Autumn and winter are becoming an expensive affair for millions of households in Germany. In the next year there is a risk of additional payments in the four-digit range because the gas price continues to rise. FOCUS Online gives advice on how to actively save gas in everyday life – and thus reduce costs.
There are doubts as to whether the gas surcharge of around 2.4 cents per kilowatt hour will come at all.
Gas suppliers and energy giants have nevertheless announced price increases for the fall. If customers have not agreed on a price guarantee, the down payment is tripled.
Experts from the comparison portals Check24 and Verivox firmly believe that these price adjustments will gradually reach customers from the end of the year.
Millions of people in Germany are affected by the explosive prices. Around half of all apartments in Germany are heated with gas.
Energy has never been as expensive as it is now. But instead of panicking, you should calmly check potential savings at home. As our guide shows, there are many of them.
Those who purchase gas should now reduce their consumption. Gas is generally used for heating in the winter months. Outside the heating period, the hot water supply accounts for the main part of consumption. But you also use a lot of energy when baking and cooking with a gas pipe.
Gas costs too high: Compare tariffs now and save
Only cook with a lid
If there is a suitable lid on the pot, no unused heat can escape from it. This saves you about three times as much energy as cooking without a lid. And the contents heat up even faster – an advantage that shouldn’t be underestimated when you’re hungry. Savings: ten euros per year.
Use a suitable pan or saucepan
You can save even more if you use cookware that fits the size of the hob. The consulting firm co2online even recommends that the diameter of the cookware can be slightly larger than the diameter of the hob. Savings: 20 euros per year.
Use as little water as necessary
If you only fill the pot or kettle with as much water as is actually required, you can also save a good amount of money. Because you not only have to heat less water, but of course it also heats up faster.
For example, the campaign “80 million together for the energy transition” advises cooking eggs and vegetables in a pot with only a two-centimeter layer of water – not even covering them completely. Savings: ten euros per year.
And if you only heat as much water in the kettle as you really need, you can save 14 euros (compared to one liter too much boiled water per day).
Put the noodles in the pot right at the start
Noodles should be thrown into cold water and heated with it instead of putting them into boiling water. Savings: ten euros per year.
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You can shower less and save money as a result, but doing without is generally not a good advisor.
You can achieve a high savings potential if you buy an economical shower head. Rather invest in a higher quality model. A single minute in the shower uses 15 liters of water. The economical shower head reduces consumption to seven liters.
The more water you save per minute, the less limescale builds up on the shower head. There are inexpensive models for around 20 euros in hardware stores and online. You can find an example here.
If you are used to taking very hot showers, reduce the temperature in stages. Always a few degrees less per shower, soon you will get used to the lower temperatures.
You should also turn off the water when you lather yourself, this will save you from wasting water. As a rule, showering should not last longer than six minutes. With a savings shower head, you get about 30 cents per shower.
FOCUS Online advises: Listen to music while showering. After two songs (three minutes each) you should be done.
With an aerator that you attach to the tap, you can also save money when brushing your teeth and when cleaning your head and face. This economy aerator or economy aerator is a small screen that mixes air into the water jet so that less water is needed for the usual strong jet. This can halve the water consumption.
Such assignments are also available online. For example at Amazon for less than four euros (or here ).
Also read: Immediate savings measures for the home – Brings over 100 euros a year! What you should now change when it comes to hot water
Away from wool blankets or electric radiators, there are other ways to save gas in winter.
1. Hydraulic balancing
With older heating systems, the so-called hydraulic balancing can be worthwhile. With this comparison, plumbing experts determine the heat output required for each living space. Based on this, the required amount of water and the optimum flow temperature are set.
In addition, the pump performance and the necessary resistances in the heating circuit are calculated. This ensures that exactly the required amount of water always flows from the circulation pump to the radiators and back. Because if too much or too little water flows, not all rooms in the house are heated evenly. The result: colder radiators are turned on more. This causes unnecessary costs.
Savings potential: The energy consumption when heating radiators should be reduced by up to 15 percent through these new settings, according to the “Intelligent Heizen” portal of the VdZ – Economic Association for Buildings and Energy. The energy advice of the Federal Consumer Association assumes savings of up to five percent off.
Costs: Around 925 euros for an average single-family house, according to the non-profit consulting company Co2Online.
2. Have the heater serviced and cleaned
The boiler should be free of dirt, because that affects the combustion processes – and that costs money. Regular maintenance and cleaning is therefore recommended. “Intelligent heating” recommends doing this annually after each heating season.
Savings potential: According to “Intelligent heating”, around ten percent.
Costs: Depends on the device type, age of the system and the scope of the inspection services. Co2Online gives the average maintenance costs at around 160 euros.
3. Insulate exposed heating pipes
Exposed and uninsulated heating pipes in unheated rooms such as in the basement give off heat – which they should actually transport to the living areas. But there is something you can do about it: Anyone can insulate exposed heating pipes themselves. For example with insulating shells that can be placed around the pipes.
By the way: The insulation of the heating pipes in unheated rooms is even mandatory according to the Building Energy Act of 2020.
Potential savings: According to the consumer advice center in North Rhine-Westphalia, up to 200 kilowatt hours of energy can be saved per meter of pipe.
Costs: Pipe insulation plus glue and insulating tape are available for three to ten euros per meter in hardware stores.
4. Venting at the next start of heating
If radiators are not really warm, especially in the upper area, or if there is gurgling in the pipes, there is air in them. It has to be out by the start of the next heating season. This is how it works in a nutshell: When venting, the valve on the side of the radiator is opened with a square wrench and left open until only water comes out.
Savings potential According to Co2Online, gas can be saved for around 60 euros by venting in a 110 square meter single-family house.
Cost: Simple square wrenches are available online or at hardware stores. A corresponding offer can be found here.
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