Heating hacks – are you putting your home at risk?
HOMELIFE
December 2023
The onset of cold weather and continued high fuel prices has seen some social media users promoting ‘heating hacks’, or cheaper ways to heat your home. Unfortunately, many of these hacks can put you or your home at risk.
We take your safety seriously, so here’s our advice on the most dangerous and common hacks to avoid:
Heating a brick
Bricks can explode when heated. This can result in harm from shrapnel, and the hot pieces of brick can start small fires.
Candles in a flowerpot
Placing candles underneath a flowerpot risks fire and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Clay flowerpots can shatter when heated, the melted wax can start a fire, and the lack of ventilation means there’s a dangerous build-up of carbon dioxide as oxygen is burnt to fuel the candle.
Camping stoves or BBQs indoors
Fire brigades have reported a spike in fires related to indoor BBQs and stoves.
Open flames from devices that are meant to be used outside pose a major safety risk to your home.
Using a wood or charcoal fire BBQ or stove in your home creates a serious risk of fire and/or health damage from smoke build-up.
As well as risking fire, using a gas BBQ or stove indoors increases the risk of poisoning. The gas from gas cylinders* is heavier than air and so sinks to low levels. This means that you may see a build-up of gas close to your floor, unnoticeable until you are on your hands and knees. This gas is highly flammable and can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
*Please note that because of the dangers associated with gas cylinders, you are not permitted to store these in your home.
Safe ways to cut the cost of heating your home:
Open your curtains when the sun is shining
Many of us forget that when the sun shines, it will heat up the air in your home. If you leave your curtains closed during the day, then you are missing out on some free solar heating.
Similarly, close curtains at night and shut doors to rooms. Even if you are not in them. This will help contain the heat in the room you’re in and prevent drafts. A draught excluder can also be used to block draughts under doors.
Use your boiler’s timer
Leaving your boiler running when no one is home, can seriously increase your bills.
If you set the time to come on an hour before you get out of bed, turn off when you’re out, and back on again before you get home, you will make a serious dent in your heating bill.
Your boiler should be fitted with a timer and in good working order. If it isn’t, contact our repairs team on 0300 456 9996.
Read our advice on how to check that your boiler is working and that it has been serviced regularly.
Move your furniture
Do you have your sofa or bed against a radiator? Then it’s preventing the heat from circulating and it may also be damaging your furniture.
If possible, move your furniture to be against an internal wall and free up your radiator to do its job.
Prepare your radiators
Your boiler should have received its annual boiler services. If it hasn’t, contact our Gas team or our customer service team on 0300 456 9996.
Bleeding your radiators, before switching on your central heating, will make sure any trapped air is removed and make your radiators work better. You can tell if you need to bleed your radiators by checking for any cold spots, such as whether they are only warm at the bottom of the radiator.
Watch our instructional video on how to bleed your radiator.
Get financial help
If you are worried about paying your fuel bills, please don’t put yourself or your home at risk. Instead, reach out to our Pound Advice team who are there to help you with any money worries. You can call the team on 0203 475 2221.
If your heating isn’t working, contact our customer service team on 0300 456 9996.