Have your energy bills gone up during lockdown? Here’s what to do

Last updated 18^th May 2020

Households in the UK could pay an average of £32 per month more on their energy bills due to lockdown, since most of us are spending more time cooking, working and using heating and lighting at home.

If you are struggling to pay your bills, remember that most energy suppliers are offering help for their customers. You should also get in touch with us, so we can ensure your budget is still affordable.

If you’re seeing your bills go up, here are some things you can do.

Cut the cost of heating

The weather is still pretty changeable, so a lot of us are finding our heating coming on when we’re not expecting it. Turning the thermostat down even by half a degree can make a difference to your bills. And if there are any rooms in your house that aren’t being used, remember to turn off those radiators.

Limit the laundry

If you’re in contact with people from outside your household, government guidance is that you should wash your clothes after one wear. But if you’re not, consider wearing those hoodies and leggings for a bit longer than you usually would – after all, who’s going to see them? It’s better for the environment and for your clothes, too! And don’t even get us started on ironing…

Save energy in the kitchen

Check your fridge and freezer aren’t set too low (fridges shouldn’t be set any lower than 5ºC, while freezers should be  -18ºC); use microwaves to reheat food rather than the hob; and only boil as much water as you need in the kettle.

Turn it off

Make sure TVs, laptops, gaming consoles and so on are switched off, not just left on standby.

Switch and save

You could save hundreds of pounds a year by switching to a cheaper energy provider or tariff. In fact, according to MoneySavingExpert the cheapest deals on the market will leave you £350+ a year better off compared to the energy price cap. Here’s how it’s done:

• Dig out your energy bills to check which tariff you’re on
• use an Ofgem-accredited price comparison site to see how much you could save
• call your provider to see if they’re prepared to knock some money off your bills, or switch you to another of their tariffs that’s cheaper than the one you are on – and if they’re not, switch away!

 

We’ll be posting regular updates for customers on our website so please keep checking for more information. We’ll also be updating our Facebook page regularly so please follow us there too. We are also on Twitter.