The best way to cut down the excessive cost on gas bills is by replacing an old boiler with an energy-efficient one. Combi (Combination) boilers have become a popular choice in the UK due to their space-saving design. These boilers serve both as an energy-efficient water heater and a boiler for central heating in one single unit.
A new boiler will involve an upfront cost of buy install it, but if you are saving up or waiting to install a new boiler, there are ways that you could adopt to reduce your gas bills.
Make Saving Energy A Part of Your Lifestyle
A few key ways to reduce your gas usage are turning down the thermostat by a few degrees, turning off the heating when nobody is at home or asleep during the night.
Switching off the radiators in the rarely used rooms to make the heat loss as minimal as possible. Make sure your internal doors are open to keep the warm air moving inside the house. This would increase the efficiency of the heat transfer process. But, if you close them up, the airflow process will become slower, and it would consume a more significant amount of energy for heat circulation.
By making this change you might be able to save a considerable amount on your gas bills of up to £80-£100 per.
You should also explain the importance of turning the heating down to the people in your home. This way you and your family could be on the same page, and together you could succeed in your energy-saving journey!
Choose the Best Supplier
Choosing the supplier that offers you the most competitive rates is also another way to reduce your gas bill. Many house-owners in the UK make do with the same energy suppliers without getting a quote from others in the market. Switching to a supplier that offers the best rates could help lower your gas bills significantly.
Lowering the Water Temperature
If the water coming out of your taps is too hot to even touch, you are wasting precious resources and hurting yourself in the process. You could adjust the water temperature with the help of a dial present on your boiler. Turning the water temperature down a notch would save you from excessive amounts of bills and also from the boiling hot water.
Use Your Heating Smartly!
Households with an average amount of insulation could hold the heat for almost an hour after turning off the heat. Using the heating smartly and switching off the boiler beforehand when you know that you have to go out somewhere could also reduce your gas bill.
Improving the Insulation in Your Households
Sound insulation is vital to reduce heat loss in your homes. Improving insulation would help your house stay warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer for increased durations. This would have a huge impact on your heating system’s efficiency, which would help you save money.
Installing Double or Triple Glazed Windows
A significant heat loss occurs from the windows. Installing double or triple glazed windows would go a long way in reducing the heat transfer through the windows. This would also help to make your home quieter.
Double or triple glazed windows consist of two or three glass sheets with gaps in between. Getting them installed would minimise the effects of ambient conditions. This would make your home more energy-efficient and more comfortable.
Sealing the Draughts
This is the simplest and cheapest way of reducing your gas bill that you would ever come across! You simply have to seal all the gaps around your windows, floors, doors, electrical fittings or any other space from where cold air can make its way into your home.
By doing this, you would be able to save your household from unwanted heat loss and increase your gas boiler’s efficiency.
Thermally Insulate Your Curtains
If you are looking for cheaper ways to reduce your gas bill, this is the right way to do it! You need to buy curtains with a thermal lining to protect your house from losing its heat through the windows. Even if you don’t want to buy new ones, you could also line your current curtains with lining fabric to retain your rooms’ warm air.
Putting Carpets or Rugs in Rooms
If you don’t want to put extra amount of money on floor insulation, then covering them up with carpets or rugs is a good choice. This won’t be as effective as covering your floors with insulation, but it would be a comparatively cheap remedy to keep your house warm.
Putting carpets would cover up the draughts if any in your flooring. It would also provide some sort of insulation that would help to maintain the temperature of the house.
Getting Hot Water Pipes and Hot Water Tank Insulated
Another cost-effective way of reducing your gas bills is getting your hot water pipes and hot water tank insulated. Insulating your water pipes would reduce the heat loss from them. Doing so would consume a lesser amount of energy to heat the water up. Also, the water would retain its heat for longer periods. Insulating your water pipes is an easy process, and you could do it by yourself considering those pipes are accessible.
Like insulating water pipes, you should also insulate your hot water tank. Going from a completely uninsulated hot water tank to placing an insulating jacket around it would save both energy and money. It is advised to use jackets with at least 75mm thickness to see desirable results. Insulating the water tank would cut down the heat loss by 75% and you will get your payback within a few months.
Upgrade Your Thermostat
Using programable thermostats in your house is a splendid idea when it comes to saving energy! This tool would allow you to set the timings when your boiler needs to remain on and off. You would also be able to select specific temperatures for different timings throughout the day. This means you can heat your house only when needed and this way you could save yourself from those hefty gas bills.
You could also go above and beyond by making the smart choice and installing a smart thermostat in your home. This thermostat would only need a stable Wi-Fi connection to work. It would allow you to control your heating with a smart device from anywhere in the world. You would be able to turn your boiler on and off, adjust the temperature and a lot more remotely. This would go a long way in saving energy and your precious money.
Get Your Boiler Serviced or Replaced
You need to ensure that your gas boiler works at its full capacity and gives you maximum efficiency. For this purpose, you need to get your boiler serviced every year by a Safe Gas registered engineer. He would inspect, clean, replace parts and diagnose potential problems before they turn into defects and make sure that your boiler is working at its optimum.
If you have used your gas boiler for over 8 years and it breaks down often, then it might be time to get a new one! Older boilers give efficiency of only 70% while the newer ones are at least 92% efficient. This means of every 1£ you spend old boilers would waste 30p while the modern ones would waste only 8p. As you could see, there is a striking difference between the two and installing a new one would significantly decrease your gas bill.
Summing It Up!
There are a lot of options when it comes to cutting down your gas bill. Choosing the right ones is for you to decide. Making some techniques mentioned above a part of your life would increase the efficiency of the heating process. The increased heating efficiency would save energy and ultimately your hard-earned money.
So, what are you waiting for? Start making some smart choices and begin your bill slashing journey!