OCTOBER 2026 | VOLUME 64 | ISSUE 8


Domestic heating upgrades could allay price rise pain


With typical home bills forecast to jump by £276 by January, households are being encouraged to look at ways to minimise their heating costs and consider investing in the latest energy saving controls.


Average household energy bills are predicted to reach almost £2,000 a year, with the government’s cap on energy prices set to jump by 16%, according to energy consultancy Cornwall Insight. The rise will come at the worst


time of year, according to Craig Lowrey, principal consultant at Cornwall Insight: “These prices are going to hit households hard. January is already a difficult month for many, with cold weather and bank balances still recovering after Christmas,” he says. The forecaster acknowledges


that the energy crisis could mean high bills “well beyond winter”, with low gas storage levels in Europe as a result of the ongoing disruption to gas supplies in the Middle East. The UK government has


responded by cutting VAT on domestic electricity (until the end of March 2027), which is expected to deliver a typical saving of around £45. There has also been an expansion of the £150 Warm Home Discount to around six million households.


moment to look at where that heat is actually going,” says Christian Delimann, co-founder and MD at Tado.


“The important thing is that


households do not have to heat every room in exactly the same way. Smart controls can make it much easier to manage different rooms, set schedules and turn heating down when spaces are not being used — all from an app rather than going around the house adjusting each radiator individually.” The company has recently


Responding to the VAT reduction, John Felgate, MD of Stiebel Eltron UK, argues that it strengthens the case for investing in heat pumps: “Heat pumps have long been the greener choice for heating our homes, and now they’re becoming an even smarter one for people’s pockets too. “As the nights draw in and the heating goes on, the cost of running a heat pump will fall noticeably. Because heat pump homes rely on electricity for both heating and hot water, they stand to benefit more than most. “The cut also sends a really


clear signal. By removing VAT from electricity but not from gas, the government is tipping the balance firmly towards low- carbon, renewable heating. That makes the decision easier for anyone wondering whether a heat pump is right for their home.” Speaking on behalf of Worcester Bosch, head of training Darren


Danks suggests that there are a number of simple measures that households could take to improve the efficiency of their heating system, including checking boiler pressure and bleeding radiators. He comments: “While the VAT


exemption on electricity bills will help in the short term, there will remain a large number of people struggling to meet their energy bills this winter. Longer term, accelerating energy efficiency and modernising the way we heat our homes will all play a role in lowering bills.”


Smart thinking Tado, the manufacturer of home energy management solutions, believes that the rise in energy costs reinforces the need for smart heating controls and geofencing to avoid heating an empty room. “The energy price cap rising just as people start turning their heating back on makes this a good


undertaken research in areas of the home where UK households use their heating the most. Not surprisingly, the living room accounts for the biggest share of heating demand in the average UK home, at 28%, closely followed by the bedroom at 25.9%. Kitchens account for 18.2%, while dining rooms and bathrooms make up 15.4% and 15.2% respectively. Where households use their


heating also changes depending on where they live. While the living room is the biggest heating- demand room across most of the country, Londoners devote just as much heating demand to their bedrooms as their living rooms - 29% each. London’s kitchens are also the most heated in the country at 20%. At the other end of the spectrum, Northern Ireland is the only region where bedrooms clearly overtake living rooms, accounting for 29% of heating demand compared with 26% for the living room. Bathrooms also range from 17% in London to just 12% in Northern Ireland.


Training Update See page 13


Inside this issue phamnews.co.uk


Horror Show See page 12


Business Matters See page 16


Product News See page 36


Plumbing, heating and gas supplies...


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