Utilities Shopping Guide
Whether it is your home, gas or electricity, you could save money on your annual bills by switching providers. The following guide will provide you with useful information to make the right decision.
Why Change your utility provider?
In the past it was quite normal to sign up with a single energy provider and stay with them for many years, however due to the increase in competition and the rise in the number of providers the consumer has a lot more choice.
Quite simply by looking at your utility bills from your current provider and going out to market to see how they compare with competition may save you a lot of money on your heating and lighting bills.
How do I change my utility provider?
When you are looking to change to a new provider it is important to do some research. Quite often the waiting game can pay dividends as switching to a provider who has some excellent rates but has not changed the prices in a while may not be the best move. The last thing you want as a consumer is to find out that only in a short period after you have signed up the rates they charge are likely to go up.
The internet is a great place to look for a new provider as there are many comparison sites available that look at the main providers in the market.
Changing all your utility needs to one provider
On paper you would expect an energy provider to offer you the best deal for moving you’re your gas and electricity supply over to them, however in reality this may not be the case. Even though you should not discount these types of deals it will pay to check what sort of deals you would get if your sourced supply separately.
What special deals can I expect?
Many providers are now offering you the opportunity to secure the energy rates for a fixed period, very similar to fixed rate mortgages. These types of deals are known as capped rates and may seem attractive for those who do not want their bills to increase should market pressures raise the cost of energy. However, if the general market rates fall greatly then you cannot enjoy the potential savings you could have made and therefore be forced to continue to pay rates that you had signed up for a the beginning of your capped rate contract.
Energy providers will offer you further savings on your monthly bills for making payments via a direct debit scheme. This method ensures payments are received swiftly however it will be your responsibility to look at the payment programme and advise them on a regular basis of your meter readings as they will use estimates.
Other ways to reduce your energy bills
Just by switching your energy provider may not be the only way to reduce your annual fuel bills. Being smarter in the way you use your energy can save you pounds too. Have a look around your house and see if you can become more energy efficient, there are so many ways to do this. Below are just a few examples.
- If your home has a water heater ensure you have adequate insulation around it to prevent unnecessary heat loss.
- Make sure you have adequate insulation in your loft area
- If you have hot water pipes that travel into areas where there is no heating then cover them with pipe insulation.
- Check the condition of your home double glazing as often poor or old glazing can have significant contribution to heat loss in your home.
- Check all external doors and make sure they are sealed properly
- Try and use the shower more than running a hot bath, it use less water and requires less energy. You may even want to buy a water saving shower head to replace the current shower head you have.
- Use a programmable thermostat control to regulate and control the temperatures within your house.