From excess water usage, insufficient home insulation, to inefficient heating systems, there are a variety of variables that may impact the total cost of your gas bill each month. If you recently noticed a spike in the amount of your gas bills, it may be time to learn about methods that can be used to decrease your reliance on natural gas. We’ve gathered a list of ways to lower your gas bills at home to help you save money.
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Use Your Dishwasher
While you may have been told by your parents that it’s better to do dishes by hand, utilizing a dishwasher to clean your silverware, cups, and plates is an excellent way to lower your gas bill. This is because a large amount of warm water is required to eliminate nasty grease stains on your cookware. To ensure you have enough hot water to wash your dishes, the water heater in your home will consume a large quantity of gas to keep up with the demand.
The latest energy-efficient dishwashers are engineered to utilize a minimal amount of warm water to clean your dishes, pans, and silverware. This will help minimize the total amount of gas utilized by your water heater to produce hot water. To reduce your gas bill, we recommend filling your dishwasher and running it once a week instead of washing your dishes by hand every night.
Do Your Laundry Less Often
While a water heater may not be the only appliance in your home that uses gas, it likely compromises 10 – 15% of your total natural gas consumption bill. An excellent way to save money on your gas bill is to postpone laundry day until your hamper is full. We understand that you may be accustomed to doing your laundry each Thursday. However, washing partial loads each week will cause you to waste water and natural gas.
Your water heater is required to consume a large quantity of gas to produce enough warm water for a single laundry cycle. To further lower the gas bill, you may want to consider setting the Rinse Cycle mode on your washing machine to the cold water setting. Since your water heater doesn’t use gas to process cold water, this adjustment will move you one step closer to your savings goals.
Switch From Gas to Electric Appliances
Switching to an electric furnace or water heater is another proven method to reduce your gas bill. Consider investing in an efficient heat pump system to regulate the temperature of your house throughout the winter season. On the other hand, we do not recommend switching to all electric appliances because the cost of electricity is usually higher than gas. An excellent way to reduce your gas bill without paying an astronomical amount of money on electricity is to invest in electric and gas appliances. You may decide to purchase an electric water heater while maintaining your current gas furnace.
Replace the Old Insulation in Your Walls
If your gas bill is continuously high, it may be due to leaks in your walls or near your windows or doors. Replacing the old insulation in your walls will help keep the heat in your home that is produced by your gas furnace. This will lower your gas bills since your furnace won’t be required to produce as many heating cycles.
Purchase An Energy Efficient Furnace
If your utility bills seem too high each month, it may be caused by an old inefficient gas furnace in your house. The total efficiency of a furnace is measured using a key performance indicator called Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE). The AFUE rating of a furnace refers to how fast a gas furnace is able to convert energy from natural gas into hot air.
For example, a furnace with an AFUE rating of 90 is able to convert 90% of the natural gas it uses into warm air. The other 10% of the gas is utilized by the furnace during the standard operational process. If you’re looking for ways to reduce your gas bill, installing an energy-efficient furnace with an AFUE rating of 80 to 90 will help ensure you’re not wasting natural gas.
Purchase a Programmable Thermostat
The latest programmable thermostats for sale on the market allow you to set heating schedules in your house throughout the day. For example, if your wife prefers to set the temperature at a high setting when she’s home throughout the day, you can set your thermostat to automatically decrease the temperature when she’s not home.
Additionally, a programmable thermostat will allow you to set a schedule to keep the furnace off throughout the day at specific times when the house is empty. Since programmable thermostats are able to learn your schedule and adjust the temperature accordingly, they are able to help lower your gas consumption and bills.
Install Solar Panels on Your Roof
A quick way to reduce your gas bills is to convert each of the appliances in your home to electric. Once this is complete, consider installing solar panels to the roof on your home to eliminate your reliance on the electrical grid system. Solar panels are engineered to convert the light from the sun to energy. A lot of homeowners choose to invest in solar power due to rising natural gas and electrical costs.
Why Are My Gas Bills So High?
Variations in the Weather
When the temperatures drop in the winter, the gas furnace in your home is required to work harder to maintain a cozy temperature. To keep up with the demand for hot air, the furnace will consume additional gas to maintain the combustion process. On the other hand, the average individual may use additional warm water during the winter. Since your water heater relies on gas, this increase in usage will cause your gas bills to go up.
Dryer Usage
During the winter season, you are required to wear additional layers of clothing to stay warm while walking the dog, shoveling snow, or walking to the store. This has a direct impact on the usage of the dryer in your home. To keep up with the additional loads of laundry, your dryer will consume additional gas to provide the necessary heat to remove moisture from your clothes. If you’re looking for ways to lower your gas bill, we recommend limiting the number of times you do laundry each week. Developing a laundry schedule is an excellent way to ensure you are not wasting an excessive amount of gas and water each week.
New Guests at Your House
If you have relatives or friends staying at your house for a couple of days, this will cause your water heater to work harder to ensure there is enough warm water for activities such as showering, cooking, and washing hands. To keep up with the increase in demand for hot water, the heater will consume additional natural gas.
Plumbing Services Near You
If you have an old gas water heater that is causing your gas bills to go up, our team will help you install an energy-efficient system in your house. Our team of licensed plumbers are familiar with the latest models for sale on the market. Fenwick Home Services offers dependable plumbing services in areas of Florida such as Jacksonville. Our team is able to help you resolve issues such as gas leaks, hard water, sewer line backups, and malfunctioning tankless water heaters. Give us a call by phone at 904-217-5694 or schedule an appointment online to receive assistance with a problem or emergency.