ITV expert says Lidl £1.66 device crucial for room warming decision in October

ITV expert says Lidl £1.66 device crucial for room warming decision in October With home bills soaring it's important people know when it's the right time to stick the heating on, Grace Forrell said An ITV expert has told This Morning viewers they should get items which can be bought for as little as £1.66 each from outlets like Lidl - to make sure their homes are just the right temperature this winter. Consumer guru Grace Forrell said people need to know when it’s getting too cold and they need to put the heating on - but also when it’s too hot and they need to save money. She said people need to set them up in different rooms. There are many on offer - Lidl sells the Livarno Home (or Auriol) digital thermometer and hygrometer 3-pack for around £4.99. B&Q sells a 4 pack of indoor thermometers for £10.59. It comes as people face soaring bills - the UK energy price cap increased by 3.6% (rounded to 4%) on 1 October 2026, bringing the average annual bill for a typical dual-fuel household paying by monthly Direct Debit to £1,723. Prices are predicted to rise by over 20% in January. Ms Forrell said people are currently considering when to turn their heating on. She told hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard: “It’s really up to you when you choose to turn your heating on. From a safety point of view, you don’t really want to be sitting in a room that’s colder than 18° during the day. “And if you’re elderly or you have certain medical conditions, you want that to be a few degrees warmer is the minimum as well. But you can pick up decent room thermometers for around £10. You can get them on the high street or online and they can help you track the temperature inside so you know when to switch it on.” She had three rules about things people need to check: - Check your carbon monoxide detectors. Test the alarm and see if there’s an expiry date. We tend to use fuel-burning appliances more in the winter which increases the CO risk. - Bleed your radiators and give the insides a good clean. Air pockets and dust build up can both affect efficiency. - Service your boiler! If something goes wrong in the middle of winter you may pay a higher call out fee due to demand AND you’ll be without warmth at the worst time. Catch any issues now, trust me. Ensure our latest home economics headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings She explained: “Now is a really good time of year to do various checks. One is checking your boiler. Now, gas boilers should be serviced annually. So, if you haven’t had yours serviced in a while, now is the time to do it because if you wait until winter and it packs in, you’ll probably have to pay quite a high call out fee because demand will be high and you’ll be without heating at the coldest time. "So, getting your boiler checked, it will just ensure everything’s working as it should be before you really start putting it through its paces. It costs around £100. Make sure you’re using an engineer who’s on the gas safe register. And if you rent, your landlord is responsible for the gas safety checks and for maintaining your boiler as well.”