It is ‘one of the simplest winter preparations’ you can make
Experts predict October 20 to be the first day to pop the central heating on(Image: Olga Rolenko via Getty Images)
Households throughout the UK may wish to carry out a “simple” heating check before the colder weather arrives, with some frosty mornings already forecast for parts of the country.
The Met Office has described October as a “transition” month, “capable of producing conditions that feel like an extension of summer as well as an early taste of winter”. Previous Octobers have brought everything from remarkable warmth and heavy downpours to sharp frosts and even snowfall. In its latest UK forecast, the Met Office indicates we can expect it to be “much cooler than of late” from Friday (October 16).
Looking ahead to the period from Sunday, October 18, through to Tuesday, October 27, high pressure is set to bring “largely fine and dry weather for many, perhaps with some overnight mist and fog patches”. However, there could also be some “rain from the west and showers may spread in from eastern coasts at times”.
Mostly light winds and “around normal” temperatures for the time of year are anticipated, along with some frosty mornings for certain areas. The NHS recommends switching the central heating on when outdoor temperatures fall below 15C.
According to bestheating, drawing on long-term Met Office data, this threshold is expected to be reached on October 20 in 2026. Before your central heating is switched back on, there is one important yet straightforward check you should carry out.
Heating experts MD & BW Buxton Ltd say: “One of the simplest winter preparations is also one of the most useful: turn your heating on before the first properly cold spell. If the system has been used very little during the warmer months, an early test gives you time to notice problems such as: the boiler not starting; heating taking unusually long to warm up; one or more radiators staying cold; boiler pressure dropping; unusual banging, gurgling or whistling sounds; heating controls not responding correctly”.
Identifying any of these issues in autumn is generally far less disruptive than stumbling across them on a bitterly cold morning. A brief test also provides an opportunity to check the entire system, rather than simply assuming that a working boiler means every radiator and control is functioning as it should.
