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A House Beautiful report lists eight common heating habits that experts say may waste energy or make homes feel colder, from blocking radiators to leaving heating on all day. The article recommends practical adjustments and maintenance, but provides no bill data or evidence that the suggested savings apply equally to every home.
House Beautiful has published a guide to eight heating habits that specialists say can make homes less comfortable, waste energy or create safety concerns. The advice covers thermostat settings, radiator airflow, drafts, heating schedules and maintenance, as well as the risks of old electric blankets and drying clothes on radiators.
The report’s recommendations focus on using heat where and when it is needed. Experts cited by House Beautiful advise against setting a thermostat higher in the hope that a home will warm faster, and suggest scheduling heating around household routines instead of running it all day. They also recommend keeping furniture and curtains clear of radiators so warm air can move into the room.
Other suggestions include sealing gaps around doors and windows, checking radiators for cold spots that may indicate trapped air, and avoiding clothes drying directly on radiators. The article says air-drying clothes in a well-ventilated room is preferable, noting that indoor drying can contribute to dampness and mold. Its eighth listed mistake is not fully included in the supplied source excerpt, so its details cannot be reported here.
The article also cautions readers to check the condition and age of electric blankets. Adele Brennan, a home electrical buyer at Vonhaus, warns that older blankets or models without overheating protection can present a fire hazard. The report describes automatic shut-off as a feature found on newer blankets, while noting that a blanket will not resolve an underlying problem with a cold room.
How Small Habits Affect Home Heating
These recommendations matter because some household choices can affect both comfort and energy use. A blocked radiator or draft may leave a room feeling cold even while the heating is operating; keeping the system on longer or turning up the thermostat may then add to consumption without addressing the cause.
The safety advice is distinct from the cost-saving suggestions. A worn or older electric blanket should be checked for condition and safety features, and people should follow its manufacturer instructions. The report does not quantify likely savings from any individual fix, and a household’s results will depend on its heating system, building condition, energy prices and routine.
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The Report’s Practical Heating Advice
The source is a House Beautiful lifestyle report that gathered advice from heating and home-energy specialists, including representatives of Heatforce, The Energy Shop and Electric Radiators Direct. It presents common household practices and suggested remedies rather than a controlled comparison of energy bills.
Among its specific claims, the report attributes to Heatforce specialists an estimate that each degree above 66 degrees Fahrenheit can add 10 percent to annual heating costs. That figure is presented by the source without a detailed calculation, time period beyond annual costs, or household baseline. It should be treated as an attributed estimate, not a guaranteed outcome for every home.
For radiator maintenance, the report says a radiator that is cooler at the top than the bottom may have trapped air. It advises switching off the heating system before bleeding a radiator and using a radiator key and towel. The excerpt gives this as general guidance; readers should follow their system manufacturer’s instructions and seek a qualified heating professional if unsure.
“While it won’t heat your home any faster, what it will do is waste energy and therefore waste money.”
— Heating specialist experts at Heatforce, as quoted by House Beautiful
Savings Depend on Each Home
The source does not provide measured household energy use, bill comparisons or independent testing of the eight recommendations. It is not clear how much any one change would save, and the Heatforce estimate about thermostat settings is not accompanied by its underlying data or assumptions. The supplied excerpt also cuts off during the final section and does not identify the eighth mistake, so the full list cannot be verified from the material provided.
Actual outcomes can vary with local weather, insulation, heating controls, system type, energy tariffs and how occupants use their homes. The report’s advice should not be read as a promise of a specific reduction in bills.
Check Settings and System Safety
Households can start by checking whether furniture blocks radiators, whether doors or windows have obvious gaps, and whether the heating schedule matches when rooms are occupied. Anyone considering radiator bleeding should turn the heating off and follow the system’s instructions; if a radiator remains unevenly warm or the system appears faulty, a qualified heating professional can assess it.
Readers can also inspect electric blankets for damage and confirm that they are used according to the manufacturer’s safety directions. House Beautiful’s supplied excerpt gives no follow-up study or official assessment of savings, so the next useful evidence would be measured results across different homes and heating systems.
Key Questions
What heating mistakes does the report describe?
The supplied article excerpt covers setting the thermostat too high, blocking radiators, ignoring drafts, using an old electric blanket, running heating all day, failing to bleed radiators and drying clothes on radiators. The excerpt does not include the details of the eighth item.
Does turning up the thermostat heat a home faster?
Heatforce specialists quoted by House Beautiful say it does not. They say a higher setting can waste energy, but the article does not provide independent test data for that claim.
How can I tell whether a radiator may need bleeding?
The report says a radiator that is much cooler at the top than at the bottom may have trapped air. Switch off the heating before following the system’s instructions, or contact a qualified professional if you are unsure.
Are old electric blankets a safety concern?
Vonhaus home electrical buyer Adele Brennan warns that older blankets or ones without overheating protection can pose a fire hazard. Check the blanket’s condition and follow its manufacturer’s guidance.
How much could these changes reduce my bill?
The report does not provide measured savings for the recommendations. Any effect will vary by home, heating system, energy prices and household use.
Source: housebeautiful.com
