How To Save Money On Your Energy Bills
It has been well publicised in recent months that energy prices have soared making people think twice about how much energy they are using on a daily basis. The war between Russia and Ukraine has been one of the main driving forces behind the increase alongside a very short sighted view of energy production in the UK by the government over the last 20 years. Russia has limited the supply of gas to large parts of Europe and therefore the wholesale price has increased massively, most western European countries have stopped buying gas from Russia completely and are buying from the USA or elsewhere now. On the electricity side of things the UK has been doomed for quite some time, there aren’t enough nuclear power stations to supply the country and they can’t be opened overnight, they take years to go in to commission because the government focused way too much on green energy. The sum total is that we are all having to pay a lot more so here are some tips on how to reduce your usage.
Think Twice About Frequency & Time
This might sound pretty simple and that is because it is. If you are used to showering every day or even twice a day then try and either reduce the length of those showers or have less. If your average shower is normally 20 minutes and you get it down to 15 minutes, that is a 25% saving across the month. Anything that uses heat is expensive so washing machines, dryers, showers, electric heaters, even kettles. If you can reduce your usage of them even slightly you can reduce your usage by around 40% over the course of a month. A big one is washing machines, you may put half washes on and do a couple a week, just do one large load instead and you’ll be saving money.
Use Your Thermostat Effectively
Unless it is really cold the chances are you don’t need your central heating on much, it is actually far more cost effective to have a portable electric heater and instead of putting your central heating on if you feel a bit chilly, just put the heater on for a while in one room with the door shut, it’ll heat up in no time. If it is extremely cold outside as it has been recently in the UK then it is more cost effective to keep your heating on all the time but turn the thermostat down, you then keep a warmer base temperature in the house without overworking the heating and costing yourself £10 a day in just gas costs.
What To Do If You Can’t Afford It
If you find that the cost of living increase is meaning you can’t afford to use your heating or that you can’t afford to pay your bills then speak to your energy company and work out a payment plan. If it isn’t just your heating you can’t afford and you find yourself getting behind on payments, don’t ignore it because it will only get worse. It might be worth trying to apply for an IVA or alternatively if it is your company that is struggling, a company voluntary arrangement might be the right idea.