Jeremy Usbourne, Peep Show’s camouflage-wearing layabout played by Robert Webb, isn’t exactly known for having sound judgement — but for some reason, people trust his advice when it comes to their heating.
In season six of the cult comedy, he and his flatmate Mark Corrigan (David Mitchell) are discussing their new boiler when Jez suggests they ‘whack it up to 29’.
Forced to defend his ‘insane’ temperature choice, he says that he doesn’t actually want it to be that warm, yet by setting the thermostat at 29°, he’s giving it ‘something to aim for’ so ‘it’ll get hotter quicker’.
‘Set it to 23, it’ll be pootering along, “Oh yeah, 23, easy. Yeah, nearly there”,’ says Jeremy. ‘Wouldn’t you rather “F***! 29? Christ, let’s get cracking, gotta generate some serious heat!” Then when it hits 23, we’re suddenly all like “Click. Sorry. Already there.” And the boiler will be like “What the f***?”
Despite strait-laced Mark’s scepticism they could ‘trick the boiler’ though, numerous fans of the show remain convinced otherwise.
‘I do this all the time,’ wrote Reddit user LetMeBeGreat, while Johnny_Dangerously added: ‘I honestly thought this was common and proper practice to make it work faster.’
After FosterRyans posted to r/NoStupidQuestions asking ‘Am I being stupid or does Jez have a point here?’, numerous commenters debated his theory, with some claiming it could ring true depending on the specific heating system installed.
With energy bills at an all-time high, it’s understandable you might consider hacks like these (however silly they seem) to save a few quid.
But in this case, chance would be a fine thing, and while we’d rather not live quite so relentlessly in the real world, the expert’s verdict is firmly on team Corrigan.
According to British Gas service and repair engineer, Peter Knowles, it’s simply ‘not possible’ to trick your boiler.
‘Although tempting, cranking the thermostat up when it’s cold doesn’t heat the home any quicker,’ he tells Metro. ‘This only wastes money and energy by making the boiler work harder for longer, all while risking making the room uncomfortably warm.’
Have you ever tried Jeremy’s boiler trick?
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Yes, and it worked for me!
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Yes, but it didn't work.
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No, but I'm curious to try.
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No, I don't believe in these tricks.
Instead, Peter says: ‘The most effective way to heat your home is by keeping it at a steady temperature, ideally between 18°C and 21°C. It’s also very wise to use timers to schedule your heating 30 minutes before you wake up or return home after a day at work.’
To cut costs, he actually recommends turning the dial in the opposite direction, explaining: ‘Reducing the temperature by just one degree could trim around 10% your heating costs, saving the average household roughly £75 a year.’
If you feel like your boiler isn’t heating up as quickly as you’d like, your best bet is to call in the professionals. They’re far more qualified to offer technical advice than Jeremy — a man who thinks Field of Dreams is market research and you can become a millionaire with £20,000.
His designated party ‘puke points’ tip, however? Solid words of wisdom.
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