The largest county in the UK likes its homes cooler

People living in Yorkshire are more likely to have their thermostats turned down lower than anyone else in the UK. People living in London, on the other hand, are more likely to have their heating cranked up to maximum. That’s the findings of a national heating services company. The survey finds that residents of the White Rose County not only keep their heating down at the lowest settings in England, but are most likely to turn it off when they leave the house.

Warm.co.uk says this is probably because of a common sense of urgency to save money. “If there are two things Yorkshire people are known for across Britain, it’s their common sense and also their no-nonsense ability to put up with tougher times,” says Warm.co.uk spokesperson Johnathan Ratcliffe.

“It’s no wonder then that we turn our boilers down low. It is probably because we’re used to it!” he says.

What temperature is your thermostat at?

Warm.co.uk asked people all over the country what temperature they set their thermostat. They found that while the average answer was 20 degrees Celsius (that’s 68 degrees in the old money), there were significant differences from county to county.

Counties with the coldest average thermostat settings:

• Yorkshire – 18.8
• Lancashire – 19.0
• Lincolnshire – 19.0
• Shropshire – 19.1
• Cornwall – 19.2

Counties with the highest average thermostat settings

• London – 22.3
• Sussex – 22.0
• Devon – 21.9
• Hampshire – 21.8
• Surrey – 21.7

“What we’re seeing here is quite extraordinary,” says Ratcliffe. “Except Cornwall, people who live with lower temperatures are also quite happy to keep their homes cooler. “Whether it’s to save money, or they’re just used to it is a difficult question to unravel, but we’re pretty sure it’s a bit of both.” Warm.co.uk also asked people if they switched off their heating at the controls when they went out for the day. The results also showed a clear north-south divide:

• Yorkshire – 67%
• Cumbria – 64%
• Norfolk – 62%
• Lancashire – 59%
• Derbyshire – 59%
• Berkshire – 21%
• Surrey – 21%
• London – 16%

“We’re convinced this illustrates the traditional north-south divide in a whole new way,” says Ratcliffe. “There’s a common-sense attitude among Yorkshire folk about not wasting money on things that aren’t needed. Consequently, that’s why the boiler goes off the moment the house is empty. “On the other hand, Londoners love their convenience, and that means warmer homes as well as a hands-free attitude to their heating bills. So each to their own”

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Call for specific classes in all schools to cover domestic heating

Parent will likely tell you they hear very similar complaints at home about domestic heating. Commonly; “Who turned the thermostat up again?” and “Who left the door open when the heating is going full pelt?”. The observation “I’m not made of money” is also likely.

It’s because of these almost universal parental observations that schools need to spend time teaching children about saving energy and domestic heating as part of their curriculum.

Yorkshire-based Warm.co.uk say that in an age of rising energy prices and diminishing energy security, it’s time that young people are taught that gas and electricity are not finite resources and that heating has become a hot topic.

“We’ve become used to warm comfortable homes rather than teaching young people that heating is one of many things that shouldn’t be taken for granted,” says Warm.co.uk spokesperson Jonathan Ratcliffe.

Teaching the energy leaders of the future

Schools already teach ecology and green living as part of the curriculums. Unfortunately, these are often along broad themes that don’t cover all pressing topics.

“It’s great, for example, that young people are seen as thought leaders in recycling rubbish, and we need to harness that enthusiasm for other green issues,” says Ratcliffe.

It’s well known that for every degree you turn down your thermostat, you save five per cent on your energy bill. But – like anything- it’s much more complicated than that.

“Energy classes in schools shouldn’t be just about the cost,” says Ratcliffe. “The trouble is that because parents are footing the bill, the money becomes an abstract concept to kids.”

Focus in classes should instead be on domestic heating and energy:

Efficiency
Insulation
The sources of our heating energy
Domestic heating and its contribution to global warming
Investing in greener energy
How young people can take positive steps at home and in the wider world

There are several important lessons for kids to learn. Why not explore the reasons behind energy use and why preserving energy is important?

Unique teaching techniques?

The teaching could come from unusual angles, Ratcliffe says.

“We live in an increasingly sedentary society, and people come home from work or school and just sit down and do nothing,” he explains. “When you’re not moving, you’re going to need the heating up higher as a result.”

“Why not – and this might blow your mind – get up and do something. Go for a walk. Take some exercise. Therefore, you won’t need the heating up full pelt.”

Warm.co.uk’s Jonathan Ratcliffe says that this isn’t a demand to shoe-horn lessons into an already crowded school curriculum.

“This is important in addition to current citizenship teaching so young people can arm themselves for the years ahead, where our energy security becomes more fragile,” he says.

“Yes, they’ll be saving Bank of Mum and Dad a small fortune by turning the heating down, but they’ll also be learning important life lessons for when they themselves become adults.”

Thrifty cyclists turn their heating off first – survey finds

Hot blooded cyclists have been found to be top of the list of thrifty home owners most likely to turn down their heating at home and make their families suffer in the cold.

That’s the finding of Warm.co.uk. Our survey has linked people’s hobbies as well as interests to whether they like the heating up high in their houses.  It also looked at whether they turn the thermostat right down in an attempt to save money.

According to Warm.co.uk, who surveyed 2,733 customers, cyclists have the highest tolerance to low temperatures in their homes.

“It seems people with indoor hobbies with toasty warm places to workout also like warm houses,” says Warm.co.uk spokesperson Jonathan Ratcliffe. “That’s what the survey is suggesting.”

What are your interests?

According to Warm.co.uk, the people with interests most likely to have their domestic thermostats dialled down to a lower temperature are:

• Cyclists
• Triathletes
• Fishermen
• Runners
• Swimmers
• Ramblers
• Athletes

“You’ll notice that most of these hobbies are largely based out-of-doors,” says Ratcliffe. “They’ve become so attuned to colder temperatures that they don’t want to come home to a house that is – to them – boiling hot.

“But I expect their families think differently.”

People with hobbies most likely to have their heating up high at the end of a busy day are largely those who are either indoors or in an enclosed space:

• Gym and weight training
• Tennis
• Volleyball
• Golf
• Boxing

“Golfers tend to buck the trend when it comes to heating,” says Ratcliffe. ” it turns out they love nothing more that roasting their bones when they get home from a round with the heating turned up as far as it goes.

“And who can blame them – maybe too much time in the rough.”

The family decides

However, while these findings show a split on who prefers a warm house to a colder one, it doesn’t take one important factor into account – their families.

As the wife of a keen cyclist told Warm.co.uk: “He comes home after a ride, says ‘It’s a bit warm in here’, and turns the thermostat right down until you can see the steam coming off our breath. I wait until he goes for a shower, and turn it back up again.”

“The fight for the thermostat is a battle as old as time,” says Ratcliffe.

“Even Neolithic Man coming home from a long day’s mammoth-hunting probably got into an argument over the number of logs on the cave fire, I should think.

“And it’s not going to stop now.”

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Families left to shiver in the cold when dad goes out – new survey finds.

Men are more likely to turn the heating off, whether with heating apps or the thermostat, when they leave the house – even when there are other family members still inside.

While forecasters bang on about the cold weather, the news means nothing to blokes up and down the country who turn down the thermostat as they leave in the morning as they “won’t be getting the benefit”.

According to national heating maintenance company Warm.co.uk, it’s a mixture of trying to keep household bills down, and the faulty logic that they’re not in the house to benefit from the lovely, toasty heat.

“Not only are chaps hitting the ‘off’ button on the thermostat as they walk out of the door, but they’re now using smartphone apps to control the heating while they’re out,” says Warm.co.uk spokesperson Jonathan Ratcliffe. “And that’s taken the battle to a whole new level.”

Control the thermostat from anywhere with heating apps

Warm.co.uk spoke to dozens of UK householders, and uncovered this years-long conflict, which has now extended into the digital world with the advent of home heating apps such as Nest and Hive.

Asking the simple question “Do you turn the heating off when you leave the house, even if the family are still there?” Warm.co.uk found:

• Men saying they do – 67%
• Women saying they do – 23%

And these answers reveal the silent conflict going on between families.

• Barry, Basingstoke: “Off course I do. I’m not at home to feel the benefit, and it’s a waste of gas. It only takes half an hour on high to bump it up again in the evening.”

• But what Barry doesn’t know is that his wife Sarah doesn’t think much of his antics: “I get back from the school run and the place is like an ice box because Barry’s done it again. If I’m home all day, I’ll have the heating at a sensible level, then turn it off an hour before he gets in.”

• Tom, York: “The heat goes off in the morning. No-one’s getting the benefit, and I’m not throwing money away warming an empty space. Family think I’m mad, though.”

• Tom’s daughter, aged 15, says: “We’re not allowed to have the heating on until dad gets home. I’m doing my homework in coat, hat and gloves some nights. It’s just not fair.”

Warm.co.uk’s Jonathan Ratcliffe says these are typical tales from around the country, now made all the more bizarre with the coming of the domestic control app, where users can control the heating from their mobile phones. Clare of Liverpool takes up the story:

• “We’ve got a bit of a battle going on right now. Dave wants the heating off during the day, but I work part-time and the house is freezing when it’s cold. If he spots I’ve turned the heating up, he’ll turn it down again on his phone. Then I turn it back up again, and he switches it off. We can go on like this all day, and I swear I’ll swing for him.”

Does it really save money?

The jury is out as to whether turning the heating off all day actually saves any money, Ratcliffe says.

“Maintaining the heat at an acceptably warm level during the day may be just as economical as letting the temperature fall and giving it a big boost in the evening,” he says.

“In fact, if the temperature in your house gets really cold, you’ll have to run the boiler at full pelt for a long period just to get it up again. That can use up more energy than you thought you’ve saved.”

One final quote shows the folly of turning your heating off in winter when you’re not at home:

• Alex, Telford: “I turned the heating off for a weekend away last Christmas thinking it would save us money. The place was like a fridge when we got home. It took three days to get it up to temperature again. It must have cost me a fortune to run the boiler that long!”

Ratcliffe’s advice is simple: “When you’re out for the day, turn the thermostat down and not off. Think about other people’s comfort as well as your own.”

“Think family, think comfort, don’t worry about the bills.”

Cornish man pleads guilty to manslaughter after blocking neighbour’s boiler flue with a potato

A man from Cornwall has been handed a jail sentence after pleading guilty to manslaughter, following the death of his neighbour who died as a result of a potato being placed in his boiler flue.

A disagreement between the two neighbours led to Daniel Burgess, aged 38, placing a potato in Michael Horner’s boiler flue. This led to the unfortunate death of Mr Horner.

Mr Horner, aged 48, was discovered lying on his living room floor unconscious. He had turned the heating up to 60 degrees celsius. He suffered from mobility issues and Huntingdon’s Disease and was pronounced dead at his home as a result of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

Mr Burgess, from Newlyn, had his gas card stolen from him just before Christmas, leaving him without heating. He blamed his neighbour, Mr Horner for the disappearance of his card, saying that he had stolen it.

During an act of revenge on his neighbour, Burgess placed a big potato into Mr Horner’s boiler flue pipes. Consequently, it blocked the exhaust fumes from escaping as they normally would.

Never block the flue pipe of a boiler

It’s incredibly dangerous to block a boiler’s flue pipes. However many modern boilers today come with special sensors which can turn the system off automatically if they detect a blockage. Unfortunately in this case the function was not working properly on Mr Horner’s appliance.

The investigation revealed that it takes only 15 minutes for the levels of carbon monoxide to become fatal.

Burgess, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, pleaded guilty in court to charges of manslaughter. The defending council told the court of his sadness and remorse.

The intention of Burgess was not to cause his neighbour any harm. Instead he wanted to cause damage to his boiler which would leave him cold, as was he.

Burgess was sentenced to two years and eight months by Judge Geoffrey Mercer, QC. The Judge said to him: “Your plan was simply to stop his boiler from working and make him cold. I accept your remorse is genuine and your culpability is at the lower end.”

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Gas and electricity prepayment customers to benefit from pricing cap from April

The independent energy regulator for the UK, Ofgem, announced a new prepayment price cap for gas and electricity meters; a move which will benefit up to four million British householders.

The temporary cap will come into effect in April. It will positively effect customers who consume energy on a prepayment card system. According to official figures, around four million people in the UK use a prepay system.

Ofgem claims the prepayment cap will benefit some gas customers to the tune of up to £80 per year, or between 10-15%, when it comes into play on April 1 later this year. Electricity customers could also enjoy annual savings. These could be up to £80.

The energy prepayment cap has been introduced as the CMA (Competition and Market Authority) said prepayment customers were not able to benefit from competitive energy pricing, despite these householders being the most likely to be living in vulnerable conditions.

According to the CMA, energy tariffs for prepayment systems are outdated and are generally more expensive. Competitive prices are more readily available for those paying via credit/debit card, cash, or cheque.

Increasing fairness in the marketplace

The new prepayment cap will hopefully create a fairer market place for all householders, regardless of the payment type.

Dermot Nolan, chief executive of Ofgem, commented: “Customers who prepay for their energy are denied the best deals on the market available to those using other payment methods.”

He added further: “They are also more likely to be in vulnerable circumstances, including fuel poverty. This temporary cap will protect these households as we work to deliver a more competitive, fairer and smarter market for all consumers.”

The temporary prepayment price cap will remain in place until 2020. During this period the Government will also be rolling out smart metres across the UK. Prepayment energy customers will benefit the most from these new metres.

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The upcoming 2017 Heating Strategy should push the efficiency of gas boilers using new policy

A leading sustainable heating and energy consultancy firm, Ecuity, has claimed the government needs to introduce more policy to encourage greater adoption of energy efficient gas boilers and heating systems.

Official figures suggest that up to 70% of all heat demand in the UK is for gas. In its 2013 Heating Strategy, the Government said it expected the demand for gas to continue into and beyond 2030. Therefore, it would remain the leading fuel source for heating and hot water.

The next Heating Strategy is due out in 2017. Early predictions are expecting the Government to again state that natural, ‘green’ gas will play a leading role in the supply of domestic heating going forward.

For this reason, Ecuity believes the UK Government should now take the opportunity to introduce new policy. The aim should be to increase the installation and use of more energy efficient gas-fired boilers and heating systems.

Ilias Vazaios, of Ecuity, used the Government’s Building Regulations policy of 2005, which demanded that all new and replacement boiler installations must be condensing boilers, as an example of when governmental regulations can have a positive and longterm impact.

New regulations can improve the whole heating industry

The 2005 policy was important for reducing the carbon footprint of the UK’s housing stock. It also had a positive effect on the boiler and heating industry as a whole. Impressively, it created a more competitive atmosphere and drove technical advancements.

Due to these more recent advancements in boiler and heating technology, it is now the right time for the Government to push domestic heating efficiency using new Building Regulations policy.

Recent years have seen the development of new pumps, weather control solutions, and heat emitters. Combined, they create gas boiler and heating solutions which are capable of much more efficient operations. These innovations can be harnessed alongside condensing technology to further increase the efficiency of domestic heating.

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Meeting held to discuss broken down boiler and faulty heating system at the Town Council’s Civic Centre

Councillors for the Yorkshire town of Keighley have been trying to resolve the issue regarding a broken down boiler and faulty heating system at the Town Council’s Civic Centre, on North Street.

During the meeting, they discussed the repair work needed to fix the boiler and heating issues. These included how much money was required for the work and where in the budget was it coming from. Consequently, the debate became a little heated at times.

Several quotes for the work have already been gathered by the town council from expert boiler and heating engineers. Quotes received ranged from between £20,000 to £84,000. The prices come down to what kind of repair work will eventually be chosen by the councillors.

One of the cheapest quotes was for £19,387. This covered the cost of a new boiler, pumps and installation. Another quote for £74,013 for a system simplification.

The highest quote of £84,187 was for a complete replacement of all components with an identical system.

Problems with the current system

There are two boilers at the Civic Centre. At the moment the building is being heated by the second one, however, this machine has also seen better days.

For health and safety reasons, the building’s energy provider has switched off the main unit.

Councillor John Kirby spoke and asked the group at one point: “We wouldn’t be in this situation if the town council had listened five years ago when it was told the boiler was on the way out. Why wasn’t money put aside for this?”

Eventually, a decision was made; the council are to pay for short-term repairs immediately to make sure it the system is working safely. Meanwhile, council members will look around for more quotes and better solutions.

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