Using your heating and hot water well
Last checked 26 September 2026
A few simple habits get the best from your heating, and it helps to know what to do if it stops.
Getting the settings right
These tips come from the Energy Saving Trust:
- Room thermostat. Set it to the lowest temperature you're comfortable at, which for most people is between 18°C and 21°C. Turning it up won't warm your home faster, and there's no need to turn it up on colder days.
- Timer. Set the heating to come on about half an hour before you get up and go off about half an hour before bed. Check its clock after the clocks change.
- Radiator dials. Choose the lowest number that keeps each room comfortable, perhaps 3 to 4 where you spend most time and 2 to 3 in bedrooms.
- Hot water cylinder. If you have one, its thermostat should stay between 60°C and 65°C. That's hot enough to kill harmful bacteria, and also hot enough to scald, so take care.
Going away in winter? See going away.
If the heating or hot water stops
Heating and hot water are ours to keep in repair (see repairs). First check the boiler has power and the timer and thermostat are on, and note any fault code on its display.
In freezing weather, a boiler can stop because its small outside drain pipe has frozen. Council advice is to pour warm (never boiling) water over it, then reset the boiler as its manual explains.
Still not working? Email admin@rlancaster.co.uk, or phone, text or WhatsApp 07398 042 999.
Gas: leave it to the experts
By law, nobody may work on gas unless they're competent, and gas businesses must be on the Gas Safe Register. So please don't repair, service or alter a boiler, gas fire, pipe or meter yourself. We send a Gas Safe registered engineer, who carries an ID card showing what they can work on (see safety checks).
Turn an appliance off and tell us if you see yellow or orange flames instead of blue (flame effect fires aside), soot or brown staining, or a pilot light that keeps going out.
If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999, open doors and windows, and turn the gas off at the meter if you know where it is. For carbon monoxide, see our guide to smoke and CO alarms.
Find out more
This guide is general information about renting in England, not legal advice. If you're one of our tenants and have a question, just get in touch.
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