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Irish households urged to ‘spring clean’ their home heating

OFTEC is encouraging households in Ireland to spring into action this National Home Improvement Month. With 4 in 10 Irish households using oil as their main heating source, homeowners are being urged to ‘spring clean’ their heating system to avoid missing out on potential savings to their fuel bills.

National Home Improvement Month calls for homeowners to love the home they live in. Recognising that the internal workings of your house help to make it a home, OFTEC has produced a ‘spring cleaning’ guide which outlines the key home heating improvements to make:

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  1. Adjust your heating timers: If you made changes to your timers over winter, it’s a good idea to check the heating still only comes on when you need it to. Regularly review and adjust these settings to potentially make additional savings.
  2. Turn off individual radiators: Make sure you’re not wasting money on heating rooms that you don’t use on a regular basis. Also, check the radiator temperatures in your main rooms if these were set higher during the colder months.
  3. Make sure you have enough heating oil: If you have used your heating regularly over the winter period, check how much oil you have left in your tank and top up early to avoid any last-minute emergencies.
  4. Have your boiler serviced: An annual boiler service carried out by an OFTEC registered technician is a must do. Not only will it save you money in the long term, but it will improve the efficiency of your boiler and the heat in your home. If it is below par, you can upgrade to a modern condensing appliance for better comfort and cost savings.
  5. Check your oil tank: Whilst oil tanks have a very strong safety record, it’s important to check they are suitable to store your liquid fuel. Ask your technician to ‘tick the tank off your list’ and make sure it’s fit for purpose. Your technician can advise you on tank upgrades should this be needed.
  6. Add Controls: Add controls to your heating system including thermostatic radiators valves, a room thermostat and a separate zone for hot water if you don’t have it. All these changes will reduce your home heating costs and payback is very quick. Grants for heating controls are available from SEAI.

“National Home Improvement Month is an ideal opportunity to check if your home heating needs improving,” said David Blevings, OFTEC Ireland manager.
“It’s easy to forget to adjust your heating system as temperatures rise during the spring. However, this oversight could be costing you quite a bit of money.
“While homeowners can make small improvements themselves, it is always best to ensure your heating system is regularly serviced, inspected and upgraded by a registered OFTEC technician, creating an even better long-term home improvement.”