No matter how much we may love our homes, did any of us think we’d be spending quite so much time in them over the last 12 months? Whilst the first lockdown was all about the outside space and getting those gardens ready for a long, hot summer of staying at home, Lockdown 3.0 is a different beast altogether.

January and February, commonly the coldest months of the British year, bring with them plummeting temperatures and escalating heating bills; at a time when many have found themselves redundant from work, or on reduced furlough wages, a lot of people across the country are currently counting the pennies.

Here are three things you can easily do during lockdown to reduce your ongoing household bills, ensure your home is ready to face anything the cold weather can throw at it and minimise the chances you’ll be needing to shell out for an emergency plumber…

Get yourself a CombiSave

If you’ve got a Combi-boiler in your home, then getting yourself an award winning CombiSave is an absolute no brainer!

Now that we’ve said that you’re bound to be wondering exactly what a CombiSave is! This little device attaches to the pipework close to your boiler and works by restricting the water flow until it’s reached the temperature you need. This means that less water, heat and energy are wasted before the warm water starts flowing from your tap.

Over the course of a year, the CombiSave can reduce your combined water and gas bill by up to £250 per year, which is not to be sniffed at during the best of times, let alone during the current uncertainty. It also reduces the CO2 you’re using, so it’s also a winner for the environment too.

Buy yours online here: https://teddingtonheating.com/product/combisave/

Minimise the need for an emergency plumber with a PressureSentry

Increasingly changeable and unpredictable weather in the UK has led to a significant jump in the number of callouts for emergency, boiler breakdowns and boiler repairs. During 2019/20 an increase of 278% was seen during cold, frosty and snowy conditions in particular.  With the coldest days of the year occurring in January,  February and even March each year, now is the time to take some preventative measures so that you don’t get left inside in the cold!

One of the most common reasons for a plumber call out was boiler failure or breakdown. With every failure or breakdown there is often an underlying cause, and on many occasions this is down to a loss of pressure within the heating system.

Enter the PressureSentry! This device is attached to your radiator and will sound an alarm whenever the pressure in the system is becoming low (it also has a visual alert for those that suffer from hearing loss). By alerting the homeowner to the problem as early as possible, the need for a plumber, or the risk of boiler breakdown and a very cold night is removed.

The best thing about it is that it can be easily installed onto your radiator and left! No hassle, just a great warning system before something can go wrong, escalate and cause you a lot of money.

Buy yours online here: https://teddingtonheating.com/product/pressuresentry/

FrostSentry

British insurers state that insurance claims for frozen, burst or damaged pipes can average over £10,000 and push your premiums up in future years. As we’ve said, many are feeling the pinch so we definitely don’t want that! Fortunately, there is a super simple way to protect your boiler from such a catastrophic failing.

The FrostSentry protects your boilers’ condensate pipe through the coldest time of the year. When temperatures drop below 2.5 C, the FrostSentry will gently heat the pipe, preventing the water from freezing and the damage to your entire system this can cause.  Working on a thermostat system, the FrostSentry continues to heat the pipe as the temperatures drop outside, leaving you reassured that your system is safe.

Buy yours online here: https://teddingtonheating.com/product/frostsentry/

Each of these quick fixes is ‘fit and forget’ so you can simply attach them to your system and benefit from cost savings, peace of mind and improved efficiency.

Explore how heating experts Teddington can help at www.teddingtonheating.com