Save on Energy Bills

There are some easy ways you might be able to bring your energy bills down a bit and find a new normal – without sweating too much of the small stuff. You might also find better prices when you switch energy providers, or rewards when you refer a friend.

Take a look at your bills and make sure you’re up on all the facts. If you pay for energy monthly, knowing what kind of tariff you’re on and whether your bills are based on accurate meter readings is a great start – there’s an immediate action to take if you haven’t been submitting meter readings, as this helps take back a little bit of control. Better still, contact your provider to get a smart meter installed, this will give you daily insights into what energy you’re using and help you cut down usage and bills.

If you have a pre-payment meter, you can still get a smart meter to track your energy use (even if you rent your home). The good news for people who use pay as you go energy is that prices per unit have now been matched to those paying monthly tariffs, as previously they were higher.

If you’re ready to make some small changes to the way you run things, according to the Energy Saving Trust you could save almost £450 a year on your energy bills. They have loads of energy saving tips on their website, but the biggest yearly savers listed are:

• • Draught proofing your home to keep cold out and heat in – lots of handy DIY insulation can be done in minutes and a roll of insulation tape costs under a tenner 
  • Limiting your time in the shower to just 4 minutes – we’ve even found this free in-shower timer to help you beat the clock 
  • Avoiding the tumble dryer – you could save with a plug in heated airer like these from Dunelm starting at £40
  • Switching appliances off at the plug to avoid wasting energy on standby mode – these clever extension leads do it for you

Next up it’s time to take action around your home – spend ten minutes checking for draughts and if you find your front door is letting in the cold, head over to Dunelm for quick ways to exclude draughts or insulate your home from just £3.

If you own your home and you have a little money to spare right now, it may also be worth investing in wall or loft insulation and a boiler service, to make sure your heating system is working as efficiently as possible – it could save you some good money in the long run. You can also consider using a timer function to set your heating if you know you’ll be out most of the day, that way you’re only using energy when you need to.

New customer bonuses and the potential for better tariffs can be a reason to switch providers. You can compare energy tariffs and switch really easily and there will be no interruption to your service when the switch happens, you’ll just start paying a new provider from your next bill.

Some energy providers also offer great referral schemes to help you save on energy bills, Octopus will give you £50 credit if you refer a friend who signs up.

This information is intended for editorial purposes only and not intended as a recommendation or financial advice