Heating experts have revealed the three summer boiler mistakes that can make your home feel hot and stuffy during summer – and luckily for you, they’re easy to rectify.
With yet another heatwave here in the UK, it can feel exhausting trying to find new ways to keep a room cool, yet these boiler mistakes could be contributing to your house being hotter than it needs to be.
While you can invest in the best fan you could be fighting a losing battle by keeping your boiler on winter settings, not having your hot water on a timer or having your water too hot. All three of these factors will contribute to making your home feel warmer in summer.
1. You’re still on winter settings
‘One of the most common oversights I see is leaving the boiler on its winter settings well into the summer months, which means the central heating circuit can still activate even when it’s not needed. This is often because the programmer hasn’t been switched to a summer mode, so the boiler continues to circulate hot water through radiators unnecessarily, creating a subtle but constant source of heat that builds up indoors,’ explains Stephen Day, a Heating Engineer at iHeat.
(Image credit: Future PLC/ James French)
On modern boilers you can typically find two settings, ‘winter’ and ‘summer’ so it’s as easy as flicking a switch to ensure you’re on summer mode. Alternatively, check your manufacturers manual for instructions, or you can switch your boiler to ‘hot water only’ if you have a combi boiler.
2. Your water isn’t on a timer
Another factor that may be causing your home to feel more stuffy is having your hot water on when you don’t need it.
(Image credit: Future PLC / Kasia Fiszer)
‘Many households keep their system as it is to be able to access boiling water constantly, even when they’re out for the day or they’re on holiday. By using timers and schedules to match your actual household usage, you’ll be avoiding overheating the house when it isn’t needed,’ says Ryan Willdig, heating expert at Heatforce.
This can cause excess heat as the boiler has to maintain the temperature in the hot water cylinder all day which can make your boiler cupboard air airing cupboard feel like a sauna.
3. Your water is too hot
Another contributing factor is that your water temperature is unnecessarily too high, which can make your house feel hot and even cost you more on energy bills.
(Image credit: Future PLC/ Katie Lee)
‘Most combi boilers allow you to set the water temperature separately from your heating temperatures,’ says Ryan.
‘Keeping everything at full blast will mean scalding water from the taps and also extra heating radiating into your home. You want to aim for around 50 degrees in summer and nothing more.’
Beat the heat
If you’re still struggling with the hot weather, here are a few more ways to beat the heat.
MeacoFan 1056 Air Circulator
Powerful, quiet, energy-efficient, and easy to use, the MeacoFan 1056 Air Circulator is Ideal Home’s best rated fan. It requires no self-assembly and is compact and portable so you can use it anywhere in your home.
Princess 3-In-1 Portable Air Conditioner
We haven’t tested this air conditioner but it’s recomended by Amazon and has plenty of positive reviews to back it up. It has three speeds and can cool, dehumidify and ventilate to keep you comfortable.
John Lewis Handheld and Desk Fan
Nearly every one of our editors owns one of these handheld fans that can be turned into a compact table fan with its folding handle.
Your boiler is not the first thing you think of when thinking about hot summer weather. But remembering to check for these three mistakes could help your home feel cooler.