Bills, bills, bills. Can you pay my bills? Can you pay my telephone bills? Can you pay my…energy bills?!
It’s nearly the end of the year. 2015 has gone by in a flash and we find ourselves, once again, plunging into the depths of winter. December, January and February are the months when you start to crank up the heating. They’re also the months when you’re probably staying in more and watching more TV…you might not think about how much energy you’re using at the time but, come March/April when you get hit with your winter gas and electricity bill you’ll suddenly remember those nights in… swanning around the house in a T-shirt and shorts with the heating blasting and TV blaring while reruns of Friends flicker in the background like the modern urban equivalent of a roaring fire.
There are things you can do to make sure you don’t get a nasty shock next spring. If you’re renting serious maintenance like insulating your loft, tanks and pipes is your landlord’s responsibility but it’s definitely worth mentioning to them, especially if your house/flat is really old and really cold.
Here are some things that you, as a renter, can do yourself. They’re good for your bank balance and the added bonus is that some of them are also really good for the environment, so pay attention (note: swanning around in a t-shirt and shorts with the heating full blast in winter is very bad for the environment and you should know better).
Some of these might be obvious…but sometimes it’s worth pointing out the bleeding obvious isn’t it, especially if it might save some of your hard earned cash.
Change Your Energy Provider
When you live in a shared house it’s often complicated enough to split the bills with your flatmates and to get up to speed with who you have to pay for what when you move in. However, if you do your research it will pay off (quite literally).
After moving into my new place I had some time on my hands and started living on moneysavingexpert.com. I never thought I’d see the day when I trawled the Internet for ways to save money but there I was guys, getting excited about energy tariffs.
I switched provider and cut the gas and electricity bill for our flat by almost a third. Switching could save you £100s every year!
Prices are different all over the country so the best supplier for you will depend on where you live. You can enter your postcode and find out who’s the cheapest in your area here:
Energy suppliers are businesses – they want your custom. By reviewing the deals out there you can take advantage of cheap rates and online only accounts where you enter meter readings before they calculate your bill.
Which Brings Us To…Meter Readings
Unless you’re on a pre pay meter where you have to top up for gas and electricity in cash you’ll have two meters in your flat/house. One for gas, one for electricity.
Make sure you take note of the readings as soon as you move in and call your suppliers with these.
Every time you get a bill call and query it. They are likely to have estimated your usage and by giving your supplier a meter reading you can make sure you’re being charged for what you’ve actually used.
Question everything. Always.
Pay Your Bills By Direct Debit
Rather than paying energy bills as they come in you can set up an account and pay a certain amount every month. This is normally a cheaper way of doing things.
With a monthly direct debit your supplier will estimate your yearly usage and spread your bill over 12 months. It’s likely that you’ll overpay in the summer when the weather is fine but that’s good because you’ll store up credit for the winter.
It’s really important that you still call up every few months with a meter reading, though, because an estimate is exactly that…a guess. Your actually usage may be less than what you’re paying for.
Here’s a handy guideto direct debits and energy bills.
Leaving Things On Standby When You Go Out…
Guilty. How often do you actually think about the little red light on your TV? Answer: probably not often.
In the UK we waste around £600m a year by leaving devices on standby according to the Energy Saving Trust. Individually households waste around £30 a year by leaving things like TVs, games consoles, radios and chargers. 30 quid might not sound like a load but it’s a takeaway for you and your flat mates. It’s also a cheap return flight to somewhere in Europe if you book early enough.
So unplug things. Especially if you’re going away.
Turn It Down
Instead of turning the heating up when you feel cold why not put a jumper on? I know, it sounds simple but it works. Many of our rooms are overheated, turning the thermostat down and getting under a blanket when you feel cold will actually save you money.
Put Your Heating On A Timer
Better still, put you’re heating on a timer so it’s only on when you need it the most. When you’re awake and moving around you don’t really need to have the heating on. You also definitely don’t need to heat the house when you’re out at work. Putting your heating on a timer is one way of making sure it doesn’t get left on all day.
However, when it’s really cold in the deep mid winter it might be nice for the heating to come on before you go to bed, and just before you get up. Not too high though, the optimum temperature for a good night’s sleep is actually between 16C and 18C. If you’re room is too hot you won’t sleep well.
Another bonus of putting the heating on a timer in a shared house is that when that bill does eventually hit you next year you can avoid arguments about who put the heating on the most.
Finally, Let There Be Light
If you replace old light bulbs in your home with new, energy saving versions, you can save about £3 a year. That’s £55 over the life of the bulb.
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Follow Vicky on Twitter @Victoria_Spratt
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.