Reducing Energy Costs

With household bills on the increase, everyone is looking to save money on the essentials. One of the biggest outgoings of any household is energy bills. Managing and ultimately reducing your gas and electric bills can be achieved two ways.

The first of these ways is to reduce the energy you use. This can be simple things like not leaving appliances on standby over night, and unplugging mobile phone and laptop chargers when they are not in use. There are various 'standby saver' devices on the market that can help you do this. It's also worth making yourself aware of exactly how much energy some of your appliances use. For example, although a hair-drier is a small hand held appliance, it uses a lot of electricity. Home energy monitors can be a really useful tool in helping you do this. A lot of the changes you make can be very small but have a big impact, there is some fantastic free advice available from places like the energy saving trust to help you.

The other way to save money on your energy bills is to make sure you are getting the best deal. Choosing an energy supplier can be difficult. With every company out there telling you they are the best value for money, how do you really know who to go to for the best deal. This is where online comparison websites come in. There are quite a few of these around including uSwitch.com, moneysupermarket.com and energyhelpline.com. When using these sites it's best to have one of your current utility bills to hand as they will ask you a few questions about your current usage and tariff in order to give you accurate information.

For an even better deal, do not use these sites to actually change your supplier. Yes, you did read that correctly. There are sites out there that will give you cash back just for switching via their sites. Once you have determined who the cheapest supplier is and which one of their plans you need to be on to save the most money, make a note of it and go find yourself a good cash back website. One of the best and most recommended ones in the UK is Greasy Palm, but there are many to choose from and they are easily found via any online search. Once you have set up your account on a cashback site, simply go and find the energy supplier you need in their lists and make the switch.

Completing these steps can save you hundreds of pounds a year, so what are you waiting for?