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Finding the Best Energy Bills
- Published: August 6, 2010 by Umma Queenan Comments (0)
Sit down with a cup of coffee and your previous year’s energy bills and work out how much gas and electricity you’ve used and what you’ve paid for it. If you can’t find your bills or have thrown them away, take your current meter readings and call your suppliers for the previous year’s readings. This way you can work out exactly how much energy you’ve used and what you’ve paid for it.
The next step is easy: use one of the many online comparison sites like www.uswitch.com or www.moneysupermarket.com to find a better deal for you. All you have to do is put in your address, size of property and cost of bills, and it comes up with cheaper options. Then call those companies directly to check the prices are right, and that you’re eligible for the deal. Don’t just use one comparison site, try a couple of different ones.
Switching supplies through some comparison sites may mean you’re eligible for a cash-back payment too. But remember, the savings will only be as good as the information you give, so if you’re second guessing what you currently use, the savings could look bigger.
You can also cut the cost still further by switching to online billing rather than paper bills, and paying by direct debit to qualify for a discount.
Try to avoid doing a price comparison in the aftermath of any big price rises, as this may skew any savings you’re looking at if other companies are still in the process of putting their prices up (or down).
If you decide to switch, you can do the paperwork online and your new supplier will take care of the time-consuming stuff like telling your old supplier you’re leaving, doing the meter read¬ings and getting the final bill sent out.
If you’ve found a better deal, it’s always worth a call to your existing supplier to see if they can price-match. Ask for the dis¬connections department or press the option that says, ‘if you’re thinking of leaving us’, and then ask if they can give you a dis¬count or move you to a better deal.
Top tips to get a better deal (and save money)
1.) Swap paper for online bills to get a discount.
2.) Don’t pay by cheque or cash – switch to direct debit. It’s quick and easy for suppliers so you’ll get a discount for prompt payment and never face another red bill again.
3.) Do your own readings. If you get an estimated bill, check the meter yourself. If you’ve used less than the estimated figure, call the company (or with online billing enter the reading yourself) to get the bill updated so you’re not paying more than you should.
This works in reverse too, as there’s nothing worse than receiving a massive bill in six months’ time if the energy company has wildly under¬estimated your usage.
4.) Dual fuel deals (buying both gas and electricity from the same supplier) can often be cheaper, but not always.
5.) Don’t use a pre-payment meter, unless you absolutely have to. This is often the case if you’re living in rented accommodation, but you’ll pay far more for your energy this way.
6.) Review your deal every year. Prices go up and down, so the best deal right now may not be the best in a year’s time.
There are lots of smaller ways to cut the cost of your bills, including turning down the heating thermostat by one degree, using a thirty-degree wash, switching off lights when you leave the room and not leaving your appliances on standby.
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