How to Use Less Gas Without Sacrificing Comfort
Reducing your gas consumption is one of the most effective ways to cut household energy bills and lower your carbon footprint. The good news is that many of the most impactful changes require little or no upfront investment. Here are ten practical strategies, ranging from free behaviour changes to worthwhile upgrades.
1. Lower Your Boiler Flow Temperature
Modern condensing boilers operate most efficiently when the flow temperature (the temperature of water sent to radiators) is set below 70°C. Many boilers are set at the factory to 80°C or higher. Reducing the flow temperature to around 55–60°C allows the boiler to condense more effectively, improving efficiency by several percentage points. Check your boiler manual or call a Gas Safe engineer to adjust this setting.
2. Install a Smart Thermostat
A programmable or smart thermostat allows you to heat your home only when needed. Smart thermostats learn your patterns and can be controlled remotely via your phone. The ability to avoid heating an empty house represents one of the most significant gas-saving opportunities for most households. Set heating schedules that align with when you're actually home and awake.
3. Insulate Your Loft and Walls
Heat loss through an uninsulated roof or cavity walls is substantial. Loft insulation and cavity wall insulation are among the most cost-effective energy efficiency improvements available. Once installed, they reduce the amount of heat your home loses and therefore the amount your boiler needs to work to maintain a comfortable temperature.
4. Draught-Proof Your Home
Gaps around windows, doors, letterboxes, and floorboards allow warm air to escape and cold air to enter. Draught-proofing these gaps with strips, brushes, or sealant is one of the cheapest and most effective improvements you can make. Focus on:
- External doors (door seals and letterbox brushes)
- Window frames (self-adhesive foam strips)
- Skirting boards and floorboards (flexible sealant)
- Loft hatches (insulation strips around the frame)
5. Bleed Your Radiators
Air trapped in radiators prevents hot water from circulating properly, making your boiler work harder. If your radiators feel cold at the top and warm at the bottom, they need bleeding. This is a simple DIY task requiring only a radiator key and a cloth. Bleed radiators at the start of each heating season.
6. Turn Down the Thermostat by 1°C
Reducing your room thermostat setting by just one degree can meaningfully reduce your gas bill over a heating season. You may not notice the difference in comfort, especially if you dress appropriately for the season indoors.
7. Service Your Boiler Annually
A well-maintained boiler operates more efficiently than a neglected one. An annual service by a registered gas engineer ensures the boiler is burning fuel cleanly, combustion is optimal, and no minor faults are developing into costly breakdowns. A well-tuned boiler can consume noticeably less gas to deliver the same heat output.
8. Use Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs)
Thermostatic radiator valves allow you to control the temperature in individual rooms, rather than heating every room to the same level. Turn TRVs down in rooms that are used less frequently (guest rooms, hallways) and only heat the rooms you use to the level you need.
9. Insulate Your Hot Water Cylinder and Pipes
If you have a hot water storage cylinder, ensure it has a fitted insulating jacket. Uninsulated cylinders lose heat continuously, requiring more gas to reheat the water. Similarly, insulating the first metre of hot water pipe from the cylinder reduces standby heat loss.
10. Take Shorter Showers
Heating water for bathing is a major component of household gas use. Reducing shower time by even a few minutes per person per day can add up to a meaningful saving across a year. A water-efficient shower head also reduces the volume of hot water needed per shower without reducing the perceived shower experience.
Summary: Where to Start
| Action | Cost | Effort | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower boiler flow temp | Free | Low | Medium–High |
| Smart thermostat | Low–Medium | Low | High |
| Loft/wall insulation | Medium–High | Medium | Very High |
| Draught-proofing | Very Low | Low | Medium |
| Bleed radiators | Free | Very Low | Low–Medium |
Start with the free and low-cost changes, then build toward the bigger investments. Each step compounds the savings of the previous ones.