Nearly 11 million French households use natural gas, the energy most consumed by households just behind electricity. If we take into account regulated gas prices, i.e. those set by the public authorities and distributed by the historic supplier of this energy, Engie (formerly GDF Suez), each French household has an average annual gas bill of nearly 800 euros, subscription and taxes included. Gas is used by individuals for heating their homes (81% of gas consumption), producing hot water (12%) and cooking (7%). Gas consumption and the resulting costs represent a very significant item of expenditure. This is why making sure to reduce its use and its expenses of gas is not insignificant for the wallet of the French. Our solutions to lower your gas bill.
Measures, most often very simple to put in place, allow you to save on heating and lower your gas bill when using this type of energy.
First, common sense measures such as, for example, never placing objects or laundry on your gas heaters. In the same way, avoid placing curtains in front of this equipment which prevents good heat diffusion in a room.
Properly adjusting these radiators can also greatly reduce your gas bills, by around 7%. If you have a thermostat, make sure to set a temperature that ensures maximum comfort in a house, avoiding overheating your home. The recommended ideal temperature is 19 degrees in living rooms and 17 degrees in bedrooms. To save on your gas expenses, also consider lowering these temperatures at night.
You can also not heat the rooms that you do not occupy all day, such as a bedroom or an office, for example.
The best thing is to have a programmer that allows you to heat your home, and in particular certain rooms, only when necessary and according to your needs.
Also remember to lower, or even turn off, your radiators when you open your windows to ventilate your home. This precaution prevents your thermostat from "asking" your heating equipment to turn on for nothing.
We often forget to do a very simple thing that keeps our homes warm in winter and that helps save gas, and therefore on our energy bills:close the shutters at nightfall in all the rooms of the house so that the cold does not enter. In the same vein, caulk the doors leading to the outside or unheated rooms as much as possible can be a source of savings and lower gas bills.
To lower your gas bill for heating your home, also make sure that your pipes that lead hot water from your boiler to your radiators are well insulated to prevent heat loss. There are specific insulators for this (mineral fiber strips, foam sleeves, etc.) that are very easy to install yourself.
Finally, if you have a gas boiler, remember to have it serviced regularly by a professional, annual maintenance moreover mandatory.
The second item of gas expenditure for French households is made up of their hot water consumption. The gas makes it possible to maintain a water heater at a high temperature and to produce hot water at the arrival of the taps of the house.
In order to save on your gas bill in this regard, it is very important to monitor the temperature level of your water heater, which must be set between 55 and 60 degrees. Below these temperatures, the risk of bacteria proliferating in your equipment is increased and, above, your water heater is exposed to the formation of scale, two situations which contribute to the malfunction of your water heater and, in consequently, to abnormal gas consumption which could increase your bill in the end.
Other measures can be put in place to limit its consumption of hot water and therefore gas. For example, you can equip your taps, especially in your shower, with systems intended to save hot water such as energy-saving showerheads or shower stoppers. Thermostatic mixers are also good solutions in this sense.
Gas is also used by individuals for cooking their food. This energy consumption item can also be the subject of simple measures to reduce your energy bill.
First, always remember to cover your pots, pans, casseroles, etc., with a lid when you cook. This will prevent heat loss and reduce cooking times while saving gas. Another tip for not spending more gas than necessary, make sure to use kitchen utensils adapted to the size of your hotplates.
Finally, here too maintenance plays a big role in possible energy savings and has an impact on your gas bill. Remember to clean your burners regularly to prevent them from becoming clogged and causing more gas consumption than necessary.
In addition to the good gestures intended to reduce its gas consumption and therefore to lower its bill, to be adopted on a daily basis, some households can benefit from the "energy voucher". This is a system set up by the State which concerns low-income households to help them finance their energy bills, including those for natural gas. This is why the energy check is allocated subject to means testing:beneficiaries must provide proof of an annual reference tax income (RFR) of less than 10,800 euros.
The amount of the energy check varies from 48 to 277 euros depending on the RFR of the household and its energy consumption (gas, electricity, wood, etc.).
To benefit from it, the households concerned do not have to take any action. The tax authorities determine which of them meet the conditions to receive an energy check and the latter is sent to them by the Services and Payment Agency (ASP) once a year. They then only have to pay part of their gas bill with this energy check.
