Christmas energy saving tips from Bord Gáis Energy

Christmas energy saving tips from Bord Gáis Energy

As the festive season sets in – bringing with it colder days, longer nights and lots of entertaining – it can be extremely easy to let energy costs rise. Bord Gáis Energy has some helpful tips for householders to save on energy costs.

• Lower your thermostat by 1°C and save up to 10% on your heating bill
• Use automatic timers to turn off luminous Santas and Christmas lights during the night
• Consider using LED lights to decorate your home. They last 30-50 times longer than incandescent bulbs and a 50,0000 hour running life
• Keep curtains closed at night, even in empty rooms to avoid heat loss through windows
• Turn off appliances when not in use and save up to 20%* on energy use
• Don't leave Christmas gifts such as tablets or mobile devices on charge for longer than necessary
• Don't be tempted to peek into the oven when cooking the festive roast. Opening the door will allow the heat to escape and it will cost more to reheat the oven.
• Make sure the Christmas tree and any other decorations aren't blocking any radiators. They will absorb a lot of the heat and prevent the radiators from warming up the rest of the house.
• Be careful when discarding of Christmas wrapping paper in open fires, as paper can get stuck up the chimney and cause a build up of carbon monoxide in the air. Make sure you have a carbon monoxide alarm fitted.

For a longer term energy management solution, consider installing smart energy controls, such as Hive Active Heating, which allows total control of home heating and hot water from a smartphone, laptop or tablet. Users can control their energy whether they are at home, work or on the go and can help customers save you up to €120** per year on their energy bills. In 2017, Bord Gáis Energy will introduce a range of additional Hive products for householders such as smart plugs, smart lights and motion and contact sensors.

Householders should also ensure their boiler is serviced annually. As well as improved safety, well maintained boilers can save up to €150*** a year.

Gary Griffin, Service Delivery Manager at Bord Gáis Energy said, "The Christmas holiday season can be an expensive time, with budgets being stretched on all fronts. The last thing consumers need is an unnecessarily high energy bill, and there are lots of things that Irish householders can do to help keep costs down. Switching off lights and appliances when not in use, lowering thermostats by 1°C or simply keeping the oven closed while cooking can save a considerable amount on energy bills."

Bord Gáis Energy's HomeCare team offers a range of oil and gas boiler servicing packages and its Service Engineers can install carbon monoxide alarms while in your home. For more information, visit bordgaisenergy.ie/homecare or call 01 611 01 45.

* SEAI figure 
** Saving is based on annual gas usage of 13,800kWh at the BGE standard rate on 02.06.15 when entry-level remote heating controls are installed as per SEAI Energy Savings. Savings are dependent on customer behaviour change in their usage.
*** SEAI figure