When winter arrives, it can be difficult to know when to put your heating on and how to get your heating schedule right. Leave it on too long and you could be heating an empty house. Wait until you’re already cold to switch it on and you may find yourself turning up the thermostat in the hope of warming the house faster. That’s all before factoring in the latest energy price cap.
Setting an efficient winter heating schedule is about heating the rooms you’re actually using, at the times you need them, and to a comfortable temperature for your household.
Your ideal heating schedule will depend on your household routine, how quickly your home warms up and loses heat, and the type of heating system you have installed. So, rather than following a generic programme, here’s how to create a heating schedule that works around the way you actually live.
Why does it matter to get your winter heating schedule right?
Quick answer: The best winter heating schedule is one built around your routine. Set your heating to come on shortly before you wake and before you get home, turn it down when the house is empty or you’re asleep, keep the thermostat at a comfortable level, and only heat the rooms you’re using.
Heating and hot water account for over half of most UK energy bills. So with energy prices continuing to affect household budgets, it’s important to warm your home efficiently to reduce wasted heat, which should, in turn, look after your bank balance.
Heat waste can happen when your heating schedule doesn’t match your routine. This may involve:
- Heating empty rooms that aren’t being used
- Heating the whole house when you’re spending the day in one room
- Leaving the heating on longer than you need it
- Setting the thermostat unnecessarily high
- Following the same programme on weekdays and weekends
- Forgetting to change the schedule when your routine changes, or when the season changes
Understanding how your timer operates (scheduling when you want heat), the thermostat (determining what level of heat you need) and individual room controls work together (where you need heat) can make it easier to create an effective winter heating schedule around how your household uses energy, rather than constantly adjusting the heating manually.
When should you put your heating on in the UK?
There’s no set date for putting your heating on. Many UK households start using their heating in autumn, when indoor temperatures begin to feel uncomfortable, rather than waiting for a specific month. The right time depends on how warm your home feels, how quickly it loses heat, and who lives there.
If anyone in your household is older, has a health condition or has limited mobility, keeping warm is especially important. The NHS advises heating the rooms you regularly use to at least 18°C where you can, particularly if you have a health condition. Don’t delay turning the heating on to save energy if it means your home becomes too cold.
8 questions to ask when creating a winter heating schedule
Before you change the heating schedule, observe your household’s daily routine and think about when you actually need your home to be warm.
- What time does the first person get up?
- When does everybody leave the house?
- Is anyone at home during the day?
- Which rooms are used during working hours?
- When does everybody return home?
- Which rooms do you use during the evening?
- When do you normally go to bed?
- Which rooms are rarely occupied?
So, what’s the best heating schedule for winter in the UK? There isn’t one that suits every home, because every household uses its home differently.
For example, someone who works from home might need their office heated during the day, so there’s no reason to heat the living room until they finish work in the evening. Whereas a retired household may spend more time at home and need a consistent daytime temperature while they’re spending time indoors. A household that’s empty between 8am and 6pm will need something different again.
That’s why, before making any changes to your winter heating schedule, it’s a smart move to review your household’s routine and then create a heating programme around it.
Here’s a simple winter heating schedule to start from
Need a simple example to get started? If you’re not sure where to begin, this suggested heating schedule will give you an idea of how you can adjust your timer and thermostat according to your heating system and household routine.
| Time | How to approach your heating schedule |
|---|---|
| Morning | Schedule the heating to come on in rooms so they warm up shortly before you get out of bed. |
| Daytime – if nobody is home | Reduce or switch off heating that isn’t needed in spaces not being used. |
| Daytime – if you’re working from home | Concentrate the heating to come on in rooms being used rather than automatically heating the whole house. |
| Evening | Schedule the heating to come on in living areas so they reach a comfortable temperature around the time your household uses them. |
| Night | Lower the temperature or switch the heating off shortly before bed, depending on your household. If anyone is older or has a health condition, keep bedrooms comfortably warm overnight. |
This example winter heating schedule gives you a good idea on how to heat your home, whether you’re working from your property or the household is out for the day. For some homes, setting the heating to come on 30 minutes before you wake, or switching it off 30 minutes before going to bed will provide a comfortable temperature.
However, depending on your property’s age and insulation, if your house takes an hour to warm up comfortably, you may need to set your heating schedule to start earlier. If it retains heat well, you may find the heating can be switched off sooner.
How to set your heating timer properly
A heating timer enables you to control when the heating switches on and off, removing the need to remember to do it manually every day. Don’t get caught out leaving the heating ‘on’ for hours on end!
To create an efficient heating schedule, let’s start with the basics:
1. Check that the clock is showing the correct time
The clock may have changed following a power cut, or when the clocks go back on 25 October. Then, programme heating periods around the times you regularly need heat.
For example, if you usually wake up at 7am, you could schedule the central heating to come on at least 30 minutes before your alarm goes off. If everybody leaves the property at 8.30am, you can then set the heating to switch off prior to this, or once the house is empty.
For the evening, think about when you actually arrive home rather than simply scheduling the heating to come on at the same time every afternoon.
2. Set different weekday and weekend programmes
You probably spend your time differently over the weekend, or you may work shifts during the week. Therefore, you might get up later on a Saturday, spend more of the day at home or go out during the evening. You could make your winter heating schedule even more efficient by creating a separate weekday and weekend programme, if your central heating system allows you to do so.
For example, while you’re still cosy in bed on the weekend, you could set the schedule to come on slightly later.
3. Use boost and override settings for one-off changes
If you get home unexpectedly early or are spending a day at home when you would usually be at work, using the boost feature on your thermostat (providing your heating system has one) can provide an extra blast of heat without changing your entire schedule.
Once the temporary use of energy ends, your normal schedule will resume. It’s one way to practically provide your home with an additional way to keep warm rather than manually setting the heating.
4. Set your thermostat to a comfortable temperature
For most people, the lowest comfortable thermostat setting in winter sits somewhere between 18°C and 21°C, and the NHS advises at least 18°C in rooms you use regularly where you can.
Comfort comes down to personal preference, as age, health, mobility, the people living in the home and the property itself can all influence the temperature you need. The aim isn’t to keep turning the thermostat down until you’re cold.
Changing the thermostat also doesn’t mean that the higher the setting, the quicker your home will warm up. If you walk into a cold house and normally feel comfortable at 20°C, turning the thermostat up to 25°C won’t make the room reach 20°C any faster. The higher setting simply tells the heating system to continue using energy until the room reaches the required temperature.
That’s why it’s important to set a winter schedule that heats up the home, such as before you get back from work, and reach a comfortable temperature just as you need it – not afterwards.
5. Heat each room independently with room-by-room control
Based on household usage, not every room needs to be heated at the same time, or temperature.
A living room, bedroom, home office and spare room will naturally be occupied at different times, so it’s more efficient to treat them all as individual heating zones to avoid using energy where warmth isn’t needed.
- Living rooms may need heat primarily during the evening
- Bedrooms may need different temperatures and timings morning and night
- A home office may need warmth throughout working hours and less in the evening
- Spare bedrooms may only need heating when somebody is actually staying in them
- Older rooms and extensions may cool more quickly and require different timings because of higher heat loss potential
This is where room-by-room heating control can help. Heaters like Fischer’s electric radiators can be controlled individually using a smart wireless thermostat, meaning you can warm different rooms using multiple heating schedules.
So, rather than the spare bedroom following the same programme as the living room, you can schedule the heating for each space to align with when it’s actually being used.
Should you leave the heating on all day?
For many homes, leaving the heating on all day can waste energy if rooms are empty or warmth isn’t needed. For those with traditional central heating systems using gas, it generally makes more sense to heat the property when warmth is needed, in the rooms that need it, rather than maintaining the same temperature all day.
If you are tempted to leave the heating on all day, always consider how your heating system is designed to work. Storage heaters, heat pumps, electric radiators and conventional gas central heating can all use and deliver energy differently. Systems like heat pumps, for example, are designed to work better with longer, steadier operating periods.
Once the heating is on, how well your home is insulated comes into play. Even a well-insulated property loses some heat to the outside. The longer you maintain a warm indoor temperature, the longer the heating system has to work to replace any heat that escapes.
Adjust your heating schedule when working from home
If you’ve started working from home, this will change your heating requirements. Originally your heating schedule may have been based on the house being empty during the working hours of 9-5pm. While your daytime heating needs have changed, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to heat the whole property all day.
To manage energy usage while working from home, you can:
- Heat the home office or only the room you are working in to a comfortable temperature
- Keep internal doors closed where appropriate to help retain warmth in occupied spaces
- Avoid automatically heating empty bedrooms and spare rooms to the same temperature
- Use individual room controls where available
- Create different programmes for home-working days and office days
For example, if you’re working from the home office until 5pm and won’t be using the living room until the evening, room-by-room controls allow you to adapt the winter heating schedule. Therefore, heating will be on in rooms you’re spending time in, ‘following you’ around the rooms you’re occupying rather than being ‘at home’ as a reason to heat every room.
Adjust your heating schedule when hosting guests
Hosting people in guest rooms is another good example of why you should adapt your heating schedule. Until a room is occupied, like a spare bedroom, it doesn’t necessarily need to follow the same heating programme as the main areas of the house.
However, when friends and family arrive, then you can adjust the room’s heating schedule to accommodate a busier home so it’s comfortable before and during their stay. Once they leave, your usual heating plan can resume.
Using smart heating controls to reduce wasted heat
Smart heating controls that maximise 7-day heating programmes can make it easier to automate your normal routine while still allowing changes when your plans change.
That could involve going on holiday and wanting to ensure heat is still running through your property at select times, rather than following the usual winter heating schedule. Or, if you’re coming home later than expected, remote controls can allow you to adjust the heating when you’re away from the property. Rather than warming an empty house, you can remotely make sure your home will be warm on your return.
Depending on your system, smart heating controls may allow you to:
- Set a weekly heating schedule over 7 days
- Set different temperatures throughout the day, at 30 minute intervals
- Control individual rooms or heating zones
- Make changes remotely
- Override the normal programme temporarily
- Adjust heating when your plans change unexpectedly
Fischer electric radiators are each controlled by individual wireless thermostats, so homeowners can utilise room-by-room control. This means you can programme individual spaces around how they’re actually used, instead of relying on one central thermostat to heat the needs of the whole house.
With Fischer’s wireless central heating control features, it also detects if a window has been left open and can automatically turn off the system to prevent wasting energy.
Winter heating schedule checklist
To summarise our advice, we’ve created a helpful winter heating checklist so you can prepare your schedule in advance of the cold season:
- Set the timer around your real daily routine
- Check that the timer clock is correct
- Use separate weekday and weekend schedules where possible
- Keep the thermostat at a comfortable temperature rather than turning it up higher
- Avoid automatically heating unused rooms to the same level as occupied spaces
- Use room-by-room heating control where available
- Adjust your programme for working-from-home days
- Use temporary boost settings when plans change
- Review the schedule as the weather gets colder
- Consider how quickly your particular home warms up and cools down
- Make sure the schedule is appropriate for the type of heating system you have
Is your heating system giving you enough control?
If your home is using an older heating system, it may not provide enough control to create an efficient winter heating schedule. This can lead to uncomfortable, inconsistent temperatures once rooms get busy, or increase wasted heat in unoccupied spaces.
That’s where modern electric heaters can help and give you more control over your heating schedule. They may appeal to homeowners looking to upgrade to a more energy efficient option, since electric radiators also don’t rely on a network of water-filled pipes. With wireless thermostatic control built in, you could fully customise a heating routine fit for your entire household.
For more information on upgrading your heating system, book a free home heating survey to assess your property and heating needs, or request a free catalogue to explore Fischer’s electric radiators and controls.
Winter heating schedule FAQs
What is the best heating schedule for winter in the UK?
There is no single best heating schedule for winter that suits every UK home. A good schedule should fit your household routine, warming occupied rooms before they’re needed and reducing unnecessary heating when rooms are empty. Morning, daytime, evening and overnight settings should be adjusted according to your heating system, property and how quickly the home warms and cools.
Is it cheaper to leave the heating on all day?
For conventional central heating, it’s advised to heat the home only when it is needed rather than keeping the heating on at a set temperature all day. However, storage heaters and heat pumps, for example, operate differently from conventional boiler-based heating. For more detail, read our guide on whether to leave your heating on overnight or all day.
How should I set my heating timer?
Start by setting your heating timer around when you wake up, leave home, return and go to bed. With conventional central heating, this could mean programming the heating to start shortly before you wake and before you return home, then switching off or reducing when warmth isn’t required. Review weekday and weekend settings separately where possible as your routine may change.
What temperature should I set my heating to in winter?
Set your thermostat to the lowest temperature that feels comfortable, which for most people is between 18°C and 21°C. The appropriate temperature can vary depending on age, health, personal comfort and the property, so your own needs should come first.
How can I avoid heating rooms I don’t use?
Review which rooms are actually occupied at different times of day. Depending on your heating system, TRVs, heating zones or room-by-room controls can allow you to turn radiators down in rooms you use less, while keeping occupied spaces comfortable. Adjust schedules for spare bedrooms, home offices and other rooms as their occupancy changes.