The secrets to reducing your natural gas bill

How can you reduce your gas bill? By developing the right habits, essential for cutting down on gas consumption, and benefiting from a competitive price. The result is great savings!

Index

• Reduce the consumption of your gas boiler
• Reduce gas consumption for hot water
• Cooking economically with gas
• Compare gas tariffs to reduce your bill

Imagine: you have received a huge natural gas bill, and you are wondering how you can turn things round. This may even be your current situation, so read carefully: here are all our tips on how to reduce your gas consumption simply and, above all, effectively.

Reduce the consumption of your gas boiler

To limit your energy spending, having a high-performance system is vital. Since September 2015, condensing boilers have become the standard for central heating. The reason for this change is simple: these are the only models that satisfy the demanding efficiency requirements set by the European “Ecodesign” directive. More expensive to buy but consuming less energy, a condensing boiler can provide average heating savings of 10 to 35%.

However, installing a condensing boiler is only obligatory when replacing a boiler or equipping a new property. As long as your gas boiler is working, you do not have to invest in a new-generation boiler, even though older installations are known to be less efficient. Still, this deferment does not prevent you from following the other tips.

There are many ways to save energy by reducing the amount of gas used to heat your home:

• Having your gas boiler serviced by an approved professional: obligatory every two years in Flanders and every three years in Wallonia and Brussels, this operation helps you cut energy consumption by up to 10%, limit the risk of breakdowns and extend your boiler’s life.
• Proper thermal insulation: preventing heat loss by draughtproofing your doors and windows and insulating walls and roofs is essential to save energy.
• Cleaning and bleeding your radiators once a year.
• Regularly adjusting the temperature of each room in the house based on your needs, given that reducing the temperature by one degree can reduce energy consumption by 7%. In addition, 17°C is generally enough in a bedroom and 19°C a in living room. And remember to turn off the heating when you are away.

If you want more detailed information about how to reduce your energy bills, don’t hesitate to call our advisers on 0800 37 456 or send them an e-mail. They can also help you calculate your gas consumption in Belgium.

Reduce gas consumption for hot water

Checking your hot water production is important for the health of your wallet, but also for ecological reasons, because using hot water consumes gas as well as water. To save hot water, take showers rather than baths, wash your hands in cold water, replace your shower head with an economical attachment and your taps with thermostatic mixer taps, which can also be equipped with pressure regulators.

What’s more, consider having your water heater serviced, because an appliance encrusted with limescale is less efficient and has a shorter lifetime.

Another important way of consuming less gas is to optimise your water tank or gas water heater. Set the temperature no higher than 60°C. This is hot enough to prevent the development of bacteria, as 55°C is the minimum required. It is an ideal temperature for economical heating.

Finally, to limit heat loss, insulate hot water pipes in cold rooms, such as utility rooms or cellars. You can use flexible sleeves made of mineral fibre or elastomer foam.

Is paying the energy bill still a painful experience because of the exorbitant cost? If your gas bills don’t fall despite your efforts to control your hot water and heating, maybe you should check your annual gas consumption. It’s possible that an abnormally high gas bill may be due to a mistake when reading your gas meter.

Cooking economically with gas

Cooking with gas is an affordable solution. Apart from not having to buy suitable pots and pans, there are several tips you can use to minimise costs.

The first thing to do is to cover your pans when cooking to trap heat inside. This tip is very effective, saving 20 to 30% of energy as well as precious minutes of your time. For example, water will boil three to four times more quickly! Better still, to heat water, use a kettle. This is the least energy-intensive method, so remember it when you want to cook pasta or make a cup of tea!

To control your gas consumption, use the ring with the most appropriate diameter for the size of your pan, and adjust the intensity of the flames. These should always remain below the level of your pan.

A final tip: clean and degrease the burners of your gas hob regularly to ensure the appliance remains efficient and thus reduce gas consumption in your kitchen. For everyday cleaning, just rub them with a sponge and some washing up liquid and rinse in hot water. For a deeper clean, soak the burners in white vinegar overnight and then rinse. Another solution is to clean them with bicarbonate of soda mixed with water. Leave to act for a few minutes, rub and rinse.

Compare gas tariffs to reduce your bill

Since the Belgian gas market was liberalised, consumers can choose between many gas suppliers. To avoid hefty gas bills, the solution is obviously to choose the gas company with the best gas bill payment offers.

The simplest way of doing this is to use our gas comparison. Based on your annual consumption, this tool will tell you the cheapest gas supplier in your situation. Naturally, it takes into account both the gas rate per kWh and the annual fee. In addition, comparing gas providers is a useful way of finding out which promotions they are all offering. Don’t hesitate to select this option in the comparison tool, because in general the discounts offered to new customers are a great way of cutting your energy bill.

Need assistance to compare gas prices or estimate your gas bill? Call our advisers on 0800 37 456 – they will be happy to help and avoid a doubling in your gas consumption!