Heating - how to cut costs 

	Getting started		Heating
	Lighting		Manufacturing and industrial processes

Heating - top tips

• Don’t turn up the heating unless you really need to
  Unless it’s just too cold for comfort, try to keep your thermostat at 19°C. Your heating costs will go up by 8% each time you increase the temperature by just one degree. Encourage your employees to wear warmer clothing, if they are feeling the cold. The Carbon Trust Thermometer can help you to measure the temperature in your workplace.
• Leave plenty of space around radiators
  Putting furniture in front of a radiator means it will need to work harder to heat the room.
• Don’t heat unused space
  Storerooms or corridors don’t need to be kept as warm as areas in which people spend long periods of time. Equally, if people are doing a lot of physical work in a particular area, the heating can be turned down. You can also turn off or reduce the heating over the weekend, providing no one is in the building.
• Keep doors and windows closed, and draught-proof, in cold weather
  If employees are too hot, try turning the heat down first. In warmer weather, when the heating is off anyway, you can let more air in.
• Keep the thermostat away from draughts or hot and cold spots
  These will all affect the thermostat and automatically increase your heating costs.
• Don’t put hot equipment, like photocopiers, near cooling vents
  The cooling system will need to work harder to cool an area that is constantly being heated.
• Maintain your equipment properly
  If you don’t regularly check your heating equipment, you could be adding as much as 10% to your heating bill without knowing it.

More information

For more detailed guidance on how to cut energy costs, see our heating energy saving advice.

You can also call our advice line on 0800 085 2005 or view carbon saving advice specific to your business sector.