Energy and money saving tips
Reduce What You Pay
-
Pay bills by monthly direct debit
Instead of settling your bill when it arrives, switch to a monthly direct debit plan and you could save, on average, £150 a year.
-
Do a meter reading every time
When you receive a bill, always do a meter reading as estimated bills can be wrong. You could either be paying your energy provider too much or you could be left with a large outstanding balance at the end of the year. If you think your estimated bill may be wrong, eaga advises you to let your provider know straight away.
-
Switch to an internet tariff
If you’re happy to run your account online and not receive a paper bill you could save up to 10% on the standard tariff. Internet tariffs often don’t increase at the same time as others.
-
Switch at the right time
If you haven’t switched energy providers before, you could save up to £270 a year by doing it at the right time – which tends to be when all providers have increased their prices and you can do an accurate comparison.
Grants and support you can get
1. A range of schemes can help with the cost of loft and cavity wall insulation, draught proofing, radiator controls and other money saving methods. To find out if you’re eligible for insulation grants call the Government helpline on 0800 512 012.
- Regional schemes include Warm Front in England, the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme in Wales and Warm Deal in Scotland.
- Winter fuel payments are available to everyone aged 60 and over. The qualifying date is 21st September 2008 and more information can be obtained from the helpline on 0845 915 1515.
- Cold weather payments are paid to people on a low income where there are seven consecutive days of cold weather below 0C. An automatic payment will be made of £8.50 per week and you should contact your local benefit office if you think you are eligible.
Use less energy in your home
1. Insulate your home. 15% of a house’s heat is lost through the roof – by insulating your loft with 270mm or 11 inches of insulation materials, you could save around £150 on your heating bills. By making sure you have enough, you’ll retain more heat.
2. Turn your thermostat down. Just by turning your thermostat down by just 1C you could save £50 a year! Set your hot-water tank thermostat to an optimum temperature of 60C.
3. Fit an insulating jacket to your hot water tank – doing this could save you about 20-£30 a year.
4 Fit double glazing. Double Glazing could save you between £80 and £100 a year. If that’s too costly, explore having your windows sealed with silicon gel which can cost from as little as £80 a window. If that’s too much, invest in some heavy floor to ceiling curtains, you’ll be surprised at how much that helps.
5. Use a timer. This will allow you to set heating and hot water to come on only at times when they are needed.
6. Use radiator thermostats. This means you can control the temperature in each room Heating controls help you manage your central heating more effectively and ensure you don’t waste money.
7. Switch to efficient bulbs. Lighting your home accounts for around 15% of your electricity bill. By switching to energy-saving light bulbs, you could save nearly 80% on your bills per bulb.
8. Fit cavity wall insulation which could save you around £160 a year and you could get a grant towards it. For more information on cavity wall insulation, call eaga insulation on 0800 316 6005.
9. Mind the gaps. You can fill gaps in wooden floorboards and skirting with newspaper, beading or sealant and save between £5 and £10 a year.
10. Replace your boiler when it goes. If you’re boiler is old, when it packs up, upgrade to a condensing boiler which will save you 10% on your energy bills.
11. Use A rated appliances. By law, retailers, manufacturers must display these labels on all new domestic fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers, washing machines, electric tumble dryers, combined washer-dryers, dishwashers and light-bulbs for sale.
12. Get some eco Gadgets! People have gone crazy for eco Gadgets, from Kettles that only boil the water you need to solar powered phone chargers!
13. Fit a Shower Smart. A Shower Smart is a free water saving attachment for your shower. It regulates the flow of water and can save an average family up to £900 over it’s lifetime.
14. Wash at 30 Degrees. This can save around 40% more energy than washing at 40 Degrees.
    
(Any small donations will be greatly appreiated and will help towards the running costs of this site).
|
