing one, maximises the return.

Active government schemes. You could qualify for funded insulation and heating upgrades through active UK government schemes:

• The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS): This currently offers a £7,500 grant towards air source heat pump installation. This amount significantly reduces the financial pressure from upfront costs for most households. 
• ECO4: Provides insulation and heating upgrades for low-income households.
• Great British Insulation Scheme: Offers funded loft and cavity wall insulation for eligible properties. Check eligibility at gov.uk/apply-great-british-insulation-scheme.
• Warm Homes Discount: Gives eligible households an annual £150 rebate on winter electricity bills.

12. Boiler maintenance

Simple boiler maintenance tasks for your boiler can go a long way. For example: 

• Monthly pressure checks. Keeping boiler pressure between 1 and 1.5 bar
• Leaving adequate space around the unit for ventilation
• Listening out for unusual boiler noises.

Keeping up-to-date on these details helps you spot problems early, which both reduces the chances of inefficiency and damage.

Further reading: What Should My Boiler Pressure Be? How to Fix Low and High Pressure Yourself

13. Get boiler cover and an annual service

Booking a boiler service once a year is one of the most effective ways to lower or keep low household energy bills. 

Typically costing around £100 (or included with monthly boiler cover plans), a 40-to-60-minute boiler inspection acts like an MOT for your heating system. 

An engineer will adjust system pressure, analyse flue gases, and catch minor issues before they transform into emergency breakdowns. 

Regular servicing also keeps manufacturer warranties valid and protects your household from dangerous gas or carbon monoxide leaks. 

Why are UK energy bills so high?

The marginal pricing trap

The UK electricity market uses a marginal pricing system. 

Under this model, the most expensive power source needed to meet national demand sets the wholesale price for all electricity generated on the grid. 

In the UK, that marginal source is usually gas-fired power generation fueled by imported Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). High shipping and processing costs for LNG keep overall wholesale electricity prices high.

Declining domestic production

North Sea domestic gas production has declined over time. And as domestic supply drops, the UK buys more expensive LNG on the global spot market, which maintains high baseline prices.

A lack of gas storage

The UK has very limited gas storage capacity compared to mainland Europe. 

Because we can’t stockpile enough gas during summer months, domestic energy suppliers buy gas at volatile winter spot market rates.

Twin global energy shocks

Geopolitical events, including global energy market disruptions in 2022 and 2026, reduced international oil and gas supplies. 

These events accelerated price volatility across European markets.

Grid congestion and balancing costs

Balancing and upgrading the UK power grid costs around £8 billion annually. 

Rapid renewable expansion has outpaced grid expansion, leading to grid congestion costs and connection backlogs that pass through to consumer bills.

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