Martin Lewis: money saving expert reveals how to reduce the cost of heating your home this winter

Finance guru Martin Lewis shares advice for those who are concerned about the cost of heating their home on colder days
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Martin Lewis has shared his expert advice for putting your heating on this winter, as he continues to reveal the best ways to reduce spending amid the cost of living crisis.

The Money Supermarket founder, 50, from Manchester, debunked a heating myth as he co-hosted ITV’s Good Morning Britain with Susanna Reid, 51.

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Households across the UK have long debated whether it is better to turn the heating on and off as and when you need it, or to keep it at a constant low temperature all day.

Speaking to Susanna, Martin said: “The general advice from the energy saving trust is that you have your heating on when you need it, and you turn it off when you don’t need it. The myth that it is cheaper to have it on all day is false.

"But in most cases, you turn the heat on when you need it and turn it off when you don’t. It’s best to do it on a timer and a thermostat.

"When it gets cold, people turn their thermostat up, but if it’s set to 20 degrees, you don’t need to turn it up because you’re cold now. You’re just going to have to wait until it gets up to the temperature.”

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Not all GMB viewers were convinced and many took to Twitter to share their own experiences of heating their home.

One wrote: “I’ve been testing this over the past week, I have the Hive smart TRVs and I have found the opposite, and that it’s cheaper having those set to a constant temperature and letting them come on and off all day

Another commented: “Same, for me there is maybe a 50p difference and I am warm all day if I leave it on a set temp and on”

The debate comes as the Met Office warns of an arctic freeze, which will cause some areas of the UK to face temperatures as low as -10C. This is due to the cold air blowing in from Norway and has been nicknamed the Toll of Trondheim.

 Martin Lewis with his Order of the British Empire (Getty Images) Martin Lewis with his Order of the British Empire (Getty Images)
Martin Lewis with his Order of the British Empire (Getty Images)
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Martin, who uses the ‘heat the human not the home’ slogan, shares even more tips on how to stay warm this winter on his website.

Among them is adding more layers of clothing, using hot water bottles (safely), and keeping your feet warm with socks and blankets.

The Government Energy support scheme is providing a £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households to help with their energy bills over winter 2022 to 2023. You can find out more on the Gov.co.uk website.

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