Top Ten Tips To Reduce The Gas Bill This Winter

The cold winter is upon us again. Whilst there isn’t much that you can do to keep yourself warm outside, there are all sorts of tips that you can use to keep yourself warm inside. So when you’re finally back from the day’s activities, you can take off all seven layers and relax in the warmth of your home. Not to forget, these tips should also help you reduce those expensive gas bills!

#1 – Tin foil

Cover a thin piece of cardboard with tin foil and place it behind your radiators. This will save wasting energy on warming your walls and will instead warm your home. You can buy purpose-built heat reflecting foil or you can use some household kitchen foil, although the latter is a little less effective.

#2 – Cover the floor

According to the National Energy Foundation (NEF), between 10% and 25% of total household heat is lost through the ground floor. Hence, during the winter it might be best to buy some rugs and reduce heat loss by adding another layer. Consider it a coat for your floor.

#3 – Close doors

Close unused rooms and restrict the heat into a small area.

#4 – Get your boiler serviced

It’s important to get your boiler serviced. Boilers that aren’t serviced regularly might be wasting you money by not operating at their optimum standard. This is why we offer this service in Batley, Heckmondwike and the rest of West Yorkshire. Look after your boiler so it can look after you this winter.

#5 – Bleed the radiators

If your radiator is taking its time to heat up to the top, chances are that you will need to bleed it. It’s not as bad as it sounds and will only take a couple of minutes, just grab a bleed key from your local DIY store and wait for the hissing noise to pass. Additionally, if the room allows – try and move some furniture around so that the radiator isn’t blocked.

#6 – Block the loft hatch

Whilst many people go to the effort of insulating their loft, they often undo their hard work by forgetting to block the draught coming through the hatch itself. Grab some insulation tape from your local DIY store and place it across all of the gaps.

#7 – Open the curtains

If the weather permits - granted, this is rarely the case across Yorkshire and the rest of the UK - open the curtains during the day and let some natural light and warmth in – it’s free! Just remember to close them again at night.

#8 – Plug the small holes

From the gaps in the letterbox to the keyhole in the front door – block the gaps. As explained above, you can purchase insulation tape from your local DIY store and place it across the gaps, or you can get creative and place blankets over the front door throughout the night.

#9 – Use pipe-lagging

Pipe-lagging can be placed around hot water pipes throughout your home. In short, it keeps the hot water inside, hotter for longer! It’s relatively inexpensive, can be bought from most DIY stores and it’s really easy to fit – no tools required whatsoever.

#10 – Understand your optimum temperature

Simple tip, but try to work out your ideal temperature. For most people, this will be between 17 degrees celsius and 21 degree celsius. Rather than ramp up the temperature to its highest setting in an effort to get your home warm quick, maintain a consistent temperature throughout the day.

We hope these tips help you keep warm this winter! If you need some assistance with your boiler and live in Heckmondwike, Batley or anywhere across West Yorkshire, please contact us on 01924614075 or email us at info@smartgasheating.com. We’ll look forward to hearing from you soon! Alternatively, if you would like to see some of the other plumbing and heating services that we offer, take a look here.