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How can I lower my gas bills? Follow these five easy steps

13th March 2014 Print

This is a common question that we get asked a lot. With the weather changing unexpectedly, it is virtually impossible to plan your monthly usage. It used to be assumed that whereas in winter you’d use more energy, it would even out in summer with barely any usage. This sounds ideal but reality is far from that easy. You can’t rely on the weather to lower your bills so we’ve put together a few tips on how to help you save money.

Number one - let’s start with home improvements. If someone leaves a window or door open, you will feel a draught. Ensure these are closed and you will feel the real benefits of your heating. Buying things like draught excluders, which are relatively cheap, and closing the curtains will also keep the heating off and reduce the need for the heating to be switched on all night. You might also want to consider other insulation methods. Cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and double glazing are all great ways to lock in the heat and minimise your usage.

Number two is one that many neglect to consider– provide your energy supplier with monthly meter readings. This will generate bills based on what you have used each month. Set bills seem cheaper until you realise at the end of your plan you went over by a great deal and you have a lot of money to pay out. Stay in control of your bills and usage by only paying what you use, this will work out cheaper and you will start coming more conscious about using the heating when you don’t need to.

Number three - prevention is cheaper than the cure right? We’ve all heard this saying now apply it to your boiler. It can seem quite a steep price to pay especially when your old boilers works fine. However boilers have a habit of breaking at the wrong times; a new boiler would stop you worrying about this and a new one is said to lower your gas bills by up to £300 a year. When you look at how much you save every year, the boiler pays for itself and you still end up saving money.

Number four: When you are going about everyday life there are certain things you probably do that provide you with heat and you won’t even realise. Everyone cooks dinner at home but why not leave the kitchen door open while you cook. The heat from the cooker will spread and your house will be filled with a great cooking aroma.
Do you ever light candles? They don’t just give off good scents or provide a romantic atmosphere, they generate warmth. These things reduce your need to use as much heating.

Number five is the most important; turn it off. Do you really need it on for four hours every night or are you simple too cosy on the sofa to move? If you followed the other steps, your house will be warmer anyway. One of the common causes of high energy bill is that people use it unnecessarily. Turn it off when you are not using it. Also rethink timers, do you really need it to be on that much especially when you’re not in the house. Think about your usage and generating monthly meter readings will help you become more conscious of this.

This advice was supplied by Andy from 0800 Repair. For further information or advice on how you can lower your gas bills, please do not hesitate to give us a call.