Cooling and heating account for about 40 percent of household energy use, which makes it the largest energy usage category in the average home. You should only heat rooms that you regularly use and close doors to the rooms not in use to reduce the heated area. Turning off the heating while you aren’t at home and when sleeping will also ensure that you don’t spend money on unnecessary heating.
Adjust Your Thermostat or Invest in a new one
Adjust your thermostat since each 1°C lower for cooling or higher for heating adds 10 percent to your energy usage. 18°C to 20°C is recommended for heating. If you would like to save money on gas but don’t like the idea of adjusting your thermostat manually, you should consider investing in a programmable one.
Reduce Your Usage of Hot Water
Using less water also translates to less usage of gas. Take shorter showers of between 4 and 5 minutes instead of taking baths, since showering generally takes less water. A low-flow showerhead will reduce water and energy costs further. You should also repair leaky taps.
Switch to an Instantaneous Hot Water System
Heating water contributes up to 30 percent of your home energy use. While it might cost more to install hot water systems, they can help you save more money in the long run by only heating water when it is needed, rather than round the clock.
If an instantaneous hot water system isn’t an option, you can check whether your pipes and storage tank are insulated. With proper insulation on both the water pipes and tank, you can significantly reduce the amount of energy used to keep the water at the right temperature. Up to 30 percent of the energy used for heating the water can be lost due to a lack of insulation. Keep your hot water boiler maintained with Corgi Home Plan.
Insulate Your Home
The less heat that you need for your home, the less gas you will use. As such, investing in better insulation is a common way to save money on your gas and electricity bills. A properly insulated home is warmer during winter, cooler in summer, and less expensive throughout the year.
A house that’s not insulated can lose as much as 50 percent of its heat via the ceiling and gain 60 percent of its heating through the walls and ceiling during summer. An insulated roof ensures that cold air doesn’t creep in and also traps warm air inside your home thus making you less dependent on your gas heater.
Replace Your Washing Machine and Dishwasher
The manufacturers of appliances are constantly working at improving the overall energy efficiency of their appliances and if your washing machine or dishwasher is over 5 years old, it might be costing you a lot of wasted energy and water.
If you replace your dishwasher and/or washing machine, starting with the one you use most often, you should not only consider the energy rating, but also an eco-wash feature that lets you control the water temperature or water level, particularly when you need to use hot water.
Layer Up
If you are at home during the day in winter, resist the urge to turn on your gas heater or fireplace to warm up. Instead, throw on a cardigan, put on some wooly socks, or drape a throw over your shoulders while reading or watching TV. If you are just planning to curl up on the sofa, you can even get away with turning the heater to a lower setting at night and using a plush throw or blanket to keep warm.
Close Doors and Curtains
Your house can lose as much as 40 percent of its heating during winter and gain as much as 87 percent of its heat in summer via the windows. You can use heavy-weight curtains to protect your home from external temperatures in a far more effective way than blinds can.
Opening curtains during the day in winter allows the sun to naturally warm up some of the rooms, but you need to then close the curtains again once the sun starts to set so as to trap the heat inside.
Closing curtains and doors help you save on cooling and heating costs at any time of the year. However, if you warm up your house during winter using a gas heater or fireplace, this simple habit will help you cut gas costs significantly.
Avoid Preheating Your Oven
Gas ovens can quickly reach cooking temperatures, so preheating the oven before you put in the roast is not always necessary. You can also save a bit of money on your bill if you limit the number of times that you open the oven door while cooking, limiting the amount of heat that escapes by checking whether the seal around the door is intact.