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Energy Bills still high Despite Mild Winter

Research carried out by Consumer Focus and Citizens Advice reports that despite a mild winter energy bills are much higher this year than last year.  The price of energy has risen so rapidly that consumers are paying more this year for the same or less amount of energy used last year and according to the research, 1in 3 consumers would not be able to afford their energy bills if they increased by as little as £30 per year.With 45% of consumers who pay via cash, cheque or prepay meter reporting that their bill was much higher than expected there is a major concern that more and more consumers will fall into debt with their energy suppliers.
So if you find that you are unable to afford your energy what steps can you take?
• Did you know that energy companies have a duty to ensure that their customers are paying back what they can afford?  So contact your energy supplier in the first instance to discuss your options
• Switch your tariff as soon as possible to ensure that you’re getting the best deal from your utility provider
• Save money with quick fixes like draft proofing and insulation – funding is still available which means insulating your home could be free of charge
 

Green Deal

Green Deal, the Governments flagship policy to revolutionise the energy efficiency of British properties due to launch in October 2012.  In a nutshell this is how it will work - both home owners and tenants will be able to make energy efficiency improvements to their homes at no upfront cost.  The costs will be recouped through a charge (made in instalments) on normal gas and electricity bills.  The ‘Golden Rule’ is that the expected financial savings on utility costs (gas/electricity) must be equal to, or greater than, the costs attached to gas/electricity bills.  This means utility consumers can see the Green Deal charge alongside reductions in energy use which generate savings on their bill. It also means that when you leave the property, and cease to be the bill-payer at that property, the financial obligation doesn’t move with you but moves to the next bill payer.  The charge is only paid while the energy savings  are enjoyed - the Green Deal differs from existing lending – it is not a conventional loan.

To tap into the Green Deal you will need an Energy Performance Survey carried out on your home via a ‘Green Deal Provider.  The Energy Performance Certificate will highlight energy saving recommendations that your Green Deal Provider will discuss with you.  If you decide that the improvements are something you wish to make (e.g. loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, new A rated boiler) your Green Deal Provider will be able to recommend accredited financial advisors and accredited installers.  Once the work is completed the repayments will be collected via your normal gas/electricity bills.

Hopefully this will have given you the outline of the Green Deal, which replaces current insulation grants, later this year.  In our April blog we’ll give you an update on how the changes are progressing and how it may affect your choices...in the meantime we'd like to know what you think about it!

 

Summer's finally arrived!

The first few months of 2011 have gone by so quickly we missed our spring blog entirely but now summer’s here and days are longer we’re beginning to catch up.  So what have we been up to, well we’ve done spring cleaning making some  lasting changes that we hope we’ll benefit from throughout the year - here’s  a few things we’ve done:

• Sorted our lofts out – it’s a great time of year to think about loft insulation (and to do a boot fair to recycle and earn some extra cash)!  There are some great schemes about (which may help with the cost) and most Contractors can fit work in quickly at this time of year.  Try sourcing a Contractor in your area by utilising our Home Insulation search engine
• We’ve purchased an energy monitor so that we can see where we use most of our energy and adjust our habits and energy choices (e.g. should we invest in a solar chargers?)  We’re measuring our energy use throughout the year to find our average usage – we’re trying to pay the right amount monthly to spread cost across a full 12 months, this should help to avoid unnecessary bill increases (where we haven’t banked enough credit to cover higher winter fuel consumption costs) – especially important with all the news of price rises in the media.  We’re also keeping a record of meter reads which will allow us to do a price comparison switch before the end of the year
• In spring we turned our heating down a degree – and now it’s off. Remember though it’s cheaper to run hot water from a gas boiler (where you have one) as opposed to an electric immersion heater so keep the boiler on
• We’ve washed curtains/bedding/cushions (of course with an ecologically friendly washing powder – there are a few about) getting them dry on the line which is much cheaper than the tumble dryer.  Before we put the curtains back up we lined them with thermal lining – thermal lining is great for keeping the cold out in winter and keeping rooms dark in the lighter mornings
• Gardening is well under way – most of the team have started growing their own vegetables and fruit.  For those of us with little space we’re utilising containers – we’ve been talking about swapping fruit and veg when we have too many to give more variety. As well as saving money gardening is great exercise – and keeps the garden looking good for the BBQ season!
   

Welcome to our first blog!

Thinking seasonal, winter has arrived suddenly so it’s time to swot up on ways to keep the heat in your home and the cold out! It’s essential to your health to keep your home warm in the winter, it’s recommended to keep the temperature between 19–21 C (66.2 and 69.8 Fahrenheit). Below are a few tips on keeping warm:
• Make sure you know how to use your heating controls, so you can control the temperature
• Turn the heating down in room’s you’re not using, that way you’ll save money and keep warm for less
• When it starts to get dark, draw your curtains shut to keep the heat in, tucking them behind any radiatiors
• Draft-proof your house, it’s as simple as it sounds….cover up drafts around letter boxes, key holes and doors
• Block off any unused fireplaces with a balloon (professionally fitted) or alternatively you could use scrunched up newspaper as a DIY solution but just remember not to light a fire.....

If you need extra help with keeping warm during the winter then there are a number of different agencies that can help you:
• Age Concern 0800 009966 – Can give you advice on keeping warm during the winter,
• Warm Front 0800 3162805 – Offer grants for heating and insulation
• Winter fuel payment helpline 0845 9151515 – for information on how to claim for your winter fuel allowance if your aged over 60.

Hassle free Christmas shopping...
With the thick blanket of snow giving us a real sense of season (think logs roaring in the fireplace, mulled wine on the side) travel can be a real issue. Instead of going out to buy your Christmas gifts why not shop online. 
This year we’re giving gadgets – no not the latest fad – but gadgets that can bring energy savings cost benefits throughout the year.  Here’s a couple of our favourites, not only do they make great stocking fillers but you’ll be giving the gift of cheaper energy bills as these gadgets work all year round to save energy:
• Mobile Phone Enviroplug - shuts off power when your mobile is fully charged -  plug phone and charger into the energy saving Enviroplug, then plug into the wall. The Enviroplug monitors the power going into your mobile and cuts the power when the battery is full ( if you often leave your phone charging overnight ready for when you need it you could save enough to boil a kettle more than 100 times, or watch 76 hours of TV). The plug costs £9.99 
• Radiator Booster – a radiator booster uses a small fan to draw heat from a standard radiator and then gently distributing it better into the room. It will warm a room faster, save lost energy, and reduce heating bills.  Yes its run on electricity and costs circa 30p a year to run but with its built in thermostat it could save an average household between £70 and £140 per year.  The Booster costs £19.99
Both can be purchased from nigelsecostore.com – so if you feel like having an ‘Eco Christmas’ here are some sites you may like to try:
• http://www.naturalcollection.com
• http://www.nigelsecostore.com
• http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com