Slash your energy bills with a few clicks

If you are one of the nearly eight million families who have found themselves not being able to afford their energy bills over the past several years, it’s time to take a look at what you can do to lower them. Paying too much for energy can lead to having to make cuts elsewhere in your household budget or accruing bad credit. However, you can take charge of your finances and your energy bills right now.

One of the most effective ways to get yourself out of the energy pit is to compare your current prices for electricity and natural gas to those of other providers. By taking to the Internet and using impartial services that compare prices from several different energy providers in a given area, you can easily obtain the information that you need to make a smart decision about whether you should switch companies. Some of these services even go beyond energy deals and give you rate information on broadband deals and telephone service. And in some cases, using these comparison services may even offer help to make your switch more convenient.

You could save up to £400 a year on your bills by changing energy companies, but if you go through the process of switching, you may also want to consider becoming more conservative with your electricity and natural gas to accumulate even more savings. Here are some tried and true tips that can help you lower your energy bills, whether you switch or not.

Conserve water. Whether it’s brushing teeth or taking a shower, make sure to conserve hot water because it will cut down on the amount of energy used to heat it. A low-flow shower head is a good investment because it restricts water waste without you ever having to notice.
Programme your thermostat. If you get a programmable thermostat, it can turn the HVAC system up or down immediately after you leave and turn it back on when you get home so that you’ll never have to suffer unbearable summertime heat or frigid winter temperatures in order to save on energy.
Insulate well. From the front entry door to the plumbing pipes, make sure that you check insulation once or twice a year to make sure that you aren’t losing heat in valuable places or letting cold or hot air seep out through the cracks. This can make up a significant portion of your energy expenses.
Utilise your garden. If you plant shrubs or small trees around your home, it could help insulate your house in the winter and provide shade in the summer. This is a perfect example of how working with the environment instead of against it can help you save money, time, and effort.

The best approach to slashing your energy bills is to be proactive, so making the big switch is where you should get started. Incorporate these energy saving measures, however, and you’ll be able to save even more.