MoneySavingExpert.com Feature by Martin Lewis, MoneySavingExpert Winter Money Saving
Brrrr... The mercury has started to tumble, summer’s warmth seems a distant memory and the central heating is starting to kick into gear. As it’ll only get colder, now’s the time to ensure you’re set up for winter to keep the cost down and the heat up. Here’s my checklist…
Find out where your stopcock is. Everyone should know where their mains water off switch is. Frozen pipe bursts create an average £7,000 of damage, made worse if you can’t find the off switch as your home floods.
As Angie wrote on my Facebook page: “I know where mine is but only due to a burst pipe and collapsed floor a few years ago. Took us & the council 2hrs to find.”
So find it now before you’ve problems. Mine is behind a kitchen cupboard, but you’ll also typically find yours in bathrooms, shared corridors in flats, boiler cupboards and more.
Switch energy now and you could get £100s back. This is a great time to switch energy supplier if you pay by direct debit, as it’s likely you’re in credit after the low use summer months. Therefore switch now, and provided you ask for it – so ask - you’ll likely be given cash too (switch after winter and you may be in debt).
Yet while the switch-over takes time, the work to compare and activate a switch doesn’t. For fun, I put a stopwatch on four new members of my team trying to compare and switch - the quickest took 202 seconds, the longest 376 seconds. The average was 310 seconds with a £226 saving.
When comparing you may’ve heard of the recent scandal about ‘hiding top deals’ on some comparison sites. This is true – though my own
www.cheapenergyclub.co.uk always
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shows all tariffs. Yet it means if you are using a different
www.ofgem.gov.uk approved comparison site, when you get to the “Do you only want to see tariffs you can switch to today” question – say ‘no’ – that way all will display.
Switching isn’t a big deal, it’s the same pipes, gas, meter and safety scheme - the only difference is price and customer service. You can do it even if you’re on a prepayment meter/ electricity only/ Eco 7.
Paying energy by monthly direct debit is cheaper. It discounts your bill by up to 6%. Firms then estimate your annual usage and divide it by 12 so you’re likely to build up credit after summer and be a little in debt after winter. Always do regular meter readings for accuracy, as your bill is estimated. And if they try to push your direct debit up unfairly (eg, you’re heavily in credit) you’ve a right for it to be fair, just call and ask for it to be lowered.
Full service car breakdown cover £40. Breakdown is more likely at winter, and the consequences more severe. Yet policies can be very cheap.
For breakdown, home start and onward travel
www.autoaidbreakdown.co.uk is £40 a year, though it’s a ‘pay and claim’ policy so here it sends a local pick-up truck that you have to pay, then you can reclaim the cash later. Feedback and call out times are good, though you need to remember to claim.
If you’ve got cover and are at renewal, then HAGGLE - 90% of AA customers and 78% with the RAC lowered their rates by bartering. For more deals see
www.mse.me/breakdown.
Cut boiler costs by £100s - you don’t need your energy firm’s cover. Many energy firms
To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e.
the.wire@btinternet.com
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