Switching energy suppliers to save money

Sam_Alumni

There are at least 889,000 fuel poor households in England with a disabled person living in the home and as we are talking about money this week, we thought we would share some information around saving money by switching energy suppliers.

Best ways to save on gas and electricityThe average household could save £300 per year by switching gas and electricity supplier.

Energy bills can be expensive, but there are a few things you can do to keep your costs as low as possible.

• Switch: Changing energy supplier is easy and can knock hundreds of pounds off your bills. It doesn’t matter if you rent or own your home, you should be able to switch.
• Pay by direct debit: It’s usually cheaper and means you won’t have to worry about missing payments.
• Use less: It sounds obvious, but the less energy you use the lower your bills will be. There are plenty of tips and tricks you can use to cut your consumption. We’ve listed some below.
• Make your home more eco-friendly: Better insulation, a new boiler, solar panels… There are lots of options out there which could help you save up to £250 per year.

Switching gas and electricity suppliers - the basics

Changing energy supplier is easier than you'd think and the whole process shouldn’t take more than 17 days and you won’t be cut off at any point. 

Before you get started, you’ll need:

• A recent energy bill, or annual energy statement
  This contains details about your current energy plan, including how much you use and the name of your tariff. If you don’t have a recent energy bill, you can contact your current supplier for this information.
• Your bank details
  You’ll need these if you decide to switch.

Step 1 - Choose a comparison site

Price comparison websites help you compare the different energy deals available and they’re a great way to see what’s available. They don’t all work with the same suppliers, so use a few to make sure you don’t miss out on the perfect deal.

You can find a list of Ofgem accredited price comparison sites on the Energy Shopping websiteopens in new window. If you live in Northern Ireland please use the Consumer Council.

Step 2 – Switch

Some price comparison sites offer rewards such as vouchers and cashback if you switch through them.

Once you’ve picked a few price comparison websites to use:

• Put your details into the price comparison sites
• Look through the results and pick the energy plan that best suits your needs
• Your new supplier will arrange the switch and will ask you to provide meter readings
• Your old supplier will send you a final bill

That’s it – you’re done!

You can read more about this on the Scope fuel pages and the Money Advice Service website who kindly shared a lot of this information with us.

Struggling to pay your energy bills?

If you can’t afford your energy bills, the CAB suggests you talk to your supplier.

They can help you work out exactly what you owe and might be able to work out a repayment scheme.  Your supplier has to help you come to a solution. You should try to negotiate a deal that works for both of you.

If you don’t try to negotiate with your supplier, they might threaten to disconnect your supply.

If you are struggling financially, please take a look at the benefits calculator, it takes around 10 minutes and can tell you about any financial support that you may be entitled to. 

There may also be grants that you can apply for, it's worth reading through this information about applying for grants here.

Do you have any thoughts on switching energy suppliers? Have you done this and saved money? Do you have any other hints and tips on saving money that you would like to share?

nanof6

yes, i'm with BT i have a basic line wich cost just over £5.00 and some free calls per month, i have to pay full for internet,