Tips for keeping your energy bills down this winter

Nov 2, 2011 by blackbook

In hard economic times the last thing you want is to face energy price increases, especially as we head into winter, which is exactly what everyone is facing. Recently David Cameron said that we the customer should ‘shop around’ for savings on our energy bills. However that is easier said than done, I personally feel that he should be legislation to keep our energy bills down after all when energy prices globally drop we never benefit however as soon as there is a rise up go our bills.

Anyway we know that anything like that happening would involve pigs flying so I have decided to let you guys have some tips I find useful when looking around for energy suppliers!

It’s not actually as easy as Cameron makes out to swap supplier, there are a lot of things to keep in consideration when looking. Energy companies offer a lot of different deals and tariffs so you really have to make sure you find the right one for you and your family to make any savings. Being aware on how much energy you use can help, so look back on old bills to see what you average in summer and winter.

Internet comparison sites can be very helpful; they enable you to easily check the best deals around all in one place. You should always read the small print on deals found on comparison sites, just like other things there can be clauses or loop holes which may see you facing higher bills.

Paying the right way for you, this is important, energy companies do offer numerous payment options such as paying weekly or quarterly, and paying by cash, postal order, cheque, direct debit or in a prepayment meter. However you need to be aware that some payment methods can be more expensive than others and what type of tariff you go for can also affect which payment method you have to use.

Finally before I change anything I always like to check into customer services, see what sort of complaints record they have and what sort of service you can expect to receive. Just a quick search on the internet can normally unearth some helpful information from people who have been customers.

 

Picture courtesy of Karen Eliot