Octopus Energy shares boiler hack saving customers £112 a year

Octopus Energy has unveiled a simple boiler hack that can save bill payers up to £112 a year – and it’s actually a very simple concept. All people need to do is turn down the dial by a fraction – which will lower the temperature ever-so-slightly, but will provide a much-needed saving. The nation is struggling to cope with the surging cost of energy with ruthless bills landing on door mats showing no sign of getting any cheaper. This is leaving many people too scared to switch their heating on altogether, and those that do are bracing themselves for a hike in prices entirely out of their control. This hack, shared by one of the UK’s major gas and electricity suppliers, refers to combi boilers only and should not make too much difference to the temperature of a house or room. A combi boiler has two dials, one with a small tap icon and another which is for heating that normally has a small radiator icon. As explained in Octopus Energy’s video on Tik Tok, this “controls the temperature your boiler heats up the water to before sending it off to your radiators”.While most gas boilers are set to heat up the water to 80C, this is far higher than is actually needed, with most boilers having flow temperatures that operate between 80C and 30C. Octopus Energy recommends it is turned down down to 60C, which is about halfway, or the number three. But every boiler is different, so the energy firm advises people to follow their own instructions.  Octopus Energy has unveiled a simple boiler hack which could save you up to £112 (Image: Getty ) Energy bills are double what they were last year (Image: Getty )For instance, some boilers only have one dial that is only for heating the flow temperatures, but people should make sure the dial is kept above 55C to avoid the risk of bugs building up in the water. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said that targeted measures will follow once the Government’s bills support ends in just five months’ time, but the average consumer will be expected to pay £3,702 a year if the Government does not step in with a new plan to limit bills, consultants Cornwall Insight have warned. This is why every trick in the book could prove vital for households that may be forced to choose between heating and eating as energy prices go up and budgets get stretched. And Octopus Energy’s simple hack has already proved helpful. One woman, who posted on Mumsnet and wished to remain anonymous, said: “You can use less gas by checking your flow settings on your boiler. Mine was set to 80 degrees by default which meant I was spending huge amounts on heating up water that then has to be cooled down with cold water.”I’m taking part in the Octopus Winter Workout and according to them I have saved £95 since the beginning of December and this is the only substantial change I have made.READ MORE: British Gas and Octopus Energy join new scheme to slash bills Hunt said targeted measures will follow once the energy price guarantee ends (Image: Getty ) The price guarantee avoided Ofgem’s planned price cap (Image: Express)”I assumed everyone knew about this except me but my sister hadn’t heard of it and she’s very hot on money-saving so I thought there must be others out there.”Octopus Energy has rolled out a Winter Workout challenge in which 250,000 customers have signed up for. This allows participants to hear tips from energy and heating experts on how to use less gas in their homes.One customer who is part of the scheme, Gareth Hughes, said: Saving £116.83 on my gas bill thanks to @OctopusEnergy brilliant winter workout. Just signed up for their March challenge now to save on electricity. James Kelloway, another Octopus customer who signed up to the scheme, said: “First day of the Octopus Winter Workout… 55 degrees on the boiler and, well, no difference to my comfort but more efficient gas usage! Great tip, thank you.”DON’T MISS UK wasting ‘millions a day’ in energy as wind farms told to turn off [REVEAL] Sunak urged to issue ‘Norway-style’ windfall tax to cut energy bills [INSIGHT]Rare ‘blood moon’ caught on camera before it disappears for years [REPORT]  Octopus Energy’s winter workout challenge gave signees dozens of tips (Image: Getty )Octopus Energy claims 150,000 customers cut their typical gas use, and on average, saved 12 percent of their bill from signing up for the scheme. And over the course of 12 weeks, customers saved a collective £4.8million on their winter gas bills, the firm said. Another small tip from the energy firm is to make sure boilers are not running 24 hours a day. Most boilers or thermostats allow people to set a schedule, meaning the heating can be turned off or set lower while you’re tucked up in bed. Octopus Energy’s website says:”The trick is to set your heat to come on 30 minutes before it’s needed, and shut off 30 minutes early as well – so the room can heat up and you make the most of residual heat.Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, chief product officer at Octopus Energy Group, said: ‘We speak to over 30,000 customers each day and know that many people are worried and struggling to pay their bills this winter.’We’re doing all we possibly can to cushion the impact of the crisis on people. 100 percent of our profits have gone to keeping prices lower for our customers, and we’ve already absorbed £150million of the cost increase on behalf of them.”