The Best Times to Heat Your Home and Lower Energy Bills

As energy bills rise and cold weather becomes more severe, the time you heat your home can matter almost as much as the temperature you choose.

Millions of people across Europe and North America still use their heating according to routine alone. They switch it on when they get up or as soon as they arrive home. Although this seems sensible, it can coincide with national electricity-demand peaks and make energy bills unnecessarily expensive.

Why heating times can matter more than heating levels

Most homes follow a similar pattern: radiators come on around breakfast, then again in the early evening. Energy suppliers can see this clearly in their figures. Demand rises steeply from about 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., and again from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., as households cook, shower, use lighting and run appliances.

Timing your heating away from national peaks can lower your bill and ease pressure on an already stressed grid.

When millions of properties turn their heating on simultaneously, there are two consequences. Prices tend to edge upwards as demand remains elevated. Meanwhile, grid operators must balance supply, at times requesting voluntary reductions or using emergency measures to prevent the network coming under excessive pressure.

This collective rush is particularly problematic in winter, especially during cold periods with limited wind or sunshine. Additional gas-fired power stations may have to operate, carbon emissions increase, and the likelihood of targeted restrictions or public alerts grows. This is especially true for systems strained by ageing infrastructure or geopolitical tensions.

The two heating periods that make more sense

Energy experts increasingly point to two daily heating periods that offer a stronger balance of comfort, cost and grid stability. The principle is straightforward: heat the home slightly before most people do in the morning, then maintain a smoother level of heating in the evening rather than turning it up sharply at the last moment.

• Morning: approximately 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., shortly before the main national demand surge.
• Evening: approximately 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., keeping temperatures steady and moderate instead of making large increases.

Starting the heating a little earlier in the morning means that a boiler or electric radiators operate while the system still has more spare capacity. Your home reaches a comfortable temperature before demand peaks, rather than contributing to another surge at the busiest point.

Heating slightly before the peak lets your home store warmth, while the grid is still relatively calm.

During the evening, heating gently and consistently from roughly 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. is often more efficient than running everything at full output for a short period from 7 p.m. Walls, floors and furniture provide thermal mass, retaining heat for several hours. As a result, you may be able to reduce the thermostat by half a degree while remaining comfortable.

This adjustment can be even more beneficial for households on time-of-use tariffs with cheaper off-peak periods. It helps them avoid the highest price bands while keeping the main living areas warm during the hours when they are most likely to be at home.

How to change heating habits without disrupting your routine

Resetting your heating schedule may sound inconvenient, but it generally takes only a few minutes. Most current thermostats and smart radiators let you programme multiple daily time periods at different temperatures.

For many households, a straightforward programme might be as follows:

Time of day	Suggested action	Target temperature
6:30–7:30 a.m.	Pre-heat main living areas	19–20°C
Daytime (when away)	Reduce the temperature, but do not switch heating off entirely	16–17°C
5:30–9:00 p.m.	Maintain steady heating in occupied rooms	19–20°C
Night	Lower the temperature in bedrooms and unused rooms	16–18°C

This approach prevents severe temperature changes. Instead of repeatedly heating the property from a very cold starting point, which can demand lengthy periods at maximum output, the system maintains a more manageable baseline.

Small behaviour changes that make a difference

As well as timing, several everyday choices can affect your bill almost as much as the type of fuel your heating uses.

• Programme rather than guess. Set the morning period for 6:30 to 7:30 a.m., even if you do not get up until 7 a.m. The room should already be warm when you wake.
• Bring forward the evening start. Start heating at around 5:30 p.m. rather than waiting until you feel cold. Keeping a mild level of warmth requires less energy than sharply raising the temperature later.
• Do not make large thermostat increases. Raising the setting from 16°C to 23°C at once increases consumption substantially without warming the home more quickly. Increase temperatures gradually instead.
• Prioritise the rooms you use. Let corridors and storage spaces remain cooler. Many households heat these areas automatically without gaining any additional comfort.

A well-tuned thermostat can save around 10–15% of heating costs over a year, without changing your everyday routine that much.

Why smart heating technology and physics work in your favour

These suggested heating periods are based on both physical principles and digital technology. Even homes with poor insulation have a degree of thermal inertia. After being heated, building materials release warmth gradually. Treating this stored heat as a buffer can move some energy use away from the busiest demand periods.

Smart thermostats add another layer of control. Many can learn how rapidly a property warms up and cools down. On colder days, they may start the boiler 20 or 30 minutes earlier so that the indoor temperature reaches the chosen level precisely at 7 a.m., rather than significantly before or after it. Certain devices can also respond to energy-price signals, automatically moving heating demand to periods when electricity is cheaper or generated more cleanly.

Grid operators are quietly supportive of this change. Every kilowatt-hour shifted from 7:30 a.m. to 6:45 a.m. reduces their need to use costly backup power stations. In turn, this can lower total system costs and help stabilise prices for all users over time.

Practical heating schedules in everyday life

For people working standard office hours

A person who leaves home at 8:15 a.m. could programme the thermostat to pre-heat from 6:30 a.m. The main room would reach 19–20°C shortly before breakfast, before falling to 16–17°C after 8 a.m. while the home is empty.

In the evening, the system could begin again at around 5:30 p.m., before they return at 6:30 p.m. By that point, warmth will have spread throughout the living areas. The radiators can then move into maintenance mode, operating in short bursts rather than continuously at full output.

For people working from home

People who work remotely may worry that this approach will leave them cold throughout the day. In reality, the same time periods can still be useful. The main adjustment is the daytime setting. Rather than reducing the temperature to 16°C, many people can remain comfortable at 18–19°C while wearing warm clothing, allowing the system to cycle gently between the two main heating periods.

Zoning is particularly effective in this situation. Where possible, heat the home office properly while accepting slightly lower temperatures in less frequently used rooms during working hours.

Additional ways to reduce consumption without sacrificing comfort

Adjusting heating times is only part of the solution. Other low-cost or free measures work particularly well alongside the two principal heating periods.

• Target temperature. Every degree above 19–20°C is likely to increase consumption by around 7%. Many households can lower the thermostat by 0.5–1°C with little noticeable effect on comfort.
• Basic insulation. Draught-proofing windows and doors, closing shutters overnight, and using thick curtains can help the home retain the heat built up during the 6:30–7:30 a.m. and 5:30–9 p.m. periods.
• Ventilation timing. Rooms still need airing, but opening windows for 5–10 minutes at midday rather than during the coldest hours prevents the loss of heat accumulated at the beginning and end of the day.

For people who prefer to work with figures, a basic simulation tool or spreadsheet can demonstrate the effect of moving heating times by 30 to 60 minutes. By adding your tariff, usual temperatures and daily timetable, you can estimate possible savings across an entire winter. Many users find that careful scheduling alone can absorb part of recent energy-price increases.

There is also a question of future risk. As more countries electrify heating and transport, winter demand peaks are likely to come under greater pressure. Households that adjust their routines early will be better placed for future tariffs that reward flexibility. Some trial schemes already pay or credit households that agree to reduce demand for an hour during peak periods. A heating system already programmed around the two recommended periods can adapt easily to these incentives and may even begin to create value rather than simply adding costs.