The days may be getting shorter and the temperatures getting lower, but that also means it’s the time of year that bills go up. The biggest of them will almost certainly be your gas bill due to the huge increase in heating and hot water use over the winter months – giving you a big shock when your quarterly bill arrives next year.
But being the UK’s gas experts, here at 1Gas we have compiled a handy guide full of tips to help you keep the heat in and knock real savings off your gas bill this winter:
Whether you’re looking at making savings at home or in a business location, it’s important to ensure that you have the most suitable pipes and meters installed to accommodate your gas usage. If a business premises has a smaller gas meter installed it may not be operating at the correct pressure or maximum efficiency, leading to higher gas usage and higher bills.
Similarly, if your home gas setup includes a larger than necessary gas meter then you could be using a lot more gas than you need to – all adding up to wasted energy and wasted money.
If you have a communal area or living room that is used most of the time that you’re home, then it could be worth considering having a gas fireplace installed. It might sound like common sense, but it’ll allow you to just heat the one room you’re using rather than the whole house or entire floor.
And of course 1Gas can offer you a great range in terms of gas piping services – whether your new fire would require a new connection, installation of new pipes or you just need to move or change your current meter.
It sounds like a daunting prospect, and an expensive one at that, but the truth is that new boilers can offer you real year-on-year savings on all your gas and heating bills – you’ve just got to take the plunge and upgrade! While a new boiler might set you back around £700, you can save up to £200-300 a year on your gas bills thanks to your more efficient setup.
New boilers now must have a SEDBUK energy efficiency rating of A or B, which means it’ll operate about 30% more effectively than older units. This adds up to every £100 you spent with your old boiler only costing you £66 with a new model.
It may seem like a counterproductive thing to do when the temperature outside has dropped below zero, but the real fact is that an adjustment of just one degree on your heating thermostat can save you up to £40 over the course of a year. If you factor in a slight reduction in your hot water temperature as well then you’re looking at some great savings that will have a huge impact around these high-usage winter months.
Here at 1Gas we offer gas meter upgrades and downgrades, as well as the installation of correct gas piping for everything from new connections to upping your gas efficiency. Be sure to check out our range of services or contact 1Gas directly to see if we can help you upgrade your gas supply setup so that even the most simple of energy saving techniques will have a proper impact this winter.
