7 Steps To Lowering Your Gas Bills

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1. Home>
2. 7 Steps to Lowering Your Gas Bills>

Not sure how to lower your gas bill? If you’re like many Americans who choose to heat their homes with natural gas, you’ll likely experience an uptick in your gas bills come winter and a reduction in your gas bills come summer. Those moving to a large home should also know that more energy will likely be required to heat the house. After all, the larger the home, the more rooms to heat (and the more places for heat to escape). These higher monthly utility bills are an important consideration to make when creating your new household budget.

In addition to heating a home, natural gas powers a home in a variety of other ways. The energy source can be used to heat water, power an oven and stove, to cool a home, to dry clothes and to light a gas fireplace. While natural gas is an especially convenient and easy way to power a home, the cost can quickly skyrocket during the cold weather months. For a look at tips on how to lower your gas bill during the winter and throughout the year, check out our expert advice on natural gas below.

How the price of natural gas is determined

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the overall cost of natural gas is largely affected by market conditions. It’s also determined by the cost of the gas itself, the cost of the transmission and distribution of gas, and the cost of taxes and fees that consumers pay for natural gas.

How to lower your gas bill in 7 easy steps

1. Turn off the heat when you’re not home

   While it’s nice to come home to a warm, cozy house, it’s not always practical. If you plan to leave your home for the majority of the day, week or month, we recommend turning off the heat when away. This will prevent you from wasting energy and spending big bucks on unnecessary heating bills.

2. Buy natural gas from a customer choice program

   The EIA advises shopping around for lower-priced natural gas if customer choice programs are available to you. These natural gas customer choice programs allow consumers to buy natural gas from a natural gas supplier as opposed to a local natural gas utility. The EIA points out that some states do give consumers the option to choose a natural gas supplier, “some limit choice to specific service areas or to a specific category or number of customers.”

3. Check gas equipment to see if it’s running efficiently

   The more efficiently your gas equipment runs, the less you’ll end up paying. We recommend having your equipment inspected and serviced by a professional to evaluate its condition. If replacing the equipment is necessary, upgrade it to energy-efficiency technologies, such as high efficiency boilers and furnaces with ENERGY STAR labels. These small improvements can cut your gas and heating bills in half.

4. Replace drafty windows

   Old, drafty windows might be charming, but they’re often extremely impractical. The S. Department of Energy points out that drafty windows that allow heat to escape account for 10 to 25 percent of a consumer’s heating bills. Not only do drafty windows end up costing you more in gas bills, but they also lead to an overworked (and not at all efficient) heater. For those who live in cold climates, we recommend replacing single-pane windows with double-pane, energy-efficient windows.

5. Insulate your water heater

   Insulating your natural gas hot-water storage tank will save you both energy and money, according to the EIA. Unfortunately, heat seeps out when hot-water storage tanks aren’t property insulated. When this happens you’ll only end up with a less efficient water tank and a more expensive gas bill.

6. Conduct a home energy audit

   Air leaks in a home lead to dollars upon dollars spent on heating bills and other utilities. To save money on your gas bill, we highly recommend arranging for a home energy audit from a professional auditor. These room-by-room audits will analyze your home and utility bills to determine if and where air leaks are happening in the home. Energy audits should help you figure out specific ways to improve a home’s insulation.

7. Insulate and seal air ducts

   Air duct systems that are not properly sealed are one of the leading causes of high gas bills. Your air duct system is what carries the flow of air throughout your home to heat and cool the property. Leaks in your duct system mean it will take more energy and more money to heat and cool the home. The best way to fix these leaks (and save on gas bills) is by hiring a professional to insulate and seal the air ducts. Not only will this will ensure that your air duct system is running as efficiently as possible, but it will also save you money down the road.

Ready to move

Moving soon? Before you worry about those future utility bills, you’ll need to figure out how exactly to move to the new home. Fortunately, we can help. To find a reliable moving company, check Moving.com’s extensive network of movers. Our website makes it easy to find and book the best moving company for the job. All relocation companies in our network are licensed and insured, so you can rest assured that your move will be in good hands.

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Author: Marian White

If anyone knows how to move, it’s Marian White. The South Carolina native spent the last decade living and working in Washington, DC, New York City, Boston and Palm Beach. With every move, she mastered the art of folding bankers boxes, repurposing bubble wrap and unabashedly asking for directions. Before writing for Moving.com, Marian authored “Moving to Palm Beach County: The Un-Tourist Guide,” a relocation guide for moving to the Palm Beaches. Marian has an M.A. in Global Marketing Communications from Emerson College and a B.A. from Furman University.View all posts by Marian White

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