How to save on your holiday rental's gas bill
May 2026
The rising cost of living has left everyone feeling the pinch — and that includes holiday rental landlords. If your home utility bills are getting out of hand, it’s time to fight back. Here are some of the best ways to spend less on gas for your holiday rental.
A quick warning
First of all, let’s cover what not to do. You may already know how to save gas at home, but not all of your ideas will be suitable for a holiday rental.
When you rent out your holiday home, you are giving guests permission to use it as they wish, as long as they don’t break your house rules. Those house rules must always be reasonable. In other words, telling guests not to have parties is fine, but telling them to cut down on their time in the shower is not.
With that in mind, here are some common ways to save on bills that won’t work for holiday rental landlords:
- Adjusting boiler settings and lowering the temperature of your boiler flow. You may be comfortable at a lower room temperature in your home, especially if you’ve had time to get used to it. However, you can’t force your guests to spend their holiday at a temperature that is uncomfortably cold for them.
- Taking shorter showers. This is simply unenforceable and comes across as draconian and unfair.
- Limiting the hours that the boiler is switched on. Do you really want to dictate to your guests when they can and can’t have a shower?
- Only turning on the radiators in certain rooms. Some people like to sleep in a cool bedroom, while others despise it.
Luckily, there are other strategies to reduce your holiday rental expenses that will not result in bad reviews all over the internet.
Switch energy providers
One of the quickest and easiest ways to reduce holiday rental costs is simply to shop around. If you’ve been using the same gas provider for a long time, you may not even realise what kinds of deals are out there.
Many gas companies offer a special welcome deal to encourage customers to make the switch. This means that truly savvy landlords switch providers fairly regularly, rarely spending more than a year or two with the same company. You may even find that your current provider gives you a special price to encourage you to stick around if you threaten to leave them.
Of course, the process of researching deals, changing providers, and so on can be quite time-consuming. As such, it’s up to you to decide how much it’s worth. Even if you don’t plan on hopping from one provider to another regularly, you should still investigate from time to time, as you may find that your current price is just way too high.
Upgrade your boiler
An old boiler is often more trouble than it’s worth. If your boiler is energy-inefficient, you’ll be losing money every time you turn it on.
That being said, replacing a boiler is expensive. Not only do you need to pay for the item itself, but you’ll also have to fork out for installation and new radiator valves. In the UK, for example, you can expect to pay up to £4,000 for a new boiler. That’s a hefty chunk of money — and, of course, nobody will be able to rent your holiday flat while it’s being replaced.
However, there are two things every landlord can do to improve their boiler’s efficiency.
Firstly, check to see if there are any government schemes in your area that help with upgrading boilers. Replacing an old boiler with one that’s energy-efficient is good for your bank balance, but it’s also great for the environment. As such, many national governments and regional authorities will help cover the cost of replacement. That can make it significantly more affordable for you.
Secondly, if you can’t afford the replacement, you should still call an engineer round to take a look at your boiler. It may not be running as efficiently as possible. An expert can examine it, fix any issues, and give you advice on how best to take care of it in the future. Whatever you do, don’t attempt this yourself. A boiler is not for DIY projects — in the hands of an amateur, it can be deadly.
Bleed your radiators
Over time, air can become trapped in radiators. This prevents the water in your pipes from circulating properly, and you’ll need to turn the thermostat up higher to compensate.
Luckily, bleeding a radiator is a quick, simple job that you can do yourself. If you don’t have a radiator key, use a screwdriver. Be prepared to clean up a bit of mess, as this process will inevitably spill some water onto your floors.
Arrange your rooms efficiently
If your furniture isn’t organised properly, you’ll probably end up with very high gas bills. That’s because the layout of your room can cause heat to get lost, so you’re forced to turn up your radiators.
Here are some ways to ensure that the furniture in your holiday rental is organised correctly:
- Remove any radiator covers — they just trap heat.
- Make sure that curtains are not hanging in front of radiators. Radiators below windows are generally a bad idea anyway, as they’ll lose heat quickly.
- Don’t place furniture right up against your radiators. There needs to be a gap to allow the hot air to circulate.
- Spend some time in your rental property, checking for any draughts, and install draught excluders.
- Install double-glazed windows. In extremely cold areas, you may even want to consider triple-glazed windows.
All of these measures will keep heat in your rooms more efficiently, so you won’t waste money on your gas bill.
Advertise your holiday home as energy-efficient
Okay, this bonus tip won’t save you money directly, but it can increase your revenue, which may offset the costs associated with your new boiler.
If you can pivot to targeting the eco-conscious market, you may be able to charge a premium. This is a niche group of travellers who are often prepared to spend more on their holidays.
Make sure your holiday rental website and your listings on holiday rental portals talk about your green credentials. You may even consider other ways to turn your home energy-efficient, such as replacing a gas cooker with an immersion hob, installing solar panels, or adding an electric car charging station.
Green-conscious travellers are one of the most lucrative markets out there, but you’ll have to ensure your rental meets their expectations. That means spending your time and money first before you can start advertising your holiday home in this way.