Simple Cheap Tips to Save Money on Gas Bills

As the summer recedes into a distant memory, the colder weather is fast approaching, which will have you reaching for the thermostat and increasing your gas bills in order to heat your home. With gas and electricity becoming more expensive though, simply whacking up the temperature could lead to a very expensive autumn and winter.

There are some much cheaper alternatives to consider before reaching for the dial on your thermostat. All of these tips will cost you very little, are ridiculously simple, and can end up saving you a small fortune in gas heating bills.

As the weather starts getting colder you’ll probably start to feel the chill from continuing to wear your summer clothing. The simple answer here is to start wearing more clothes! This sounds mind-bogglingly obvious but many people will stoically wear their favourite cotton T-shirt even in the dead of winter, and then complain that they are chilly. The answer is to dress sensibly for the conditions inside as well as outside; wearing several thin layers will also help to trap air in your clothes which will insulate you against the cold. Wearing the right clothing will allow you to keep your thermostat down and prevent unnecessary gas usage.

Using exactly the same principle with your bedding as your clothing, more layers will keep you warmer at night without having to turn the temperature up. Putting two light summer duvets inside your cover instead of a single thick winter duvet will give you extra insulation. Hot-water bottles are usually only dragged out of the cupboard when you are feeling sick but putting a hot-water bottle in your bed about 30 minutes before bed time can keep you snug without having to resort to expensive  gas heating.

In fact, if you have a programmable thermostat, you can afford to switch off your heating completely at night from about midnight to six o’clock in the morning, as you won’t feel the benefit of heating whilst you are fast asleep cosy in your bed. Switching off your heating at night for six hours can save up to 7.5 per cent from your heating bill, thereby reducing the amount of gas and electricity you consume.