Warning that turning off the heating could lead to bigger bills in the long run

As temperatures remain below freezing across Glasgow and the west, a local plumber has warned that turning our central heating off to save money could lead to even bigger bills in the long run.

Mo Shahid, from 1st Choice Plumbing & Heating, has been inundated will call outs to burst and frozen pipes since the cold snap began.

He said he has been giving this advice to customers:

“If you’ve got a central heating system keep it on. Don’t be afraid to put it on. Please don’t sit there in the cold thinking ‘I can’t afford the heat’. Your life is more important than a bill and I can’t stress that enough.”

Mo explained that keeping the heating on at a low temperature 24/7 will allow some heat to be retained under floorboards and in loft spaces and help prevent burst pipes – which can be more expensive in the long run.

While winter is usually a busy time for 1st Choice Plumbing & Heating, Mo said this year has been particularly challenging because in addition to the cold weather the prices of supplies has increased.

As well as attending call outs, Mo has been giving advice to struggling families over the phone for free to help them get their boilers back up and running and get some heat into their homes.

Elsewhere, the Scottish Government has declared a major incident on Shetland as thousands of homes face a third day without power.

The Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution have been working to restore power after the snow and ice caused damage to overhead cables, cutting off around 2,800 homes.

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice covering much of the North and East of the country has also been extended till midday on Friday after a record low temperature of -17.3 was recorded in Braemar in Aberdeenshire on Monday night.

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