We're all aware we need to be better at energy consumption to help combat climate crisis. There will be an end to gas boiler installation in new build properties from 2025, but as the majority of us have gas boilers, using them as efficiently as possible is key.
You could consider swapping from gas to a more eco friendly alternative, but the environmental impact of changing it is likely to be higher than if you continue to use it efficiently until it actually 'needs' replacing.
So how can you cut down the amount of gas you are using. This might be pretty obvious, but could be things you've not thought about.
Lower Your Thermostat
This is the first thing people always seem to suggest. Would you really notice if your house was 1 degree cooler, how about lowering it slightly a few times over a few weeks, you'll soon adjust to a house even 2-3 degrees cooler than you've been used to. How many people wear a t-shirt indoors in winter with the heating is on, invest in some nice jumpers and turn the heating down.
Use Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRV)
Most people don't use their entire house all the time. If you install TRV's throughout your house and take the time to adjust them according to how you use your house, you'll only be using the minimum heat required to keep your house warm. In the very cold winter months, even just a little bit of heat running through the pipes in the unused rooms will be enough to prevent pipes from bursting.
Only use Heating when you actually Need it
There's a lot of conflicting advise as to whether you're better off keeping your heating on constant, or using it as and when you need it. There's an argument that letting your house go cold and then heating it up again uses more energy, but a lot of the leading energy companies are saying this is a myth, and to just use it when you need it.
12 Degree's is enough to stop Pipes Bursting
We're always told to keep heating running when we go away in winter to prevent burst pipes, but what should we set our thermostat to? 12 degrees is warm enough to prevent the catastrophe of a burst pipe.
Don't let the Heat out
This might seem pretty common sense, but how often do we go in or out, and stand there for ages with the door open. It doesn't take many minutes to lose a fair bit of heat and suddenly your boiler is working again to warm your house back up.
Don't run a Bath Deeper or a Shower Longer than you Need
This might seem pretty obvious, but how deep do you need a bath? How long do you need to spend in the shower? Think about how long your bath takes to run, or how long you need to be in the shower, your gas boiler is running this whole time. Less baths and quicker showers will reduce your annual consumption.
Boil a Kettle
When cooking, a kettle will boil much quicker than water in a pan on a hob, so save on gas when boiling food etc.
This might all be pretty obvious, but if everyone did all these little things, the annual gas consumption throughout the country could be lowered. At the same time your bills will go down and your boiler is likely to last a bit longer until you need to think about replacing it.
If you'd like to learn more about energy saving, take a look at the Energy Saving Trust website.
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