As inflation continues to affect Australian households, many people are forced to make lifestyle adjustments to reduce expenses. While many people often discuss reducing electricity usage, discussions about reducing gas usage remain limited. It is equally important to use gas mindfully to reduce the monthly utility bills.
According to a report, gas prices on the Australian east coast tripled in the past decade, resulting in a surge in the domestic gas price in the country. In a scenario where rising inflation is a concern, the rising price of domestic gas supply has further pushed Aussies into financial stress. The following section of this article will discuss useful tips on reducing gas usage in Australia.
Do You Have a Gas Heating System?
If you have a gas heating system, you need to adopt some strategies to reduce the gas usage. Instead of heating small rooms separately, you should keep the heating system on the main living space to reduce gas consumption to some extent.
Another proven method of reducing gas consumption is keeping the temperature on the thermostat between 18 and 20 degree Celsius. Remember that increasing temperature by one degree Celsius can cause 15% more energy consumption. Keeping the temperature around 18-20 degree Celsius will keep your home comfortable in winters.
Apart from these simple strategies, homeowners should also invest in robust wall and roof insulation to prevent heating loss. Moreover, it is also crucial to identify the gaps between the walls and window or door frames. Sealing them perfectly will help you to prevent heating loss and eventually lower gas consumption.
Restrict Hot Water Usage
Gas water heaters are also one of the biggest consumers of gas in households. Therefore, you need to regulate the use of gas water heaters to reduce your utility bills. Besides using the water heating system mindfully, homeowners can also follow the tips discussed below.
1. Water Pipe Insulation
Heating loss from hot water flowing through a pipeline happens when the pipeline is not properly insulated. Water moving from tank to taps in the winter may suffer from a high heating loss due to cold climate. In such a scenario, insulation comes to the rescue. Pipeline insulation ensures zero or negligible heating loss. As a result, you get hot water from the taps without keeping the water heater switched on for a long time.
2. Use Cold Water for Washing Clothes
Households often use hot water for washing clothes, though using cold water is beneficial from two aspects. Firstly, the hot water can cause significant damage to the delicate clothing fabrics. Secondly, using cold water instead of hot water will help prevent gas consumption since you are not using the water heating system during this process.
According to a study, around 90% of the energy used by a washing machine goes towards heating the water. Therefore, using cold water for washing clothes can prevent energy wastage to a significant extent. Homeowners will find a significant decline in monthly gas usage bills by implementing this simple tip.
3. Invest in a Low-Flow Showerhead
An investment in a low-flow showerhead can significantly reduce water wastage and gas bills. According to a study, a five-star shower head can save up to $315 in a year on the water bill. You pay less water bill, while gas consumption for water heating will also be low due to reduced water wastage during a shower.
4. Economy Setting on Dishwasher
More or less, all dishwashers feature an economy mode, which implements dishwashing at a lower temperature. Using the dishwasher on economy mode can reduce your gas bills to some extent since it reduces the requirement for extensive water heating during dish cleaning. Some modern dishwashers also come with energy-saving features like half-wash, rapid wash, etc.
5. Choose a Perfect Gas Plan
Top energy and gas providers in Australia come with many gas plans, suitable for both small and large homes. Picking the flexible plans, such as AGL Super Saver Gas or AGL Essentials Gas, can reduce expenses and fetch attractive incentives. Besides AGL, you can also find many flexible and cost-effective gas plans from top providers such as EnergyAustralia, Simply Energy, Alinta Energy, etc.
Reducing Gas Consumption in Cooking
After water heating, cooking is recognised as one of the biggest gas consumers in households. Gas consumption for cooking depends on many factors such as number of family members, kitchen appliances, kitchen utensils, gas stove type, etc. Adapting to the smart cooking strategies can help reduce gas consumption during the cooking procedure.
- Oven Preheating: You can skip over preheating unless you are making breads and cakes. For regular oven recipes, pre-heating is not mandatory. Skipping the pre-heating can help reduce gas consumption to some extent.
- Oven Door Seals: You need to check oven door seals to ensure no heating loss during the cooking or baking process. In case you notice an oven door sealing issue, you should not waste time calling a technician to fix the issue.
- Cookware Quality: Investing in top-quality cookware can reduce your energy consumption bills. At the same time, it will make your cooking hassle-free and less time-consuming. Therefore, buy top-quality cookware for the gas oven tops.
- Pressure Cooker: Using a pressure cooker for boiling meats and vegetables is a good thing since a pressure cooker cooks faster. The unique mechanism of the pressure ensures a reduced gas consumption for the cooking process.
Wrapping Up: Check and Change Your Gas Plan
While the gas-saving tips discussed in this article can help homeowners to reduce their gas bills, the choice of a good gas provider is still crucial for optimum energy efficiency. Besides a reliable provider, you need to analyze the plans and pick the right one according to your household’s size.
Check Your Bill is here to help you choose the right gas plan for your home. Consult our experts to learn about different gas plans to reduce your yearly billing expenses. We also guide customers to migrate from one gas plan to another, while following the right procedures to avoid any penalties or hidden expenses.