Tips for the heating your home…

• Regular servicing of your boiler is vital for safety, but significantly a well maintained heating system will be more efficient and cost less to run.

• Older type boilers waste energy; consider replacing yours with a modern condensing boiler, which converts more than 88% of fuel into heat. This could save you 30%, or around £150-£180 on your average annual heating bill.

• Install a timer on your heating system – it is far more cost efficient to have your boiler coming on an off when required rather than having it continuously running.

• Make sure your heating system is equipped with a room thermostat – cutting room temperature by one degree will save 5% annually on your heating bill.

• Have thermostatic radiator valves fitted to all your radiators to control individual room temperatures or switch heat off completely in certain parts of your house.

• Make sure all your heating system’s pipes are properly lagged and insulated so energy is not wasted through heat loss.

• Make sure your hot water cylinder has an insulation jacket.

• Make sure a timer is fitted to your emersion heater’s hot water tank to avoid wasting money by keeping water hot all day.

• Make sure your immersion heater has a thermal safety cut out fitted.

Recommendations from the Gas Safe Register of qualified installers:-

• Have all your gas appliances, including boilers, gas cookers and gas fires, safety checked annually.

• Always use a Gas Safe registered engineer to fit, fix and check gas appliances in your home – it’s the law and will help keep you safe.

• Always ask to see an engineers Gas Safe ID cardand check the back of the card to ensure they are qualified to carry out the specific type of gas work you need.

• Find a Gas Safe registered engineer in your areaor call the free helpline on 0800 408 5500

• Recognise the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning– headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapse and loss of consciousness.

• Check gas appliances for warning signs that they are not working properly e.g. lazy yellow flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks or stains on or around the appliance and too much condensation in the room. Remember that an unsafe appliance sometimes has none of these signs at all.

• Buy an audible carbon monoxide alarm for your home and make sure it is located near to your gas appliances in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidance. Carbon monoxide can leak from appliances and kill.

• Only use gas appliances for their intended purpose e.g. don’t use a gas oven to heat a room or use a gas barbeque inside the house.

• Always ensure there is enough ventilation for your gas appliances to allow them to burn correctly and make sure you are not blocking any air vents that provide an air supply to the gas appliance.

• Anybody working with gas has to be Gas Safe registered by law. You can report someone working without registration or call Gas Safe Register on the free phone number 0800 408 5500.