Energy Saving Advice

It is important to keep your home warm. The ideal temperature should be between 18`C and 21`C (64`F and 70`F). This is for the room that you spend most of your time in. For other rooms 18` is the ideal. Not keeping warm enough can have serious effects:

• A weakened immune system.
  
• Increased risk of a stroke or heart attack.
  
• Loss of concentration, which can cause accidents.
  
• In extreme cases, Hypothermia can set in.
  

These conditions are more serious for the elderly, very young children and those with limited mobility 

Making the most of your heating system
Whatever type of heating system you have, it is important that you know how to use it to get the best results.
If you have a system with a timer, set the timer to come on half an hour before you wake up. If you are out of the house all day, set the timer to go off as you leave the house. In the evening, set the timer for half an hour before you are due to get home, and to go off again before you go to bed.
If you are at home all day, keep one room at optimum temperature and turn the thermostats down in any rooms that are not used.

Make sure that the thermostat is set between 18` and 21`. Reducing the temperature by just 1` can reduce your fuel bills by £100 per year. You may have room thermostats or radiator thermostats.
Some properties do not have gas and have electric storage heaters. These work by storing up heat during the night when electricity is cheaper and slowly reducing the heat during the day. Storage heaters have an input and output control. It is important that you use these controls correctly. The input control regulates the amount of heat that is stored up during the night. It should be set high in winter and turned down in the summer. The output control regulates the rate at which stored heat is released. It should be left on a low setting during the day and turned up in the evening. Remember to turn it down again at night, otherwise you will use all your heat during the night. 

Switching Supplier
Since 1999 we have all been able to choose which gas and electricity company supplies our homes. Only about half of people have switched away from their original supplier, however it is easier than you think and you may be able to save more than £200 per year.
The easiest way to do this is by using the internet. There are a number of accredited websites which give the best deals and enable you to change on-line. Usually your account will need to have been maintained correctly for over twelve months, before you will be allowed to subscribe to another company. 

Pre-payment meters
Pre-payment meters are the most expensive way of buying your electricity, however savings can still be made by changing your supplier. If you can change to a credit meter, and pay by monthly direct debit there are substantial savings of up to £500 per year. Some electricity suppliers will change your meter free of charge. These offers change continually so it is worth checking with the different companies. If you move to a new home with a pre-payment meter this should be changed at no cost.
 
Cirencester Housing Society can help you by:

• Helping you to change suppliers
  
• Providing advice and assistance on how to use your central heating system
  
• Ensuring that all our properties have the highest insulation possible
  
• Providing advice if you are in debt with your energy bills.
  
• Loaning you a smart monitor to see where you can make cuts on your energy bills