6 Easy tips to reduce your energy bill today

First thing you should be doing is to buy your energy as cheaply as possible: compare energy prices and switch to a cheaper energy deal. Below is a list of 5 easy tips to get the most out of your energy switch:

1. Find out what energy tariff you are on. You can find that information on your latest energy bill. If you have never switched or haven’t switch energy for a long time, you might be on a “Standard Tariff”. If you are on a “Standard Tariff”, you are likely to be on a very expensive energy tariff and you will almost certainly save money by switching supplier.

2. Before comparing energy prices, calculate your consumption in kWh per year as accurately as you can. The more accurate this information is the more accurate your energy comparison is likely to be. Using assumptions can have a big impact on your findings.

3. Pay your energy bills by Direct Debit. Energy suppliers usually offer a 6% discount to customers who pay by Direct Debit. If you decide to go for Direct Debit, you don’t pay on receipt of your bill and suppliers get their hands on your money without your explicit sign off each month. Is it worth spending an extra £80-£100 each year on your energy bill for the privilege of being able to withhold payment? Did refusing a payment ever save you £100?
4. Choose to manage your account online and go for paperless billing. That will save you an extra £10 off your energy bill. Managing your account online will also reduce your carbon footprint: your bills are pdf documents stored on your Gmail or Hotmail account instead of paper bills lost somewhere at home.
5. Look at suppliers you have never heard off. If you don’t know some of the small energy suppliers it is because they don’t spend millions on advertising and boardrooms! They take that money off your energy bill. Plus, a lot of the small energy suppliers have an excellent customer service and no call centres.
6. See with your Energy Supplier if there is any additional help you are entitled to, such as the £135 Warm Home Discount.

The biggest tip of all is to compare energy prices and switch. Before you do, make sure you use a website accredited by OFGEM Confidence Code like MyUtilityGenius. The Confidence Code is a code of practice that governs independent energy price comparison sites. All accredited sites must include all of the tariffs from all of the energy suppliers and must list these in strict price order so there should be no difference in results. Using a site with the Confidence Code certification mark means the process of switching energy supplier is easy, impartial and reassuring for you.