Save money on your energy and gas bills with these tips

Just when energy tariffs started to come down a bit again, prices are likely to go up again in the near future. That has everything to dowith the closure of the last nuclear power plants in Germany, which will push up gas prices. You're going to see that on your energy bill.

Fortunately, though, there are some handy tips and tricks you can apply to save some money here and there on your energy and gas bills. Think about your heating your home with air conditioning and generating your own green energy. You can read more about them in this article.

Heat your home differently: turn it down a degree

Chances are you already took the necessary steps last winter to use less gas and energy. In particular, it was the price of gas that skyrocketed within no time.

To immediately save money on your gas bill, it is advisable to set your thermostat to a maximum of 19 degrees. Is that already the temperature you had your heating at? Then set it to 18 degrees and have a few blankets ready on the sofa.

Put on a warm jumper or buy an electric blanket (which uses less than a heater). This can save you between €100 and €350 a year.

Make sure you set the thermostat low at night; at 14 or 15 degrees. Do the same at times when you are not at home to save even more gas and therefore money. This could save you between €100 and €250 a year.

Heating your home with electric air conditioning

What we also increasingly see is people opting for an alternative way of heating. This often has to do with gas-free heating, using electricity, for instance.

This can be done, for instance, with an electric heater or with an air conditioner that you use to cool down your living space in summer and use in winter to keep it nice and warm inside. The electricity consumption of an air conditioner is low compared to gas prices.

In addition, it is nice to know that an air conditioner can heat up a room in no time. You can easily set the temperatures yourself without using a lot of energy if you go for an energy-efficient model.

This is not only better for your wallet, but also for the environment. In other words: heating your home with an air conditioner is an attractive alternative to the central heating boiler.

Generate your own power with solar panels

This is of course even more so when you use electricity that you have generated yourself with solar panels. More and more people in the Netherlands have solar panels installed on the roof of their homes.

Solar panels capture solar rays, which are then converted into usable energy by an inverter. This is ideal, because this way you don't have to use gas which you will definitely see on your energy bill.

Another great advantage of generating your own green energy is that you can use that green power to run, for example, an electric heater or an air conditioner that you use to heat your home.

That way, you save money and do good for the environment. Of course, solar panels cost money, but on average, you will have recouped that investment within eight to ten years. After that, you will continue to use free solar energy for another ten to fifteen years. The ideal combination!

Get a smart thermostat

Finally, another handy gadget that will help you save energy and gas is a smart thermostat. A smart thermostat is a device that allows you to heat your home in a smart way. By doing so, you use less energy which you will see reflected in your energy bill.

There are different types of smart thermostats for sale, but at least they have one thing in common: almost all of them can be controlled via an app on your tablet or smartphone.

If you have a self-programming thermostat, the device learns at what times you are or are not there. Based on that, the heating is set lower or higher. Is your work rhythm variable? Then it makes sense to set your own schedule that you can easily and quickly control via the app.

With a modulating thermostat, you save even more energy besides heating your home with air conditioning and heating your home with solar panels.