As we head into Autumn, the change in season is all around us. From the leaves on the trees turning burnt orange and fiery red, to dark mornings and nights bookending our days. As we put the clocks back an hour to battle the darkness, here’s some top tips on how you can keep your home warm and costs down this Autumn.

Maintain your heating system

This is the season in which it’s really important to ensure your heating system is working effectively - you don’t want a boiler breakdown when starts getting cold. It’s not a legal requirement but it makes good sense to have your boiler serviced once a year. Check out the ‘Find an installer’ tool on Calor’s website for details of LPG-qualified Gas Safe heating engineers in your area.

Use spot heating

If the weather is still quite mild, and your family tends to only use one main room in the house, it pays to use spot heating instead of central heating. There are lots of options on the market, from electric or oil filled radiators, to fan heaters, convector heaters and portable gas heaters. A portable gas heater offers spot heating from as little as £1 an evening. It will heat a space up really quickly and comes with variable heat settings, so you can turn the heat up or down as needed.

Make little changes for big savings

Even the smallest changes in the home can help retain the heat and minimise energy usage. Shut interior doors, as cold air can creep in through the smallest of holes, which can increase heat loss by up to eight per cent. Use draught excluders too – old fashioned snake draught excluders look really cool again.

Take control

If you don’t already have heating controls installed, considering adding a programmable thermostat to your heating system for greater control over energy usage. Or if you do have controls, check out some of the new smart heating systems available, which allow you to remotely control the temperature in every room of your home. By turning off heat in rooms you’re not using you can bring down energy costs significantly.

For more information on rural home heating, visit www.calor.co.uk or call 0808 159 7864