Heating articles
Advice centre
Heating systems
Radiators, controls, zoning, sludge, and choosing between gas and oil.
5 articles, each with the date it was last updated.
Do heating controls really save money?
Usually, yes. Heating only the zones you use, at the times you use them, saves fuel in most homes. SEAI offers a €700 heating controls grant for homes built and occupied before 2011.
C. Kenneally · Oct 2026Gas or oil heating — which is better in Cork?
If the gas network passes your house, gas is usually the more convenient choice — no tank, no deliveries and a smaller boiler. Oil is the norm off the network. Fuel prices move, so neither is always cheaper. If you are replacing either, it is worth pricing a heat pump too.
C. Kenneally · Oct 2026How do I bleed a radiator?
Turn the heating off and let it cool, open the bleed valve at the top corner with a radiator key until air stops and water appears, close it, then check the boiler pressure and top up if needed.
C. Kenneally · Oct 2026What temperature should my heating be set to?
Most people are comfortable with living areas at around 18 to 21°C. On a condensing boiler, turning the boiler's flow temperature down helps it condense and run more efficiently, as long as the rooms still reach temperature.
C. Kenneally · Oct 2026Why are my radiators cold at the bottom?
Cold at the bottom usually means sludge — magnetite from corrosion — has settled in the radiator. Cold at the top usually means air, which bleeding fixes.
C. Kenneally · Oct 2026
Need help identifying the problem?
Send a photo of the boiler, the system or the problem. Christy will tell you what is involved and what it will cost.
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