7 Tips to Reduce your Heating Bill

Get QuickAir
30 Apr 2015
3 Min Read

With winter just around the corner, it’s important to know how much gas or electricity your heater is going to use and what you can do to reduce the cost. This information is also useful for deciding on the right type of heating to have installed in a new home.

There are multiple factors which will affect the cost of heating your home.

Electric vs Gas Heating Costs

The first factor to consider when deciding on a new heater is whether to get electric or gas heating. In the majority of cases, gas heating will be the most cost-effective option for heating your whole home. In many cases, it will be cheaper to heat your whole home with gas than just heating one room in your home with a portable electric heater.

Sustainability Victoria estimates that the cost of heating a medium sized room (30-40m2) with an electric panel or fan (4 kW) would cost $825 per year, compared to gas heating at almost a quarter of the cost at $225. The price to heat an entire home (160-170 m2) with gas still comes in cheaper at $670 with an efficient system.

However, not all electric heating is so expensive to run. A split system air conditioner can provide electric heating at approximately the same cost as gas heating which can be the best option if gas is not an option available to you, although reverse cycle systems have a significantly higher upfront cost. If we compare the cost of the units of two 20 kW ducted systems a gas system can be purchased for approximately $2000 compared to $6000 for a 20 kW electric ducted split system. Furthermore, breakdowns and repairs will be more expensive to repair with a split system than gas ducted heating. Split systems will also only heat rooms where a head unit is located.

Energy efficient systems

Another factor to consider when choosing between heaters is the efficiency of the unit. The energy efficiency of the heating unit can make a major difference in your annual power usage.

High-efficiency heaters will attract a higher price at the point of sale, however, this extra investment can be paid back by reduced power and gas bills in the years to come. Inefficient systems could cost you up to $200 per year in increased utility bills.

Your unit requires maintenance

Your heater requires maintenance to remain efficient. It is recommended to have your heater serviced every 12-18 months. Part of a standard service will include cleaning out all of the dust and dirt that has accumulated in the unit, cleaning the filters and cleaning the vents. A professional technician will also check the air intakes and the internal workings of the heater and ensure that everything is running smoothly and stop any minor problems from developing into serious breakdowns.

Regular servicing can reduce your energy consumption by up to 10%. Contact a local professional heating company to organized scheduled maintenance at the start of each winter season.

7 Tips to reduce heating costs

  • set your thermostat to between 18 and 20°C in winter. Each degree higher can increase your running costs by up to 10%.
  • close doors to rooms that don’t need heating
  • shut the curtains and blinds at night
  • make sure the system is turned off when no one is home
  • take advantage of automatic timers built into the system to ensure the heating is only running when needed and automatically turning off during times when you know no one will be home or awake
  • close the vents in rooms you do not need to be heated
  • ensure your heating is regularly serviced and maintained according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

QuickAir offers Australia wide scheduled maintenance for heating.

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References:

  1. Reduce energy bills- Energy Australia
  2. How to cut your gas and electricity bills in winter-news.com.au