Should you turn the heating off at night or when you go out?

Heat your home around your routine, with health and frost protection in mind.

The answer in 2 lines. With a boiler, keeping the heating on constantly does not generally save energy. Programme it around when you need warmth, using a lower temperature or an off period when appropriate. Keep occupied rooms warm enough for everyone’s health. Before a winter holiday, leave suitable background heating and check frost protection. With a heat pump, longer, steadier operation is often preferable: follow the system’s instructions.

The first 3 steps

Identify your system: a boiler, heat pump, storage heaters or direct electric heaters. Their schedules should not automatically be the same.
Write down when the home is occupied, including anyone staying in during the day. Photograph the existing settings before changing them.
Before going away in winter, check the heating instructions, frost protection and any conditions in your home insurance policy.

Stop: danger

Cold and health: do not reduce heating simply to meet a savings target if someone becomes uncomfortably cold or their health is affected. People who are older, less mobile or have health conditions may need warmer rooms.
Portable heaters: do not leave one running unattended or while asleep as a substitute for properly controlled heating. Use fixed heating as intended.

With a boiler: programme the warmth you need

The Energy Saving Trust’s guidance, updated in 2026 explains that leaving boiler heating on all day uses more energy than operating it when needed. Read its scheduling section, then match your timer to your household’s routine.

For a home empty during working hours, that might mean heating before departure and again before returning. Notice how quickly your home cools and reheats, and adjust the programme accordingly. A poorly insulated home and a sheltered flat will behave differently.

Choose a sensible overnight setting

A programmable thermostat can maintain a lower minimum temperature, often called a setback. Citizens Advice’s England guide suggests a modest setback of a few degrees below your comfortable temperature rather than letting rooms get very cold. Use the section matching your controls: combined programmer and thermostat, or separate devices.

That is practical energy advice, not an individual medical recommendation. Government cold-weather guidance recommends heating frequently occupied rooms to at least 18°C. Read its keeping-warm section before deciding whether a lower overnight setting suits your household.

What not to do

Assuming that reheating always costs more than leaving a boiler heating continuously.
Turning the thermostat above your usual comfortable setting to hurry the warm-up.
Copying someone else’s holiday temperature without checking your home, heating system and insurance conditions.

Before a winter holiday

The Met Office’s frozen-pipe guidance advises leaving heating on low when away, insulating vulnerable pipes and arranging occasional checks inside the home. Use its prevention checklist before leaving.

Check what your frost or holiday setting actually protects. Do not assume that a symbol on the boiler guarantees protection for every pipe in a loft, garage or outside wall. Ask a qualified heating professional if the instructions are unclear. Leave the person checking your home clear contact details and explain where the stop tap is.

Heat pumps and underfloor heating

Heat pumps often work best with longer, steadier heating periods. Avoid copying a boiler’s morning-and-evening schedule. Use the heat-pump section of the Citizens Advice guide: ask the installer before changing operating times, or your landlord if you rent.

For underfloor heating, establish whether it is electric or water-based. Adjust the normal room controls according to the instructions; leave manifold settings to someone qualified.

Good to know

Check that the controller is following its programme rather than a permanent manual override.
Record comfort and any condensation after changing the schedule. A cheaper-looking setting is unsuitable if rooms become persistently cold or damp.
This guide covers England. Heating principles also apply elsewhere, but health advice, support services and housing requirements can differ.

Illustrative example: in Leeds, Aisha’s boiler heats an empty home throughout the working day. She saves a photo of the settings, programmes heating around her return and checks how the house feels. Before a winter trip, she uses an appropriate background setting and asks a neighbour to check inside.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 6 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the distinction between boiler scheduling and heat-pump operation, and for official cold-weather precautions; medium for an individual household’s settings, which depend on health, insulation, equipment and insurance. Temperature figures are guidance, not guaranteed safe settings for every home.