Four in five households turned down their heating last winter because of energy costs - and now is not the time to stop being smart about cutting your bill with prices set to rise
London, 26.10.2023 - Homeowners have been warned they still face rising energy prices after last year's spikes and need to redouble their efforts this winter to keep heating bills down while not compromising on comfort.
Four out of every five tado° customers turned down their thermostats last winter, backing up findings by the UK’s watchdog Ofgem that showed households cut both their gas and electricity consumption because of energy bills specifically and the cost-of-living crisis generally [1].
The UK's energy price cap fell at the start of October[2] but forecasters are predicting yet another rise of 3.5 per cent in January[3], making the annual bill almost £1,900 for a typical dual fuel household and meaning the strain on family budgets is far from over.
Volatile energy prices mean smart heating solutions such as tado°’s Smart Thermostats and Smart Radiator Thermostats give households the ability to make savings of almost a quarter on average.
Christian Deilmann, tado°’s Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder, said: “Last year’s price shocks really focussed people’s minds about their household bills and tado° customers told us that was the main reason they were more careful about managing their energy usage.
“There is now a danger this winter that people will be complacent but energy prices actually remain very high. It is never too late to make your house energy smart and start saving money. tado°s smart thermostats pay for themselves within months.
“Your tado° thermostat is a crucial tool to measure and help control your energy costs, meaning you no longer have to guess about how much you have used or wait for your monthly bill with a sense of dread.”
Data gathered by tado° showed that 80 per cent of homes in the UK turned their thermostats down last winter, and Ofgem expects both gas and electricity consumption will continue to fall in the UK because of increased energy costs and the wider cost-of-living crisis[1].
tado° customers save on average 22 per cent on their heating costs - equating to an estimated £177[4] for a typical home at current prices - through features such as geofencing, which automatically turns off the heating when nobody is home. Other smart features include Open Window Detection, Weather Adaptation and Smart Schedules, meaning that energy usage in the home is never wasted.
tado°’s Smart Thermostats can be installed by anyone at home, guided by a step-by-step online manual in less than 30 minutes. With wired and wireless options, smart thermostats can be installed in over 95% of homes across Europe. Any radiator with an existing thermostatic radiator valve can be upgraded to a smart energy saving radiator by simply screwing in a new Smart Radiator Thermostat from tado°.
tado°’s top tips to save on heating costs this winter
Choose the right temperature: The room temperature should be kept at an appropriate level in the different living areas. The recommended temperatures are 18 to 21 degrees C in living rooms and bedrooms and around 22 degrees in bathrooms. Temperatures can be lowered at night or when no one is home.
Programmable thermostats: Investing in programmable thermostats is worth it. They automatically regulate the heating according to a set schedule. Our personal recommendation are the tado° thermostats.
Window sealing: To avoid energy losses, the sealing of doors and windows should be checked for gaps and then repaired if necessary.
Thermal insulation: When the roof, walls and windows are well insulated, heat loss is minimised. The heat cannot escape to the outside and cold air cannot penetrate.
Proper ventilation: It is advisable to ventilate the rooms regularly but briefly and efficiently. Shock ventilation, i.e. opening the windows wide for a few minutes, is better than windows left permanently open.
Close doors: Not all rooms in a home are heated equally. Therefore, to save on heating costs, it makes sense to close the doors otherwise the cold air from the cooler rooms drags down the temperature in the warmer ones.
Bleed radiators regularly: Air in the radiators can hinder heat transfer.
Do not cover radiators: There should be no furniture or curtains in front of the radiators as these hinder the heat emission.
Use solar energy the smart way: During the day, when the sun is shining, it is worth opening the curtains to passively use solar heat. To retain warmth, the curtains should be kept closed at night.
Citations
[1] Ofgem report: Decision for Typical Domestic Consumption Values 2023
[2] The UK price cap between October 1 and December 31 was set at £1,834 a year for a typical household that uses gas and electricity and pays by Direct Debit, based on Ofgem’s new Typical Domestic Consumption Values. Those values recorded a drop in annual consumption of gas from 12,000kWh to 11,500kWh. The price cap, if based on the previous consumption level, would be £1,923
[4] This is based on Ofgem's new typical consumption at 11,500kWh for an average UK home and the October price cap price of 7p per kWH. It doesn't take into account the standing charge. tado° average customer saves 22% on heating costs is based on data from 400,000 users between 2013 and 2022.
Contact Info
Please contact us at press@tado.com if you have any questions.