EnERgY Advice Keepingenergy


CoSTSdown thiswinter


With utility companies announcing fuel price rises, flat ownersmay be able to keep their bills down by following these tips from energyswitcheroo


To find outifyou areonthe best tariff for you, simply visitthewebsiteat www.energyswitcheroo.comand try the freedomestic comparison tool.You will also findmuchmore informationand plenty of tips on how to becomemore energy efficient.


themoney to be refunded.Itisbettertohavethe money in your account gaining interest rather than your supplier’s.Ifyoursupplierobjects, quote ‘Condition27 of the Gas Supply Licence’. This states creditmust be refunded anddirect debitsfair.


Could you savemoney on energy bills?


Making sure you areonanappropriate energy tariffand becomingmoreenergy efficientathomeare thebest ways to keep your energy billsmanageablethiswinter. Recent surveyssuggest 38%ofconsumers are concerned about energy bills rising this winter.Lastwinterhouseholdswho switched theirenergyprovidersaved on average£220 or 17%based on an averagehousehold bill of £1,270. To help flatownersprotect themselves


fromrising fuel prices this winter, energyswitcheroo.comhave compiled their top tentipsfor saving on householdenergy bills.


Switch energy


supplier online Somepeoplefeeluncomfortable dealing with their finances online. However,when it comes to gasand electricitybills,thosewhoare preparedtoswitchtariff online andreceive theirgas andelectricity billsbyemail always endupwiththe cheapest bills. Don’tbeput off by fear of theunknown. Youcan stillcontact thesupplierbyphone forany queriesyou have,whether it’s aboutyourtariff,billing,gas leaks, power cuts or anything else.


Paybydirectdebit A typical household could save around £50 on their gas and electricity bills a year simply by switchingtodirectdebit.However,beware of paying toomuch or too little eachmonth: ensure thedirectdebit accurately reflects your projectedgas andelectricity usagesoyou don’tbuildupasurpluswiththe supplier or suddenly get a big increase to your direct debit because you’ve fallen behind.


Flat Living Issue 17


Shop around –don’t accept priceincreases fromyour


currentsupplier You have the right to refuse price increases on your tarifffrom your existing supplier. Online comparison tools allowyou to quickly andeasilysearchthe entire energy marketto findthe best prices available. Youcan simply switch online andwithin4-6 weeksyour supply will transferautomatically.


Choose a fixed rate deal Protectyourselffrom continuously rising gasand electricityprices by switchingto afixedratecontract. Thesecontracts offer much moreprice stability in thevolatilegas andelectricity markets.Lockintoafixedrate contract foraslongaspossible anditwill allowyou to budget for a longer period.


Read your meter regularly If youallowyour supplier to bill youon estimatedreads youcould enduppayingmuch morethanneeded onamonthly or quarterly basis. You should read your gas and electricity meters at least every threemonths and register thereadingswithyoursupplieroverthe phone or viaanonlineaccount. If youare in large amountsofcreditwithyoursupplier, request


refuse priceincreases on your tariff fromyour existingsupplier


Youhave theright to


Stay up-to-date Make a habit of checking tariffs online, every 6-12months, to ensure that thereare no new tariffs that could result in cheaper gas and electricitybills.Ifyou areinafixedterm contract, it is possible that there will be early cancellation fees.However, if the savingsmade byswitchingtoanewtariffoutweighthe fee then it canbe beneficial to continue with a switch.


Turn off and replace lights Lighting accounts for 19%of the average household’selectricity bill.Bysimplyinstalling energy saving bulbsyou couldsave£55 peryear on your bills. The advantages of these newbulbs mean that they last at least three times longer, use25-80% less energy,and thereforesaveyou money on your energy bills. Simple things like switchingall thelightsoffwhenyou poptothe shop or turningofflamps in hallways overnight could save £10 per year.


Turn appliances off Unplugappliances that keep alight onwhen idle,including TVs, DVDplayers,and phone chargers, andwaituntil thedishwasherisfull before you switch it on. One full load uses less energy than two half loads.


Use an energymointor Energymonitorsallowyoutodiscoverhowmuch energyyou’re using(orwasting).Theyattachtothe main electricitylinevia themeterandgivereal timefeedback.Smallhandheldwirelessmonitors canbe kept or carriedanywhere in yourhome. Energymonitorsrange in pricedependingon makeandfunction. Plug-inenergymonitorsare also availabletomeasure thepower consumption onindividual devices.Energyusagecould drop between5-15%within thefirst year of usingan energymonitor,whichwouldmeansaving£25-£75 ona £500bill (Source:EnergySavings Trust).


Replaceyourboiler Youcould seehugelong-termgainsbyreplacing anoldboilerwithanewmoreefficientmodel. AccordingtotheEnergySavingsTrust,boilers accountforalmost 79%ofyourtotal fuel usage.A boilerupdate couldsaveyouin excessof£240per year.●


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