How do I work out what my central heating costs per hour? I want to stay warm but 削減（する） my energy 法案

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I am やめる worried about my heating 法案 this winter, and want to take 支配（する）／統制する of this as much as I can.?

The problem is I have fallen at the first 障害物 as I can't work out how much my central heating costs me to run.

I know how much 器具s like fridges and 宙返り／暴落する dryers cost to operate, but I am 完全に in the dark about the cost of my heating ? にもかかわらず this 推定では 存在 one of the biggest contributors to my energy 法案.

Is there a way of working out how much my heating costs to run, and from that work out how much I could save by cutting 負かす／撃墜する on what I use?

I live in a three-bedroom 所有物／資産／財産 with my wife and young daughter, and we have nine radiators fed by a 24 kilowatt gas boiler. We are on an energy 取引，協定 規制するd by the Ofgem price cap.

Home heat: Our reader is keen to use the central heating in the 冷淡な 天候 - but wants to keep 法案s at bay where possible?

Sam Barker of This is Money replies:?I am sorry to hear about your heating 法案 worries ? this sounds like the last thing you need with the 最近の 氷点の 気温s.?

I imagine that like many of us, you are using your central heating more than usual.

It is possible to get an idea of how much it might cost to run your heating - but unfortunately it is a very rough 見積（る）, and can change depending on a number of factors.?

The basic 計算／見積り is this. Start with your boiler, which is your 事例／患者 uses 24 kilowatts of energy an hour.

Because of the Ofgem price cap, you 支払う／賃金 no more than 34p per kilowatt hour (kWh) for electricity and 10.3p per kWh for gas, which is what runs the boiler.

So multiplying 24 by 10.3p, then dividing by 100, gives the 人物／姿／数字 of £2.40 per hour to run your boiler. So that's £9.60 for four hours, £14.40 for six hours and so on.?

Your energy 法案 will also be 限られた／立憲的な by the 政府's Energy Price 保証（人）, which 無視／無効s the price cap and 限界s gas and electricity costs to no more £2,500 a year for the 普通の／平均（する） 世帯, using the 普通の／平均（する） 量 of energy. If you use more, however, you will 支払う／賃金 more.?

The bad news is that this £2.40 per hour 人物／姿／数字 is a ballpark 見積（る）, and the actual cost based on you and your home could be やめる different. That is because there are so many different things to think about with central heating costs.

A spokesperson for comparison 会社／堅い Uswitch, which publishes data about the energy 器具s use, told me there are 'just too many variables' to be 正確な about central heating costs.

For 装置s like fridges, working out the cost of using them is pretty 平易な ? you multiply the wattage by the time the 装置 is on by the cost of energy at the time. That 人物／姿／数字 will be pretty 正確な even if your fridge is old or inefficient.

But for central heating, you have to take the wattage, time and cost of energy then 追加する in things like how warm you want to be, how efficient your boiler is, how 井戸／弁護士席 絶縁するd your 所有物／資産／財産 is, how many radiators you have in your house, how big your rooms are ? the 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） goes on, and some of these things are very difficult to quantify.?

We looked at the different low-cost ways to maximise the heat in your home here.?

If you've got a smart メーター, these gadgets can help you get a better 支配する on your energy 法案s.

There are 落し穴s to consider - as our sister 肩書を与える Money Mail has 報告（する）／憶測d, some 顧客s complain that their smart メーターs have stopped working or 原因（となる）d inflated 法案s.??

But if a smart メーター 作品 for you, you can either use the メーター itself to work out your energy use, or there are apps that make it easier.

Ben Gallizzi, energy 専門家 at Uswitch, said: 'If you're 混乱させるd about how much energy you are using, you can download Utrack, a 解放する／自由な 動きやすい app that lets 消費者s connect to their smart メーター and easily 跡をつける their energy use.

'By 跡をつけるing their 消費, people can see what changes they can make to save money, while also 確実にするing they are 減ずるing their habits in a 安全な and manageable way.'

Another bit of advice that might help you get a 支配する on your heating co sts is from the Energy Saving 信用, which says if you turn 負かす／撃墜する your thermostat by 1C, this will knock around 10 per cent from your 年一回の energy 法案.

Assuming you don't 支払う／賃金 more than £2,500 per year for energy, that could mean a saving of up to £250.

Again, this is very rough, and only 適用するs if you have your thermostat in the 地域 of 18-21C.