Overview

• British Gas says over 1.2 million customers needed boiler repairs last winter and reports most homes switch heating on in late October or after four consecutive nights below 9°C.
• The company advises bleeding radiators, sealing draughts, insulating pipes, using zonal heating, and setting thermostats between 18–21°C, estimating roughly £75 saved by lowering the setting 1°C.
• OVO Energy has begun distributing free heated throws and home-efficiency kits through its Extra Support Package, allocating £56 million this year with options for bill reductions, emergency credit and tailored help.
• Octopus Energy says it has provided 93,000 free electric blankets with 10,000 more available this winter, estimating blankets cost about 2–4p per hour to run and reporting customer bill cuts of up to 10–20% in winter.
• Comparison site Bionic highlights October 13 as a likely heating switch-on for many and estimates six hours of heating could cost about £24 a day with an electric boiler or just over £13 with gas, urging careful thermostat use.