Five ways to cut energy bills from cheaper tariffs to using less – our guide to lowering your gas and electricity costs
AS temperatures drop across the UK and with budgets stretched further than ever at the moment, we explain how to cut your energy bills.
Millions of Brits are expected to ration their energy usage this winter because they are worried about paying bills, according to Comparethemarket.com.
With more people working from home this could add £80 more to bills.
Follow our step-by-step to lowering costs.
Switch to a cheaper tariff
If you’ve never switched before then you could save £400 a year. Use websites like Moneysupermarket.com, USwitch.com and EnergyHelpline to compare tariffs.
The cheapest dual fuel fixed tariff is from Utility Point, costing £831 on average a year.
Can you claim extra cash?
You can claim extra cash through government-funded schemes like the Winter Fuel Payment, the Warm Home Discount and the Cold Weather Payment.
There’s also the Cold Weather Payment, which you can claim if you’re receiving certain benefits or Support for Mortgage Interest.
Finally, you can get some extra cash with the Warm Home Discount Scheme if you receive the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit or you’re on a low income and meet your energy supplier’s criteria for the scheme.
Use less energy
You could be wasting vast amounts of money on your energy bills but it only takes 20 minutes to check how you can reduce your spend.
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- Turn down your thermostat because even reducing it by 1C could cut 10% off your heating bill and could save you around £75 per year.
- Turn off the lights when you leave a room.
- Fill up your washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher because one full load uses less energy than two half loads. Wash your clothes at 30C and don’t use the tumble dryer if you can avoid it.
- Don’t boil more water than you need so if you’re making yourself a cup of tea heat up just enough for one mugful.
- Use energy saving light bulbs as they last up to ten times longer than ordinary bulbs and don’t cost much more so using one can save you around £55 over the lifetime of the bulb.
- Invest in some savvy household gadgets like chimney balloons and smart shower heads to help cut costs.