With rising energy bills affecting heating costs for many people, landlords and tenants are understandably concerned. Whilst the increase in costs will affect people across society, no one should fall into heat poverty.

Winter fuel costs make up a significant proportion of household costs during the colder months, and with recent price increases, millions could face an average increase to energy bills of around £139 per year*.

There are several ways in which households can help to reduce energy consumption, from ensuring that lighting and electrical items are not left on standby when not in use, to addressing how heating is used in the home.

As well as turning a thermostat down by just 1°C which can save a household as much as £80 per year**, maintaining an efficient heating system is vital to reducing energy costs. Dirty water in a heating system (also known as sludge) is the number one cause of heating system breakdowns – it builds up in heating systems and settles in radiators, pipework and boiler components which leads to expensive breakdowns. Sludge build-up has a huge impact on boilers. It prevents them from working at optimum efficiency and causes symptoms such as cold spots in radiators. The inefficiency means tenants increase the heating to get their home warm, burning more fuel, and therefore spending more money.

When sludge builds up, boilers must work harder, using more gas. A simple way to improve the efficiency and reduce fuel consumption of heating systems is to improve the water quality by following ADEY’s Best Practice, which will help to extend the life of boiler stocks and heating systems for landlords. Following ADEY’s Best Practice to clean, protect, test, and maintain system water quality could save tenant households up to £80 on their annual gas bills***.

These two easy actions could save households a potential £160 a year on heating bills alone and are simple to put into place. Teamed with additional activity to help reduce other energy bills, tenants could really feel the benefit.

ADEY have a range of system water treatment solutions to help increase the life of the heating system, reduce maintenance costs, and lower tenant energy bills – contact your local ADEY Key Account Manager to find out more.