Table Of Contents
Cheapest Way To Heat Your Home
There’s always so much advice on the internet about heating your home efficiently and cost-effectively. Should you use your heater only when necessary or should you leave it on low all day? Some will ask you to paint your radiators black if it isn’t already black, and you might be wondering if this really has a role to play or if it’s better than investing in insulation. You’ll find answers to all these below, and you’ll get to know the cheapest way to heat your home when you’re done here, so read on.
Whether you want to get a new heating system for the first time or looking for cost-effective ways to heat your home, you’ll find this guide useful. Predicting the cost of heating a home is not always easy. However, the overall cost you’ll spend on heating depends on your heating requirement and your country.
In this article, you’ll also find the different affordable ways to use central heating in your home and other alternative heating systems that you can use.
How To Efficiently Use Central Heating
Most people prefer using a central heating system rather than space heaters to keep warm in winter. We all like to hear the click of the thermostat on a chilly day, and nothing beats the constant availability of hot water in our homes during colder months.
The only problem is that using central heating is not always an efficient method. This is because there is a loss of energy to heat transfer during each stage of the heating process. It may be a loss of energy from the radiator to the air or even from hot water to the radiator.
To use central heating effectively, you’ll need to program the heating system such that it operates only when required. This implies that you’ll need to set the thermostat and heating timer to keep your home warm only when desired.
Investing in different thermostats for different rooms could also come in handy, and with this, you can keep each room warm only when you are using the space. Doing this will help you save a lot, especially when using central heating.
Here are three things you may want to consider if you’re going to heat your home more cost-effectively and efficiently:
Thermostat Settings
Most people think that leaving their thermostat at a higher setting will make the heating process faster, but that’s not always the case. The thermostat’s function is to access the temperature in a room, and whenever the desired temperature is reached, the thermostat will be triggered.
Boiler Settings
The boiler is responsible for controlling temperature in most traditional heating systems. It determines the temperature at which water is to be heated, and you can use it to set your desired temperature. The ideal temperature setting for hot water is usually around 60 degrees.
Radiator Valves
Thermostatic radiator valves will give you better control. With this valve, you can adjust the temperature of each radiator to ensure that they are the desired and appropriate temperature for the rooms in your home. With this, you can ensure that heat is not delivered to places in your home where it is not needed.
You may want to think that you can lower your heating cost by turning off the heating system more often. However, a school of thought believes that you’ll use more energy trying to heat up from a cold start, and this will only cost you more. With that said, you might be wondering about the cheapest way to use central heating.
Heating A House From A Cold Start
Your heating system will consume energy every time you try to keep your home warm when it’s cold. Also, maintaining a constant temperature in your home all day can take more energy.
People often recommend leaving a heating system on all the time. Still, this idea has been flawed severally, and this is mainly because heat loss even when the heating system is on is not usually accounted for. Heat is always lost when heating is on, no matter how insulated the home is.
Here are a few points to always remember:
- More heat is lost when it’s colder outside. During cooler months, especially when outside is colder, you’ll lose more heat when the heating system is on.
- With that, more heat will be lost when your heating system is on for a more extended period. Your heating system will power up at regular intervals to make up for the lost heat and ensure that your home stays warm.
For a house that is not adequately insulated, the loss of heat is even more significant, and as such, you’ll be using more energy trying to maintain a constant temperature in your home, which can be expensive.
Here’s an estimate of how heat is lost in a home that is not correctly insulated:
- 11% through the floor and doors
- 18% through the windows
- 26% through the roof
- 33% through the walls
Most Commonly Used Fuel Options In Homes
To heat your home inexpensively, you have the option of using no heater or an energy-efficient heater. Below are some heater options:
Oil
Both forced-air ducts and hot water heaters (oil boilers) have been on the market for a very long time now, but the recent versions of these devices are far more cost-effective compared to the earlier ones.
People with this type of heating system enjoyed up to 70% efficiency in the past. Fortunately, the newer models in the market today have important designs, which increases their efficiency to over 80%. To get the best out of the modern-day oil boilers, you’ll need to upgrade your chimney with a stainless-steel liner.
It is worth mentioning that there are cheaper ways, and one of these is by utilising a flame-retention head to replace the burner. Oil prices are not usually fixed, and it often varies, depending on location and season. Also, the prices are projected to go higher in the coming years.
Natural Gas and Propane
This used to be an alternative for people who weren’t comfortable with oil but still wanted to enjoy the benefit of heat generated from petroleum. Also, natural gas and propane always produced cleaner flames compared to oil. They never have the burnt oil smell that is usually associated with heating oil.
Another thing to note is that the energy content of natural gas and propane is lower than that of oil. Also, even though propane is cheaper than natural gas, natural gas is widely used compared to propane.
Availability is an essential factor that is considered when it comes to choosing gas. Gas is usually readily available in urban areas compared to rural settlements because it is often delivered through piping, and the demand for it is higher in cities. On the other hand, propane is compressed in delivery cans and delivered to different places.
One fascinating thing about natural gas and propane heating is that they usually come with a fireplace to keep you comfortable and warm like conventional fireplaces. Also, with this type of heating, you won’t need so much maintenance compared to if you were using a wood-burning furnace.
Electricity
This is another fuel option that most people opt for when heating their homes. Even though electricity is widely used for many purposes today, one of its major selling points is its efficiency when used for heating. This is because most of the energy produced by electricity can be converted to heat.
This might sound really amazing, and you might want to quickly start converting the electricity in your home to heat energy. However, before doing this, you might want to consider that the heating cost is high, and it may not be a better alternative for you.
Wood
This is among the earliest fuels used in heating homes. It used to be the only fuel before different discoveries and advancements were made. Wood is still the only option for most people in rural places, and this is due to their proximity to the forest.
Today, modern wood fireplaces and burning stoves operate with better efficiency than their older counterparts. Also, they are usually perfect for smaller homes. Therefore, if you have a larger building, you might want to consider a gas or electric heater.
Cheap And Efficient Home Heating Options
Here are some of the cheap and efficient home heating options that you might want to consider for your home:
Air Source Heat Pumps
This is a perfect alternative to boilers. They operate by absorbing the heat in the air and using it to heat your home and ensure hot water availability. If you want to consider this for your home, you need to have in mind that they usually require an upfront cost. However, the benefits of this heating system make it worth the money.
Air source heat pumps are powered by air, which is a renewable source of energy, compared to fossil fuels. It is also an environmentally and cost-effective choice, which makes it easy for you to save money on bills.
Storage Heaters
If you already have an old model storage heater, you might want to think it is not an efficient option. However, newer models are better, and they’ve been improved to operate more efficiently to save energy and lower your bills.
A storage heater heats your home, usually using electricity, and as such, you can charge them overnight and use them during the day. With this, you can easily save money on electricity.
Hybrid Heat Pumps
This type of pump combines the air source heat pump with a boiler, and the pump automatically switches between the two to improve energy efficiency. The design also makes it environmentally friendly, and if you’re looking for the cheapest way to heat your home, you might want to consider hybrid heat pumps.
Ground Source Heat Pumps
This is also an excellent alternative to conventional boilers. It shares a lot of similarities with air source heat pumps. The ground source heat pumps generate heat from the surroundings, particularly through pipes that are buried in the ground. A mixture of antifreeze and water is circulated through these pipes.
This is to absorb heat from the ground and pass it through the heat exchanger within the pump. It is worth noting that ground source heat pumps also require an upfront cost, but the reward of getting this type of heating system is that you can save on energy bills.
Solar Thermal Panels
Solar panels are now widely used in different ways, including generating heat. One fantastic thing about this type of heating option is that heat from the sun is free, and with this, you can have hot water in your home regularly.
Solar thermal panels are also more energy-efficient than conventional solar panels. Another thing to note is that no transformation process is required to convert energy from the sun into electricity.
Frequently Asked Questions
People are often confused when it comes to finding the cheapest way to heat homes, especially during winter. Here are answers to some of the frequently asked questions to guide you further:
Should I Leave My Heater On Even When I’m Away?
Whenever you plan to travel, or if you will be away for a while, and you’re wondering whether you should leave your heater on, you might want to consider the fact that frozen pipes can cause damage. With that said, it is best to always leave your heating on to some degree.
It is also essential to check your insurance policy before you leave. In most cases, it is recommended that the heating be left to a minimum of 12 degrees. You can also get a smart thermostat to make it a lot easier for you. With this, you can control your heating from your phone, even when you’re not at home.
Should I Keep Doors Open or Closed When My Heater is On?
It’s best to keep doors closed whenever your heating system is on. This is because heating systems usually operate by creating a convection current within rooms, implying that the hot air created is circulated through different parts of the room and back to the heating system.
It is worth mentioning that convection heaters, electric panels, and radiators all operate with this mechanism. With that said, leaving the door open will only cause disturbances, making it difficult to maintain a constant temperature in your room. Therefore, if you want your room to stay cosy whenever the heating is on, you’ll need to keep the doors closed.
Which is Better for Controlling Heating – Radiator Valves or Thermostat?
Thermostats are designed to control larger areas in homes, while radiator valves are only designed to control the heat within the radiators they are connected to.
Here’s what to consider if you’re trying to decide whether to use a thermostat or a radiator valve:
- You’ll enjoy more benefits if you use a radiator valve with a thermostat in your entire home. With this, you can set the thermostat to your desired temperature and make further adjustments for each room in your home through the radiators.
- If you have multiple thermostats in your home, you won’t need radiator valves. With different thermostats, you can adjust the temperature in other rooms in your home and won’t need radiator valves.
How Can I Insulate My Home?
Insulating your home will help you prevent heat loss, and here are some ways to achieve this with ease:
- Use multiple glazing in your home. This is a good way to insulate your home and prevent heat loss. It will also help you reduce condensation and noise.
- Cavity wall insulation is a cheap way to prevent heat loss in your home.
- Filling the gaps between floorboards and skirting boards is also a great way to insulate your home.
- Prevent the loss of heat through your letterbox by getting an eco-flap.
- Use draught excluders in your windows and doors. You can either buy them or make one by using easy-to-follow guides.
Do You Need Professional Assistance?
The cheapest ways to heat a home depend on different factors and individual preferences. Fuel costs, lifespan, installation, and maintenance are the main factors that influence the overall cost of a heating system. The environmental effect of the heating system is also a factor to consider.
In addition to all these, it is worth noting that the heating method also has a role to play. The efficiency as well as the cost of heating methods and the fuel used varies. Therefore, you’ll need to align all these factors when making a decision.
As such, insulating your home is important because it will help you minimise heat loss from different parts of your home. The main parts of insulating include doors, windows, and walls. Doing this will also help in reducing your bills. However, unless you’re skilled at installing heating systems, it is best to contact a professional to help.
