Nesta, a research and innovation foundation, published a project update on 14 July 2022 announcing a beta web tool that gives households tailored instructions on how to change their boiler settings, and inviting users to try it and provide feedback1.
The tool is the first intervention to be built from a longer list of ideas developed with industry stakeholders, including energy companies, consumer advice organisations, boiler manufacturers and heating engineer associations1. Nesta said the majority of gas boilers in the UK are not running as efficiently as they should, and that lowering the flow temperature, the temperature at which the boiler sends water to the radiators, could reduce household energy use by 6 to 8 per cent1.
"To help households lower their flow temperature, we have created a beta web tool that gives tailored instructions on how to change boiler settings."
Nesta's earlier research found that people were very open to lowering their flow temperature once informed of the benefits, and that all ten participants in its pilot were able to do so in practice1. It also found that even people who regularly looked for energy saving tips had not encountered this advice, and that the advice needs to come from multiple trustworthy sources for households to be likely to adopt it1. The longlist of ideas was grouped into four categories: physical prompts, digital prompts, practical advice, and incorporating boiler efficiency into best practice for heating engineers1.
Why it matters for households
Flow temperature is a boiler setting rather than a change of heating system, so it sits within the householder's own control and does not depend on a new appliance, fuel switch or installer visit. Nesta's stated estimate of a 6 to 8 per cent reduction in household energy use1 is a figure for energy consumed, not a promise about a particular bill, and the update does not give a figure in pounds. The practical obstacle Nesta identified is confidence: its research pointed to a need for an intervention that increases confidence in changing boiler settings and works across a wide range of boiler designs1. For a home's energy independence, the significance is that a share of gas use can be trimmed by adjusting equipment already installed, without waiting on external decisions. The detail of what a flow temperature is and how it is set is covered in our guide to boiler flow temperature, and the wider context sits in the boilers and heating section.
What happens next
Nesta said it will later run a field trial, a lab experiment and modelling to provide evidence of the extent to which lowering flow temperatures reduces energy consumption and bills1. No dates for those stages are given in the update. The beta tool remains open for household feedback1.
Sources1 cited
- Boiler settings: ideas to encourage action | Nesta, nesta.org.uk