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Are you wondering how to reduce your gas bill in Ballarat? Then you are not alone. Gas bills are generally high in the winter season. They can even be three times higher than your average gas bill. Especially in the Southern Parts of Australia, including Ballarat.
We know that even a tight budget is no match for an unexpected gas bill. Especially because gas bills are one of the expenses that many Australians don’t see coming. So if you are looking for ways to save on gas bills, you have come to the right place.
In this article, we will give a brief insight into how to reduce your gas and electricity bill so that you can save some money.
1. Insulate your home
Is your house insulated properly? Insulation is crucial to minimise heat loss during winter and keep the house cool in summer.
Heating and cooling would account for around 40% of the energy used in Australian households. Most heaters would use gas energy. Hence the gas bill would increase. Adding insulation will help to prevent air leaks from windows, walls, and other openings.
Therefore if you have insulated your home thoroughly, this energy consumption will be minimum. As a result you can reduce your gas and electricity bills if your house needs less heating or cooling.
For insulation to be effective, it should be damage free. Therefore, if you live in an old home, ensure the insulation is still intact. If your house was insulated before 2010, then there are modern and efficient insulation methods today. These new technologies can help you to save more energy.
On the other hand, if your house was built before 2000, it probably wouldn’t have wall insulation. The Wall insulation accounts for 15-20% of heat loss. Therefore, if your house was built before 2000, you should get it insulated.
2. Get modern equipment
Do you still use old electrical equipment? Old equipment can be inefficient and consume more energy. Therefore they are not helping to save on the gas bill. Modern equipment in the market is more efficient and will help bring down electricity bills and utility bills.
If you are looking for how to lower gas bills, try replacing your old dishwasher or the washing machine with new ones. Dishwashers and washing machines are some of the equipment that are used more often and also consume more energy.
Modern dishwashers and washing machines have an eco-wash feature that allows you to control the water level and temperature. These modern equipment can still do a perfect job with minimum water temperature. Therefore you can save more energy by shifting to these modern equipment.
Further, you can also purchase other energy-efficient equipment to replace old high-energy-consuming equipment. Inverter refrigerators, inverter air-conditioners, and LED lights can help to reduce your gas bill.
Yes, your initial investment would be high to purchase these new equipment. However, they will help you save money in the long run.
3. Choose your water heater wisely
We use hot water in our day-to-day life. We all love a lukewarm water shower on cold days, especially in the winter. So what kind of water heater do you use at your home? There are mainly two types of water heaters. They are tank water heaters and tankless (instantaneous) water heaters.
The statistics from Energy Rating state that 25% of the total energy consumption in a household would be used for water heating. Therefore, if you want to reduce your gas bill, you must pick the water heater wisely.
Tank water heaters store a certain amount of water in their tank, depending on their capacity. These heaters will reheat water every once in a while when it loses the heat. Therefore a tank water heater is not the most energy-efficient option.
They are more suitable for houses with many occupants and use hot water more often during the day. However, their running cost can still be high.
If you want a better option to reduce your gas and electricity bill, consider installing instantaneous water heaters. They don’t store hot water and supply heated water on demand. These heaters are more suitable for small households with minimum occupants.
Since they provide water instantaneously, they don’t waste energy to reheat it. However, their water supply is limited to one or two water outlets in the house. If you want to get hot water to multiple locations of the house, you must fix multiple water heaters.
This can increase the initial cost but will help save on gas bills in the long run.
4. Shift to smart thermostats
If you are looking for ways to reduce your gas bill, consider shifting to smart thermostats. Old thermostats had minimum features, and now they are out of date.
If your energy bills are high, old thermostats might be the culprit. Here are some reasons why old thermostats could raise your energy bills.
- Misread the temperature – Old thermostats may not calibrate properly and misread the temperature. If they misread the temperature, the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) would be inefficient, leading to high energy consumption.
- Loose connection – Your old thermostat may lose connection with the HVAC. As a result, you won’t be able to control the HVAC properly, leading to energy waste.
- Short cycle – Old thermostats can direct an HVAC to turn off without fully completing the heating or cooling cycle.
Therefore, if you still have old thermostats, it is high time to shift to smart thermostats. So how to reduce your gas bill with smart thermostats? Here are some suggestions:
- Unlike old thermostats, smart thermostats are easy to read and program. Therefore you can easily set it up to operate efficiently according to your requirements.
- A smartphone can control most smart thermostats through an application. You can control your thermostats even when you are miles away. This kind of control can help to save energy.
- You can track the energy consumption and monitor it through a smart thermostat to cut back on unnecessary wastages.
- New smart thermostats give the option to set the timers, adjust room-specific settings, and various other control mechanisms.
5. Go solar
The Australian Government is taking a massive step towards solar energy so that the country will depend less on gas and fuel. If you are searching on how to reduce your gas bills, then solar energy is a wise choice.
The Federal Government and State Governments are providing various schemes and grants to promote solar energy. Therefore it is in the best interest to adopt solar energy now rather than later so that you can save on gas bills.
Bonus tip: Use Energy during off-peak times
Did you know that Australian energy retailers charge different rates at peak and off-peak hours? Knowing this will help you to schedule high energy-consuming activities during the off-peak hours.
Yes, we understand that you cannot do everything during the off-peak. Still, you can get the maximum advantage out of this to reduce your gas and electricity bill.
Energy retailers have various plans to suit this. Therefore, check with your retailer to find a suitable plan and find ways to lower gas bills.
Wrapping up
Are you looking for ways on how to reduce your gas bill in Ballarat? Then there are various things you could do to save on your gas bill. Some of them are insulating your home, getting modern equipment, selecting the most suitable water heating system, etc.
However, the ideal option to reduce your gas and electricity bill is to adopt solar energy. As we said before, take advantage of the available schemes and grants given by the Government. If you are looking for a reliable solar installer and retailer, don’t hesitate to contact Ballarat Solar Company.
We have served the Ballarat community for many decades and helped them lower their gas bill. Our skilled workmanship comes with a warranty and years of experience.
We can help you get the maximum benefit from available grants and schemes and get solar rebates. Let’s be less dependent on gas and reduce the gas bill once and for all. Go solar!
