Overview
- MSE’s roundup of expert advice concludes that running heating continuously increases heat loss and typically raises bills.
- Energy Saving Trust and British Gas recommend delivering heat only when required, ideally using programmable controls.
- Heat Geek says a steady low temperature can be efficient for modern condensing boilers or heat pumps, especially in homes occupied most of the day, with typical set points around 18–19C.
- Well‑insulated properties or those with underfloor heating are more likely to benefit from a constant low‑and‑slow approach, whereas frequently empty homes or plasterboard‑walled properties may not.
- MSE advises households to test both methods by taking comparable meter readings over matched periods to see which uses less energy.