New Thermo-profiling splits homeowners into six different types by their relationship with their central heating.
New research from Gocompare.com Energy reveals that Britain is a nation of “Thermostat Tinkerers” – constantly tweaking the thermostat to get the heating just right. However, 3% of homeowners admit to being “Tropical Hotties” with the temperature cranked up to 25 ºC, whatever the weather. The findings come from a study commissioned by Gocompare.com Energy, which asked over 1,283 homeowners about their approach to managing their central heating.*
A fifth of those surveyed see themselves as a ‘Thermostat Tinkerer’ – constantly tweaking the thermostat to get the heating right; 11% were ‘Sticklers’ for keeping the central heating set at 20oC, whatever the weather, while 13% consider themselves to be ‘Sabotage Experts’ – always secretly trying to adjust the heating. A small number (6%) of homeowners confessed to being central heating ‘Control Freaks’ – not allowing anyone else in their household to touch the thermostat.
When it came to temperature, some like it hot with 3% describing themselves as ‘Tropical Hotties’ keeping their home at 25oC (77F) whatever the weather. Others (12%) preferred to think of themselves as hot-blooded ‘Artic Adventurers’ who didn’t feel the cold at all.
According to the research, this winter the average household thermostat will be set at 20.6oC (69F), while quarter of homeowners will heat their homes to 22oC (71.6F) or above.
27% of homeowners say they adjust the thermostat throughout the day to how they feel most comfortable, while a little over a fifth (22%) tend to leave the heating at the same setting all through the winter. 23% have it switched on for set hours each day and then don’t change them, while 5% said they have their heating on 24/7 once it’s on. Just under a fifth (19%) turn the heating-up if they have guests visiting.
Ben Wilson spokesperson for Gocompare.com Energy said “While we’ve had a bit of fun looking at different ‘thermo-profiles’ depending on how people use their thermostats – the high cost of winter energy bills, especially for those on a tight budget, can be no laughing matter. There are a number of simple, practical steps you can take to help keep your home warm without getting burnt by a big winter heating bill.”
According to the Energy Saving Trust, ideally you should heat your home to the lowest comfortable temperature – typically between 18oC and 21oC. Turning your room thermostat down by one degree can give a potential saving of £80 to £85 a year. Thermostatic radiator valves let you control different temperatures in different rooms. So, for example, you may wish to heat living rooms warmer than bedrooms. Rather than keeping your heating on constantly, set it to come on just before you get up and switch off after you’ve gone to bed. If it’s very cold, rather than turning-up the thermostat, set the heating to come on a bit earlier and turn off later. Insulating and draught-proofing your will also help you to keep your home warm efficiently.”
What many of these homeowners don’t know is that the average home loses around 4% of household heat through an open chimney – this can be stopped by installing a Chimney Draught Excluder from Chimney Balloon. The payback on a Chimney Balloon® is around 6 months, compared to 142 years for Double Glazing! The benefits of a Chimney Balloon are:
It prevents warm air from your central heating from escaping up the chimney
It prevents cold air being pulled in from around doors and windows to replace the escaped warm air, noticeably reducing cold draughts
It stops dirt and debris from falling down the chimney
It prevents wildlife from finding its way down the chimney
It prevents hot air from coming down the chimney during the summer months
It prevents bad smells from wafting down the chimney.
It blocks out noise