Martin Lewis MSE shares common radiator mistake | Personal Finance | Finance

As winter solidifies its icy grip on the UK like a vice, scores of households are struggling with heating in their homes, coupled with skyrocketing energy costs. 

Amidst this harsh weather, Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert has revealed a common radiator mistake we’re all guilty of making — and it could be costing you heavily.

One cardinal sin during the heating season is keeping your radiators on high temperatures in rooms you’re not using. This seemingly harmless error could be adding to your already sky-high energy bills, and who wants that?

According to MSE, it’s imperative to make sure you control which rooms you’re heating, so you’re not wasting your hard-earned money on heating rooms that are empty. The money saving expert’s advice is straightforward: “You can simply go round the house and turn down the radiators in the rooms you don’t want to heat.”

In fact, Smart Energy GB says households could be saving around £40 annually if they just turn their radiator valves down to the midway point in rooms that are not in use.

While the solution is simple, it’s also important to be aware that in some homes, colder rooms could result in more condensation, which in turn can increase the risk of mould in households. Also something to note is that freezers and fridges are generally unable to function at their optimal capacity if the room temperature falls too low, usually below 10C.

MSE reminds us that thermostatic radiator valves are an added control feature which can be used to set the individual temperature in each room — this is separate from your main thermostat. 

How this works is that the individual thermostatic radiator valves will stop water from flowing through that particular radiator once the temperature set on the valve has been achieved, essentially cutting the radiator off. So while the main boiler will still be on to heat your home’s other rooms, it will use less energy, therefore costing you less.

While installing these individual thermostatic radiator valves (if your home doesn’t already come equipped with them) may incur you an initial cost — roughly  £10 for purchase plus separate installation costs — it’s beneficial and cost-saving in the long run, since it will allow you to control the temperature in your home room by room, and act which in itself could save households £40 a year in energy bills.

According to MSE: “Most thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) have a frost prevention setting – usually a snowflake symbol. So when the valve is fully turned off, it’ll still let a small amount of hot water through to prevent pipes from freezing. If your radiators don’t have TRVs, be careful not to turn them off completely, as this could result in burst pipes in very cold weather.”

There’s also a common radiator myth that says painting your radiators black can help them heat rooms more efficiently, however according to the Energy Saving Trust, that’s a waste of time, money, and paint.

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