Are your gas heating bills very high? Worried about the upcoming autumn and winter season and the expenses that come with it? Check out 4 ways to effectively reduce your gas heating bills. These are proven methods to reduce your expenses. Find out that you can do it without sacrificing thermal comfort in your home or apartment.
If your house or apartment has the possibility to connect to the external network, or you have a tank located on the plot, you can opt for gas heating. In this case, the heat source is a special boiler. The gas that is supplied to it heats the water, which then goes to the central heating system.
Gas heating is very popular mainly because of the convenience it provides. If your property is connected to the grid, you don’t have to worry about accumulating fuel. Gas boilers are virtually maintenance-free and only require regular servicing. Modern automation allows you to program their operation according to the expectations of the householder. Boilers are designed not only to provide heating but also to prepare domestic water. So they are versatile and functional.
Gas boilers are also much cleaner compared to models designed for coal or wood. Most often they do not take up much space and can be set up in a boiler room or utility room. They do not get dirty and do not require regular ash removal. Importantly, they also emit far less harmful substances, so they are more environmentally friendly.
Before you find out how to save money on gas heating, find out what bills you have to reckon with when choosing this heat source. In the table below you will find sample calculations of gas consumption and related costs. It is assumed that such heating is used for a house with an area of 150 m2, which is inhabited by 4 people. Check how the average bills are shaped depending on the energy standard of the building and whether the boiler only provides heat indoors or is also used to heat domestic water.
As you can see, the cost of heating with natural gas and LPG largely depends on whether the building is well insulated or not. Any action related to how to reduce gas bills should start with the thermal modernization of a single-family house or the reduction of heat loss in the case of an apartment.
1. Carry out thermal modernization of the property
High heat losses contribute to increased energy demand and thus increase the cost of heating a building. This mainly applies to older buildings, which were built using inefficient methods and building materials with lower parameters than those used today. So it is worthwhile to take care of insulating the walls and ceilings, as well as replacing the windows with new ones. This will effectively prevent excessive heat escape to the outside of the building.
Gas saving associated with thermomodernization should also include the replacement of window and door frames. It is with them that most heat escapes. Their replacement is a very important step in improving the insulation of the building. The heat transfer coefficient of the windows must be no higher than 0.9 W/m2K. It is also necessary to improve the ventilation in the building. You can opt for gravitational – using the difference between the temperature inside and outside the building, or mechanical – with recuperation. In this way, you will ensure optimal air exchange without heat loss.
2. Make sure your gas furnace is at the right temperature
For your gas furnace to work efficiently as well as effectively, it needs to be programmed properly. Wondering how to set up your gas furnace economically to minimize costs? First of all, make sure that the temperature on the controller is programmed between 40 and 50°C. The exact settings depend primarily on the specific model of the device.
Why is it so important to maintain the proper temperature of the gas furnace? Once a certain level is exceeded, the boiler may have difficulty condensing gas, and this will translate into higher costs for its use. It is also very important to choose the right model of the device, which will be matched to the heat demand of the building. If its power is too high, it will work too intensively, and it will become difficult to maintain the optimal temperature. In such situations, overheating of rooms is most common. In turn, a gas furnace that is too weak will not cope with providing optimal thermal comfort.
Wondering whether to replace cast iron radiators with gas heating when you’ve decided to replace your heating source? Although the type of radiators does not affect gas consumption that much, it is worth thinking about putting on new ones. Innovative models are made of materials that easily conduct heat, so they heat up faster and provide optimal room temperature. It is worth using a temperature controller from the ENGO Controls range.
Its task is to monitor the current temperature level in the room. The regulator works with a gas boiler. It sends information to it when the temperature drops or rises above a certain level. In this way, you can conveniently, unattended control of thermal comfort in your home. Thanks to the regulator, the temperature will always be at the right level. In this way, you will avoid the situation when the boiler works with increased power, and this is not needed. The use of a room temperature controller has a great impact on optimizing gas consumption, and therefore on lower fees.
If you want to pay less for gas heating, you also need to know what the optimal temperature in each room should be. It is recommended that it should be:
– in rooms used during the day (living room, dining room) – 20-22°C,
– in the kitchen and bedroom – 16-18°C,
– in the bathroom – 22-24°C.
These are optimal conditions that provide comfort both during the day and at night. It is worth knowing that lowering the temperature by 1 degree allows you to reduce the heating demand by about 5-7% on an annual basis. This can save you up to several hundred zlotys.
With the help of controllers, you can also adjust the temperature of the rooms according to the time of day and the needs of the household members. If no one is at home, it can be slightly lower. Automation will raise it to the appropriate level before the return of the household members, which will further reduce heating costs.
3. Choose the right boiler and radiators
Choosing a high-quality boiler is crucial to the efficiency of the heating system, as well as to optimize gas consumption. Therefore, it is worth betting on a model from a proven manufacturer with a reputation and recognition. By far the best solution is modern condensing boilers. They are easy to operate, as well as safe to use. During the operation of this device, you should pay attention not only to the already mentioned temperature but also to the pressure. In domestic installations, it should be about 1-2 bars. If it falls or rises below this level, it may mean that leaks have appeared. These are situations that need to be resolved as soon as possible, as they can affect higher gas consumption.
How to reduce the pressure in the gas furnace? This can be done through the bleeder valve with which this device is equipped. Another way is to use the relief valve of the central heating system. If you do not know how to lower the pressure on the gas furnace, the best solution is to call a specialist to do it.
Regular maintenance of the boiler is also very important. Appliances that are properly serviced have better efficiency and performance, and this translates into lower gas bills. Systematic inspections also make it possible to detect any irregularities in the operation of the device and quickly remove them. This avoids a major breakdown, which could result in the inability to use the boiler for a long time.
You already know how to position radiators with gas heating so that they work efficiently and provide optimal thermal comfort. It is also important that there are no obstacles near them that can impede the distribution of heat through the rooms. They should not be placed too close to furniture, as well as curtains or special covers. It is also a good idea to install special heat-reflecting mats on the walls behind the radiators. This is an excellent way to effectively reduce bills by several percent.
4. Reasonably ventilate rooms and take advantage of natural light
How can you reduce your gas bill by taking advantage of the sunlight? First of all, in autumn and winter, when the weather is outside, uncover the windows. This will bring the sun into the interior, which will naturally raise the temperature a bit. It’s not enough to heat the interiors on its own, but it’s an excellent supplement to heating, so you can lower the temperature of the boiler and radiators a bit on sunny days. In turn, cover the windows at night to prevent heat from escaping through the panes.
Contrary to appearances, ventilating rooms in the autumn-winter season is not at all as simple as it may seem. To ensure optimum air circulation, and at the same time protect yourself from excessive cooling of rooms, follow the rules below:
– before you open the windows, turn off the radiators;
– ventilate rooms quickly but intensively;
– open the window wide open and leave it for about 5-10 minutes, depending on weather conditions;
– ventilate individual rooms separately, closing the door to each room;
– after closing the windows, gradually increase the temperature of the radiators.
If you keep the aforementioned rules in mind, ventilating the interior of your house or apartment will be effective and you will not experience its negative effects in the form of higher gas bills.
Gas bills vs. hot water use – this is what you need to remember
If you use a furnace that not only provides space heating but also heats domestic water, then you need to remember to optimize its consumption. First of all, give up washing dishes by hand in favor of using a dishwasher. This will save not only the gas needed for heating but also the water itself. Choose short showers instead of long baths.
If the gas in your home also powers your stove for cooking, plan what you want to cook and when. Pour only as much water as you need into your pots. Also, take care of the cleanliness of your cookware and kettle, and descale them regularly. Sediment makes the cooking process take much longer, which translates into higher gas consumption. Changing your daily habits can make you feel the effects of your actions in the form of lower bills.
Heating a house with gas does not have to be very expensive at all if you take care of proper insulation of the building beforehand and choose a high-quality boiler. You also can’t forget to choose the right radiators and set optimal boiler parameters. During your daily use, you can also influence the reduction of electricity bills. By ensuring that radiators are not covered or remembering to perform regular maintenance, you will make your expenses significantly lower.