With the weather getting nicer these days, a question that is asked almost every year is whether it is a good idea to turn off the central heating during the summer months to save money on your heating bill.

On the surface, this seems like a sensible idea and an easy way to save money on your energy bills, since money would be wasted heating a house when it is not needed. However, this philosophy might not always be strictly the correct one to follow for a few simple reasons. The first reason is simply about personal comfort and whether you are feeling the cold or not. A lot of people will rigidly turn off their central heating at a certain time of year regardless of the actual weather, however, the British climate can be unpredictable, and the weather can be unseasonably warm or cold across the year. So, if you feel the cold more than most, then why not keep the central heating on?

However, the second and main reason to have the central heating system continue to work in the summer months is to keep the system operating correctly. One of the strange things about equipment that has moving parts is that it will operate more reliably when used regularly, when compared to when used occasionally.

The central heating system is a device that is designed to be switched on and off, but when it is switched off for long periods of time, then things can go wrong with the system as part have the propensity to seize up.

Issues and potential costs when not using central heating systems

One of the main culprits where seizing problems occur is with the water pump valves. If the central heating system is not used, then these valves can stick. Certainly, a ceased circulating pump will cost a lot more to fix or replace than by simply leaving your central heating on in the summer, so this is something to watch out for.

Other areas of the central heating system where issues can occur is with limescale build up which can happen when the central heating system is not switched on for long periods of time. Limescale is a real problem in a central heating system and needs to be addressed. The good news is that there are ways this can be done relatively quickly and easily. In fact there are a range of boiler protection packs that can be used to keep your boiler and central heating system in tip-top shape.

Why you should let your Central Heating system run occasionally in the summer

The offshoot of not running your central heating system at all in the summer months is that if a failure occurs, the boiler will not work right at the time when you need it to, leaving you in the cold. This will also incur some expensive bills right at the time of year when you end up having to spend more on your energy bills too. One of the tips that we normally suggest to our customers is to run the central heating system occasionally over the summer months. Running the central heating for an hour every few days won’t incur too much extra expense in terms of energy output but will be enough to keep the central heating system ticking over all year round - and thus save you some repair costs later on. For the forgetful or busy individual it can be possible to set up a summer heating schedule using your heating controls so you can forget about it completely. In addition to this, the summer months, especially the tail end of the summer season is a great time of year to get your boiler serviced. A lot of people forgo getting their central heating system serviced, and only do so when a problem occurs. This can be a false economy and most manufacturers provide a servicing schedule that should be followed.

View our directory of installers and repair companies Following these tips will ensure that your central heating system will work correctly all year round and operate in the most cost-effective way.