The gas and electricity companies have done it again. Increasing their prices just before winter when everyone\u2019s consumption will be at its highest.<\/p>\n
On average gas will be rising by 17.4 per cent whilst electricity will see a rise of 10.8 per cent. This has led to many too scared to turn their heating on during the colder months due to the fear of what their energy bill might be.<\/p>\n
According to a poll by price comparison site MoneySupermarket.com, six per cent of people say they cannot afford to turn their heating on whilst seventeen per cent say they will wait until it gets really cold.<\/p>\n
Scott Byrom, energy expert at the price comparison site said \u201cWith the cost of living soaring, particularly driven by higher energy bills, now is not the time to be apathetic, especially as we head into winter where bill payers typically use around 40 per cent of their annual energy consumption during these months\u201d.<\/p>\n
The heat you produce in your home typically escapes via the roof and the walls. A great way to combat this is to install cavity wall insulation<\/a> and\/or loft insulation<\/a>. Whilst these methods are not cheap there are government grants to help with the cost.<\/p>\n The governments CERT scheme helps those people who are on benefits, over 70 or whose incomes are lower than \u00a316,190 a year by paying the full cost of this type of insulation.<\/p>\n In total having both cavity wall and loft insulation can save the average consumer nearly \u00a3300 a year of the gas and electricity bills.<\/p>\n Double glazing is also an effective way of trapping the heat in your home therefore reducing the amount of time you need your heating on.<\/p>\n For those of you with a bit of money spare money you may want to think about home energy production. To install a solar PV system, it can cost between \u00a36000 and \u00a315,000 which will allow you to produce your own electricity and your energy supplier will pay you per KW that you produce.<\/p>\n You will have to move quickly however as the government has just announced that as of the 12th December the amount paid on these feed in tariffs will be halved. Those already on the scheme before that date will remain unaffected.<\/p>\n An easier way to save money is use an energy comparison site to compare prices. \u201cFinding the right tariff means bill payers could save on average \u00a3237 per year. For example, the cheapest online tariff available is npower\u2019s Sign Online 24 with annual bills of \u00a31,050 on average, but, for the same price, consumers can protect themselves against future price rises with either EDF Energy’s Fix for 2012 tariff with bills fixed at \u00a31,050 until December 31st 2012, or OVO Energy\u2019s New Energy Fixed product which is a set price for 12 months from the point the deal is taken out\u201d said Scott Byrom.<\/p>\n If you are worried about your energy usage this year then invest in a home energy monitor<\/a>. In this video from MoneySupermarket, Les Roberts discusses the benefits of having the monitor at home and how it can save you money.
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