Do you want to know how to save on your gas bill? It’s really frustrating to see your bill high. Moreover, it can be a major setback for your monthly budget.
According to U.S. Department of Energy, a typical American family spends $2,200 annually on gas bills. That’s a huge amount not including your other utility bills! In addition, the cost of living in the US is really high.
Therefore, the main question is how can we help you to save on your gas bill?
In this article, we will tell you the most common factors why your gas bill is high and how you can save money on your gas with 17 different ways.
Let’s get started, shall we?
What Does Your Gas Bill Cover?
To start, it’s important to know what all your gas bill covers before knowing how to save on gas bill.
A gas bill includes the charges of gas used in heating your apartment, cooking food, heating water, or other appliances which run on gas. In other words, a gas bill includes the charges of gas you use for a different purpose. If you majorly use gas for most of the activities, your gas bill will include your electricity, water, and other utility bills.
Why Is My Gas Bill So High?
There are a number of factors responsible for high gas bill. The most common of them are:
● Weather Changes:
Changes in the weather are one of the major causes of the high gas bill. Be it the peak of summers or winters; your gas bill tends to go up. Why is this so? In summers, more natural gas is used in cooling your apartment since your apartment gets heated up from the outside heat.
Similarly, in winters, more energy is consumed to keep your hour warm as it is extremely cold outside. Besides this, you also need warm water in winters. Therefore, you need to use more gas in heating the water.
● Fuel Rates:
You usually notice an increase in natural gas prices every winter. Therefore, despite having imports of inexpensive natural gas from mid-Atlantic, the prices of natural gas in America undergo a hike every winter.
● Using Outdated Heating Technology:
There are many power-saving appliances and devices available in the market. However, many people still have old and outdated heating technology at home. As a result, more gas is used as these old devices are not energy-efficient.
For example, you will consume more energy to heat your apartment if you use an outdated furnace. However, you can heat your home without consuming much energy if you have a furnace with the latest heating technology.
Why is My Gas Bill So High in Winter?
Are you thinking, “why is my gas bill so high in winter?”
Here are 3 common reasons why:
Reason #1: You Frequently Use Heater
The most common logic behind a high gas bill in winter is the increased use of heater to make your apartment warm.
In winter, the temperature drops. As a result, you use more natural gas to heat your home. In addition, taking showers can be challenging. You’re probably going to heat your water while taking a bath.
Reason #2: You Have Kids at Home
Another reason for the high gas bill in winter is the amount of time your kids spend at home. Due to holidays, your kids are mostly at home. And having kids at home means frequent meals. Therefore, more meals mean more gas to use for cooking.
Reason #3: Your Furnace is Outdated
If your furnace is more than 15 years old, chances are it’s consuming more gas than usual. Newer models could save you about 15% more energy than older ones.
Is replacing your old furnace, not an option? Make sure you do regular tune-ups and maintenance. Not only this can help your furnace do its job efficiently but it also ensures that it can hold up over many years.
Now that we know some common factors, do you want to know how to lower your gas bill in winter?
Let’s discuss some useful tips on how to save on gas bills in an apartment in the next section.
17 Clever Ways on How to Save on Gas Bill
There are many ways to cut down your gas bills. You can easily follow these rules to see a significant improvement in your gas and electricity bills.
Below are the 17 most effective ways on how to save on gas bill:
1. Use Energy-efficient devices
Nowadays, many appliances come with energy-saving mode. They perform the same task but consume less energy. In case you still use outdated electric appliances, consider replacing them with updated energy-efficient devices.
2. Change Your Habits
You can make slight changes in your day-to-day habits to cut down on your gas bill. For example, you can minimize the use of air conditioners by keeping yourself warm by wearing woolen cloths. You can also save energy by taking shorter showers, especially in winters. It will save the gas used by water heaters. Hence, such small changes in your habits can help you save energy.
3. Adjust Your Thermostat
Do you know that you can save gas by adjusting the temperature of your thermostat? You can lower the thermostat to 68 degrees in winters and to 78 degrees in summers. Furthermore, you can also use a programmable thermostat.
A programmable thermostat helps you save more by using energy efficiently when you are away or asleep. Isn’t it amazing?
4. Plant More Trees
You can lower the temperatures of your apartment by planting more trees on the sunny side of your home. This technique is very helpful in summers. It lets you keep your inner surrounding cool. As a result, you use an air conditioner comparatively less.
5. Use Solar Heating for homes
Many homes today come with solar-friendly designs. These designs help in heating your home using the sun’s energy. And the best part is that you don’t need to install a solar panel if your home has a solar-friendly design.
6. Electrifying Your Home Appliances
You can cut down your gas bills or even make them zero by switching to electric appliances. Electric appliances are cheap as compared to gas-driven appliances. So, you can choose this option too.
7. Clean Your Air Conditioner:
Using an air conditioner without proper servicing, consumes more energy. Therefore, you should clean your air conditioner or get it services regularly in order to save energy.
8. Clean Your Furnace
Your furnace can consume much more energy than need if the heating filters of your furnace are blocked. Hence, cleaning them regularly or on regular intervals can help save money by cutting down on energy consumption.
9. Save Water and Electricity
You can save water and electricity in order to reduce your gas bill. Make sure you don’t keep unnecessary lights switched on when not needed.
Also, try to save water as much as possible. Do not keep the tap open while brushing your teeth, avoiding bathing in a shower are some of the ways to save water. More importantly, you should check your home for any water or electricity leakage. In case of any such problem, make sure you get it repaired at the earliest.
10. Have Proper Ventilation at Your Home
Your house can trap unnecessary heat if it lacks proper ventilation. It’s not only suffocating but also causes your gas bill to rise. Why? Heat cannot escape without proper ventilation. Therefore, you tend to use cooling devices more. As a result, your energy consumption increases. Hence, it is crucial to have proper ventilation in your apartment.
11. Go for Long-term Energy-efficient Investments
In case you have money, you can invest in long-term energy-efficient devices such as solar panels or water storage tanks. Many people are choosing these options nowadays, as high gas bills can be heavy on the pocket.
12. Watch the Water Heater
You can take shorter showers in winters. Also, you can take a bath using a bucket instead of water. In this way, you will consume less water. Consequently, you will not consume more energy by heating water every now and then. Furthermore, cleaning your water heater is also very important. Please make sure you get them services once a month.
13.Add Insulation
Make sure your house is properly insulated. If it lacks proper insulation, ensure that you get it done immediately. Moreover, you should certainly add insulations in the attic area as the heat there escapes easily.
14. Roof Replacement
Most houses have standard roofs that trap more heat. You can replace your roofs in order to save money. Energy-efficient roofs are good at reflecting sunlight. As a result, your roof remains cool and also keeps your apartment cool. This, in turn, cuts down on gas expenses.
15.Using Double-pane Windows
Replace your window if they have single panes. A single-pane window lets the heat escape easily. Whereas, a double-pane window keeps the heat trapped for a longer period. In this way, you can save gas used by your apartment’s heater.
16. Cover Your Windows
Covering your windows can help you in saving energy in both summers and winters. In summers, you can cover your window-panes to stop the outside heat from raising the temperature of your home. While, in winters, you can cover your windows with black sheets to avoid heat from escaping. In this way, your apartment will require less heating.
17. Ask for Energy Audit
Do you want to know how to save money on an electric bill? Asking for an energy audit is extremely helpful in case you are getting high gas and electricity bills. In an energy audit, an inspection is done to check the energy flow in your apartment. With the help of this inspection or analysis, you can know which appliance is consuming the most energy. As a result, you can limit its use in order to cut down your gas consumption.
Nevertheless, it would help if you made slight changes in your energy-consumption patterns. By being a bit careful about using gas at your home, you no longer will have to worry about how to save on gas and electricity. These clever tips will definitely help you save money.
How to Save on Gas Bill: Conclusion
High gas bills can take a toll on your monthly savings. Generally, the natural bill average turns out to be $70 per month. This is significantly high, especially if you are someone on a tight monthly budget. This will lead you to not only cut down on your daily expenses but also to have zero savings by the month’s end.
However, you can save on your gas bill by following the 17 tips above. You can reduce your gas bill by getting your furnaces, water heaters, and air conditioners regularly checked and updating your outdated heating technology.
In addition, you can also go for long-term energy-efficient investments such as installing a solar panel. Adding insulation, keeping your windows covered, and adjusting your thermostat are some other ways of saving energy.
We hope that this article answers you on how to save on your gas bill. So, follow the tips to start saving energy and money eventually!
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