How to save gas Useful tips
Obviously, if gas consumption meters are not installed in the apartment, then it makes no sense to save gas. In the past, when gas cost a penny, and no one even thought about metering devices, with poor centralized heating, a living room was heated using a gas stove.
Everything has changed today. Gas costs money, and its cost is constantly growing. In order to pay not according to the general tariff, but only for what is consumed, many install gas meters. Then they start saving immediately. In this life hack, we will tell you how to save gas in an apartment with a meter.
How to save gas when cooking
Here are some tips on how to save gas when cooking. By following them, you can reduce the gas consumption of the stove by 30%.
Use the right utensils for cooking
Throw away all your old pans. They were created for use in an era when gas was plentiful and cheap. Get 1-2 pans with energy-saving properties. We don't know exactly how manufacturers achieve this effect, but these pans have amazing properties:
they do require less gas supply while maintaining high efficiency
the contents of such a pot boil faster
minimal fire is required to keep the boil at the right level
Yes, energy-saving pans are more expensive than conventional ones. But since this is a durable item, sooner or later it will pay for itself, and you will start saving gas right away. In addition, new and modern kitchen utensils are always pleasant and joyful.
Reduce cooking time
Practice shows that people traditionally unreasonably increase the cooking time on the stove. This is especially true for vegetable dishes. Often in recipes and recommendations you can see that, for example, celery root should be boiled until cooked for 15-20 minutes. Although in reality 5 minutes is enough.
Accustom yourself to the fact that the less you cook vegetables, the healthier and tastier the dish will be. For example, to cook broccoli, you need no more than 5 minutes of being in boiling water. Despite this, many people can boil broccoli soup for 30 minutes.
With meat, five minutes is not enough. But in this case, the cooking time can be reduced. To do this, cut the meat into small pieces. For example, a large piece of beef should be cooked for 1.5-2 hours. By forming small pieces, you will reduce the time to 30-40 minutes.
Some foods do not need to be boiled
Do you know how our great-great-grandmothers did with buckwheat porridge at the time when they cooked in ovens? They poured water over the cereal, brought it to a boil, then tightly “wrapped” the pan or cast iron with a blanket and left it for 1 hour.
In an hour, the porridge absorbed all the water, became boiled and tasty. Result: instead of a 30-minute boil, a 10-minute boil. Yes, it will take more time for the porridge to “reach”, but if you are not in a hurry, then the gas savings are obvious.
This strategy works not only with buckwheat, but also with all other cereals, cereals, and vegetables.
Stick to the average level of gas supply to the burners
We often do not know the measure, including when we use a gas stove. Most of us habitually open the gas burner at full power. Paradoxically, this approach not only does not accelerate heating, but in many cases reduces the efficiency of the gas stove and increases costs.
The fact is that the maximum flame temperature is reached at its periphery. When we turn on the gas too much, the flames seem to “grasp” the bottom of the dish, or at least fall almost along the diameter of the bottom. This leads to the fact that part of the energy goes around the dishes, dissipates.As a result, we spend more gas than is required.
Individual heating of water for domestic use is not a bad idea in the age of centralized hot water. At the same time, you pay only for the volume of heated water that you used; you do not heat the air and the ground around the heating mains, basements and reinforced concrete floors with this heat. Unfortunately, there are only two options to save gas using a gas column.
You should install a column that turns on the gas supply (and, accordingly, heats the water) only when it is in use. Such devices are equipped with electric ignition, which works as soon as water begins to flow through the unit. Compared to non-flow columns, such devices can save up to 50% of gas.
Basic home heating methods
If you are thinking about how best to heat a house without gas, then we recommend resorting to electricity, which acts as the easiest way to organize heating.
If we talk about profitability, then electricity is at the very last place in the rating. As a fuel for such devices, you can use diesel, which is also quite expensive. Thus, 1 Gcal of heat will cost 3,500 rubles. In this case, you will have to deal with an unpleasant odor that will form near the heating unit. Despite the shortcomings, diesel fuel is becoming an alternative affordable type of fuel for many consumers.
You can also heat your home with coal, which is a cheap form of fuel. With it, heating will cost four times cheaper compared to the above method. Thus, one thousand rubles will have to be paid for 1 Gcal of heat.
If you are faced with the question of how to heat a house in winter without gas, then you can use peat, which comes in the form of briquettes. It will cost about one and a half times more than coal.
The most common option for heating a house is to use firewood, which costs little, but it is not always convenient to use them, but they will burn out much faster than coal.
For appliances that are installed in the house, you can use pellets, they are granules created on the basis of wood waste. You can get 1 Gcal of heat by paying 1500 rubles. At the same time, this type of fuel is very convenient to use for boilers in which fuel can be supplied automatically.
How to save gas when heating a private house with gas
How to save gas in a private house?
So, how to save gas when heating a house with gas?
The main item of energy costs in a private household with a gas heating boiler falls on the heating system, so special attention should be paid to saving "blue fuel" in this direction. There are several quite affordable ways to reduce gas consumption, which are presented:
There are several quite affordable ways to reduce gas consumption, which are presented:
- Insulation of a private household. External walls, in this case, need to be insulated with board materials such as mineral wool or foam. The standard thickness of the layer of such insulation can vary between 6.0-10 cm. This option of insulation allows you to save the usable area of \u200b\u200bthe internal space. Be sure to insulate the basement and attic.
- Installation of energy-saving metal-plastic or wooden double-glazed windows, as well as replacing doors with more modern models that retain heat well in the room. In the absence of the opportunity to purchase new designs, high-quality insulation of old windows and doors is allowed with any heat-saving materials, including foam rubber and mineral wool.
- Ventilation control.The maximum efficiency is the full opening of windows for a few minutes, and not a long flow of street air through a slightly ajar window. At the same time, there is a significant renewal of the air in the room with minimal losses of thermal energy.
- Insulation of a heating boiler, boiler or expansion tank located in unheated or poorly heated rooms.
Also, experts recommend installing a programmer that allows you to reduce power indicators and, accordingly, gas consumption in the absence of residents in the room.
Very high efficiency is shown by the addition of a standard gas heating system of a private house with wood-burning fireplaces or solid fuel stoves, which make it possible to provide the room with a comfortable temperature regime with minimal fuel costs.
Saving gas in a private house on heating
An increased temperature regime in the house relative to street indicators is possible only with a noticeable difference between the amount of thermal energy produced by the heating system and the total amount of heat loss.
To significantly reduce the cost of paying for gas heating and hot water, you can use various methods, including automation of the operated heating equipment and regulation of the ventilation system.
Savings with ventilation
High-quality ventilation, with proper arrangement, helps to maintain the optimal temperature regime of the air in the room.
When installing exhaust ventilation pipes in houses heated by gas equipment, the following basic rules must be observed without fail.
Namely:
- pipe installation is carried out in a certain position;
- indicators of the height of the pipe should not allow carbon monoxide to enter the premises, both through windows and through doors during the ventilation process;
- a special device installed to protect ventilation from dirt and precipitation should not interfere with the full outflow of combustion products.
The dimensions and shape of the ventilation device vary. The flue pipe can be fixed on the floor and wall equipment. The dimensions of the pipe must be determined in accordance with the power ratings of the heating equipment and the diameter of the outlet pipeline.
The pipe for the influx of outdoor air masses must necessarily have a sufficiently wide opening, the diameter of which always depends on the power level of the gas equipment and is approximately 0.8 cm2 for every 1 kW.
Conclusion
Saving "blue fuel" with the correct arrangement of the gas heating system and hot water supply often reaches 20-25%.
To this end, experts recommend purchasing convenient room thermostats with a programmer function or the most modern weather-dependent sensors, as well as using economical alternative additional sources of heat generation.
Ways to save gas in the kitchen
Plan according to your needs
It is clear that a spacious kitchen is the dream of any housewife. However, consider whether you really need a built-in gas oven or grill that will turn on several times a year? The less “bells and whistles” you have, the less consumption, and not only gas, but also your time to take care of all this stuff. A compact yet functional kitchen is the first step towards saving gas.
Kettle or thermo pot, what to choose
Keep your burners clean
Regularly clean the burners of grease and soot. The cleaner they are, the less gas is required to reach the required temperature.
Pay attention to the color of the flame, it should be blue. If red or orange “notes” appear, it’s time to clean the burners
If the color has not changed, it means that you are being supplied with low-quality gas, poorly purified from impurities.
Use quality utensils
Listen to your wife and finally buy normal pots and pans. Perhaps she wants new ones for purely aesthetic reasons, but this is one of the ways to save gas in everyday life. The material of the cookware and its thermal conductivity play an important role in the increased consumption.
Choose pots by size
Before you go with your happy wife for new pans, measure the diameter of the burners. The same principle applies here as with the economical use of an electric stove. Cookware should be the same size, or slightly larger than the burners. If it is less, a significant part of the gas does not fall to the bottom, but “licks” the sides, leading to a senseless overrun.
It is also important that the bottom of the pots is perfectly flat.
Make pots sparkle
Clean pans can not only please the eye, but also save gas. Their shiny surface conducts heat better than those contaminated with soot.
Do I need a dishwasher in the house
Use lids
An easy way to save gas is to keep the lid on as often as possible while cooking. Firstly, such a measure will allow the dish to heat up faster, using less energy. Secondly, minimizing the access of oxygen gives the food an additional, richer taste. For the same reasons, you should not pour excess water.
Buy a pressure cooker
Modern pressure cookers bear little resemblance to those monsters that we first saw 20-30 years ago. Today it is a high-tech device that looks not much different from an ordinary pan. But for the preparation of the same dish, it consumes almost half as much gas. An additional bonus is time savings and minimal loss of useful food properties.
Follow the flame
It is a well-known fact that the maximum temperature is reached at the very tip of the flame. Therefore, opening the gas “to the full” is justified only when using pans with a large diameter, and even then not always. Try immediately after turning on the stove to adjust the flame so that it “rests” on the bottom with its top, and not in the middle. After the water boils and as the food cooks, keep the flame at the required minimum.
Cook in large portions
Cooking meals for several days at once is an easy way to save gas and time. After all, heating food requires much less energy than cooking.
Close the oven tightly
If you have a gas oven, make sure that its door closes tightly and does not release heat. This will save you from pointless spending.
As you can see, saving gas in everyday life is not such a difficult task. Using these simple tips, you can reduce your consumption by 15-20%.
How to save gas
Installing a gas meter
If in apartments gas is most often used for cooking stoves and heating water in boilers, then in private houses the heating system works on gas. First you need to install a meter that will count how much gas you have spent, because it is better to pay for actually consumed cubic meters. After all, despite the fact that installing a meter is not a particularly cheap event, it is better to pay for the gas that you actually used than what the local gas organization counted for you.
Moreover, the installation of a gas meter is beneficial in apartments, and not just in private homes. Having paid for the installation of the meter, we can be sure that we are paying for the consumed gas, and not paying for the cubic meters that Gorgaz calculates based on average consumption. This is especially true when hot water is turned off and utilities send bills that include the item: “For heating water during a shutdown of hot water supply.” Those who have an electric water heater installed are very happy with such payments, they heat the water themselves, but you still have to pay more than you need for gas.
Modernizing your home
In order not to heat the street in the cold season and gas was spent much less, it is more practical to insulate the walls of the house, which will make housing more comfortable and more energy efficient. It is better to spend money on insulation than to pay exorbitant amounts for gas every year. Insulated houses require significantly less fuel, and this allows save gas at home, since in winter it becomes warmer in the rooms, and in summer the living quarters do not need so much cooled air from the air conditioner and double savings are obtained - gas in winter and electricity in summer.
Heating systems in a private house, which consumes most of the gas, can be upgraded, which will reduce the cost of consumed gas. Put a pump on the gas boiler, which will drive the heated coolant through the system. Install thermal heads on heating radiators, and fix foil screens between the battery and the wall, which will reflect heat into the room, and not heat the walls of the house. Try not to cover heating radiators with thick curtains, curtains, furniture and various decorative screens that do not allow heat to spread freely around the room.
In this article, we will look at the following ways to save gas
How to save gas for heating, what equipment to use.
Thermoregulation by thermostat
Weather-dependent sensors, thermostats
More efficient equipment.
Condensing gas boilers.
Saving gas for cooking
Gas substitution
Solar energy for home
Special coatings for roofs and walls.
Heat pumps for heating
Heating air conditioning
When it comes to how to save gas, the first thing that comes to mind is the insulation of a house, apartment. And it is right. A warm house is not only much more economical, but also takes care of the health of its inhabitants. The absence of drafts and a comfortable temperature will protect your family members from illnesses, and gas savings will be maximum.
| From the author: In 2012, I insulated my house in the village of Oseshchina (Vyshgorodsky district, Kiev region). External insulation 10 cm of glass wool + siding, floor insulation 10 cm and attic 15 cm cost me about 35 thousand UAH (house 8x8, 2 floors). If before insulation I spent 3800-4200 UAH annually on heating, then in the winter of 2012-13 it took only 2200 UAH. |
You can find more information about home insulation in this article.
How to save gas on the meter
The fact that you have installed a gas meter will already save you money, because you will only pay for the consumed gas. But each person wants to save on utilities to the maximum, so that these savings can then be spent on themselves. There are several methods on how to legally save gas on the meter:
- Devices that you do not use, be sure to turn off;
- Use as much gas as needed;
- Take advantage of every opportunity to save gas;
- If you use a gas water heater, save hot water;
- Use special utensils for a gas oven.
First, you must understand that the cooking gas should only heat the bottom of the cookware, not the sides. In this case, only the gas flow increases, and not the heating temperature.
There are a few simple tricks on how to save money on a gas meter. You can put foil on top of the oven to help reflect heat and reduce cooking time.
If possible, use special dishes for gas stoves, grooves are located on it, then the dish will be able to cook itself when the gas is turned off. A kettle with a whistle will not let you use an extra minute of gas.
If a gas water heater is installed in your house, try to take a shower, not a bathroom, turn off the water when washing your face and brushing your teeth, install economical dividers on the shower. When washing dishes, lather them first, and then turn on the rinse water.
Comfort temperature
To begin with, let's decide what temperature you need to maintain in the house so that it is comfortable to live in it. Experts believe that the norm is about 25 degrees Celsius. In this mode, heating systems consume one hundred percent of the gas. How to reduce this rate?
It is believed that we do not have many ways to save gas. One option is to lower the temperature. If you lower the bar to 17 degrees Celsius, then the heating system will consume only 68 percent of the gas.
The savings are significant, but the temperature for living is uncomfortable. If we take into account that the maximum temperature of 25 degrees Celsius is not constantly needed, then this fact can already be used. For instance, up to 17 degrees Celsius, you can reduce the temperature in the house at night and during the day when no one is around. This will allow spending 78 percent of the gas.
Since the heating system will operate at full capacity most of the time on weekends, only 81 percent of gas will be consumed on average during the week. Depending on gas tariffs, residents will be able to save more than a thousand rubles a year.
New ways to profitably heat your home
One of them is convector heating, due to heaters and oil-type radiators, the second of the innovations, infrared heating, or PLEN.
Not often used, but also cheap home heating is considered: heat pumps and solar heating. Solar energy has long been used in Western countries, but in Russia this method is still taking root with difficulty. The fact is that solar panels are quite expensive, but if you purchase a battery and a heating tank, connected two in one, you can get an excellent alternative source of heat.
Any cheap heating of a private house is very much appreciated recently, since it becomes very expensive to maintain any housing. However, in a private house there is an opportunity to save money, because there you will not need housing and communal services, and you yourself will decide when to turn on the heat, when to turn it off, and in what ways to heat it in the heating pipes.
