British Gas issues warning to customers this week

Energy giant British Gas has issued a warning to customers this week, urging them to prepare for the upcoming winter. The firm says that the majority of its customers will turn their heating back on in late October, when four consecutive days reach lows of 9C.

The energy firm said more than 1.2 million customers called on its engineers to fix broken boilers last winter to get their heating and hot water systems back up and running. Ahead of the colder conditions arriving, British Gas' engineers are warning households to make sure everything is working properly, before you find it's not working properly when the colder weather comes.

Sunny Solanky, a British Gas service and repair engineer, said: "Now that summer is behind us, many people will be thinking about turning their heating back on for the first time since last winter and that's often when unwanted issues can appear.

"Keeping your boiler in good working order is key to making sure everything runs smoothly, and a few simple changes around the home can also make a real difference to your comfort and energy use."

The firm said households should bleed their radiators, especially if the top of the radiators feels cooler than the bottom, by using a radiator key, gently opening the valve at the top to let the air escape before closing it again.

It also said that keeping the thermostat set between 18C and 21C is the ideal range to ensure comfort and cost-effective heating.

British Gas said reducing the temperature by just one degree could trim around 10% off heating costs, saving the average household roughly £75 a year.

It added that scheduling heating to switch on about 15 minutes before you get up and to turn off half an hour before bedtime is the perfect timetable to make sure your heating is both effective at heating your house and not cost prohibitive.