After a very wet start to 2026, welcome milder temperatures are coming around. But with mornings and evenings still chilly, where does that leave you when it comes to your heating, and how long should you have it on in spring?
While it may not quite be warm enough to go without it entirely, the likelihood is now that you don’t need your heating on for as many hours as you would in winter.
How many hours a day should your heating be on in spring?
There’s not actually a set number of hours that your heating should be on in spring, especially as there’s lots of factors that can influence how warm your home feels.
Beyond the changeable weather than we can still get in the UK at this time of year, from high teens one minute, to single figures the next, the orientation of your home, and how well insulated it is will all play a part in how long your heating should be on for this season.
‘It is difficult to give an exact number as there are so many factors to consider,’ says Martyn Bridges from Worcester Bosch. ‘Everything from whether the house is properly insulated to whether it has a south-facing conservatory. Each will inform the home temperature.’
At this time of year, south facing rooms will feel warmer on sunny days as they benefit from solar gain. If the rooms you spend most time in during the day face south, and have large windows, then you might find that you don’t need your heating on much at all.
However, for rooms facing north, they might still feel chilly so you might still need a boost from your heating to keep things comfortable.
What’s a good example spring heating schedule?
As we head into spring time, temperatures tend to still be low first thing in the morning and when the sun goes down, but are relatively mild during the middle of the day. And so typically a schedule like the below could work for the average home:
- First thing in the morning. Overnight temperatures are still quite low this time of year, so scheduling your heating to come on for an hour or so as you get up is still a wise idea.
- Off during the day. If you are home during the day, then one of the best oil-filled radiators or electric heaters may be all you need for the occasional burst of heat when and where you need it.
- Early evening. Right now in the UK, the sun is setting at around 6pm, which is when we tend to feel temperatures dropping. To ward off the chill, it’s worth scheduling your heating to come on for a couple of hours in the evening to keep things comfortable.
‘You can run the heating 60 to 90 minutes before you wake up, then again for 1-2 hours after sunset, with little or no daytime running if the house is holding heat,’ says Matthew Powell, Founder of WarmZilla. ‘Keeping the main thermostat around 18 to 19°C with a night setback of 16 to 17°C usually balances comfort, home energy use, and the cost of living, without letting the building get so cold that the risk of dampness increases.’
‘Many households run space heating for about 2 to 4 hours a day in March and April, then taper to roughly 1 to 2 hours a day by late May if the weather stays mild. Those hours are often split into two windows, one around getting up and one later in the evening, rather than a continuous daytime run. The exact figure swings with insulation, draughts, and how quickly radiators warm up, so a well set-up system can feel comfortable on fewer hours than an older or poorly balanced one.’
But while this is a good example to follow, there’s no hard and fast rule. ‘Don’t feel afraid to turn down or turn off the heating if the weather is nice outside,’ adds Martyn. ‘All you have to do is turn it back on!’
How should homeowners adapt their home heating for spring?
With the weather still changeable, it’s worth understanding how best to adapt your heating system to ensure a comfortable home environment all day long.
‘If you have modern up-to-date controls, then they will do all of that task for you,’ explains Martyn. ‘They can detect the temperature of both the weather and the indoor air temperature and either turn the heating down to its lowest rate or even turn the boiler off.’
However if don’t have modern controls, then a little more input is needed. ‘With older controls, such as mechanical room thermostats and time clocks, then you need to make the adjustments yourself,’ explains Martyn.
‘Turning the heating on in the morning for an hour can bring the house up to a comfortable 21 centigrade, but for spring that can be reduced to thirty minutes. Similarly, you can switch it on later and later at night as the days continue to get longer.
‘It’s ultimately trial-and-error depending on the weather outside. The best bet is to invest in modern day controls, as the job is done for you.’ This can be an ideal one-time way to save energy.
If you do want to update your controls, consider the options below.
Tado Wireless Smart Thermostat X – Starter Kit
Control your heating room-by-room with this Tado smart thermostat. It can also be used in conjunction with thermostatic radiator valves for complete heating management.
Hive Thermostat Mini for Heating Control
For use with a combi boiler, the Hive thermostat is easy to use, and you can use the Hive app to control and schedule your heating from anywhere.
Tado° Smart Radiator Thermostat X
Control your radiators from your phone thanks to this smart radiator thermostat, which means you can customise the heat where you still need it in spring, and turn it right down in rooms that benefit from solar gain or that aren’t used as often.
When do people tend to turn their heating off for summer?
While the answer to when people turn their heating off for the summer season will entirely depend on the weather, many people tend to time it when the clocks go forward, which this year happens on Sunday 29 March.
Remember
When the clocks change, remember to check the time on your heating controls otherwise your desired schedule could end up an hour out of sync.
But it’s worth keeping an eye on the weather and look for steady warmer temperatures before you put your heating in summer mode. Matthew recommends keeping watch for consistent overnight temperatures of 8°C and above, and checking whether your home can hold at 18°C by early evening. An inexpensive room thermometer like this one from Amazon (£6.29) can help you decide when it’s mild enough to do without your radiators.
This year, the kind of tariff you are on may also play into your decision of when you turn the heating off, especially if you are on a variable tariff, as Martyn explains: ‘Given the recent conflict between US and Iran, gas prices are skyrocketing, so if not on a fixed tariff any minute you can turn your heating off the better.’
Once you are less reliant on your radiators to keep warm at home, it’s a good idea to get your system serviced. ‘This is also a sensible window to book maintenance, because spring and summer are quieter for boiler installation and servicing, and small fixes now can reduce run-time and bills next season,’ says Matthew. ‘A brief test run every few weeks keeps pumps and valves moving, which helps avoid avoidable call-outs later.’
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