This summer has seen extreme heats of up to 40C across the nation but now households are being told to put their heating on.
It comes as the cost of living crisis is expected to spiral even further in the autumn - and the energy bill price cap is now expected to rise to over £4,000. But switching your boiler on now could help to prevent you from forking out thousands in the colder months, reported Edinburgh Live.
Specialists at Boiler Central warn that leaving a boiler off for months at a time could leave you with hefty repair bills in months to come as shutting off your boiler may result in it seizing up and stopping hot water. So switching it on now, in summer, could help save money to prevent it breaking further down the line.
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A spokesperson from Boiler Central said: “Most homeowners believe turning their boiler off as soon as summertime hits should be a given, but this is far from the case. Turning your boiler off for long periods can cause more harm than good, which is why it is important to turn your heating on now and again.
"This will protect the internal workings of older and modern boiler and prevent them from seizing up. If you turn your boiler off at the beginning of May and don’t turn the central heating on again until the months of autumn, you may have trouble bringing your boiler completely back to life.
"This will affect appliances such as your central heating, hot water for your mains shower, and some washing machines that can take hot water from the boiler. In the worst-case scenario, parts may need to be replaced, which will cost both time and money – especially if you need to hire a central heating specialist for the job.”
Should I turn my boiler off during summer?
Once the weather begins to heat up, there is not anything wrong with shutting off your boiler in order to save money. However, you should not keep it off for sustained periods of time.
To maximise savings, you should turn it on once every few weeks for around an hour. This will make it less likely to develop a fault that will require costly repairs by the time autumn comes around.
If you need your boiler for water, combi boilers can be left on over the summer and do not use any gas unless you need some hot water. In order to make sure you are saving money and energy, you should set it to provide hot water when your household is most likely to need it — or turn it on an hour before you expect to need it.
Does your boiler have a ‘summer mode’ to help save you money?
You should check if your boiler has a 'summer mode' and a 'winter mode'. These are usually found on combi boilers.
The summer mode limits fuel wastage by only heating water a few times throughout the day rather than shutting completely off. This can help to keep the cost of your energy bills down and help to reduce your carbon footprint.
Should I get my boiler serviced in summer?
Just like vehicles, boilers need regular maintenance. This is particularly true if your boiler is old and you rely on it for hot water.
If you leave your boiler on the side lines for over the summer, you risk ruining the pipes through corrosion and lack of use. Therefore, you should have it serviced during the summer months — ideally between July and September.
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