BRITS’ energy bills are set to rise by an average of £32 per month as people spend more time at home.
During the UK lockdown, people have been using their home appliances, such as dishwashers, washing machines, televisions and ovens more than usual. Lights are also being left on for more of the day, according to new research from Comparethemarket.com.
The extra usage could lead to a 37 per cent rise in energy bills, according to the price comparison site, pushing up household bills by £32.31 a month on average, or £387 over a year if similar usage continues.
Comparethemarket’s survey found that almost half of the people it asked were concerned about higher energy bills.
Peter Earl, head of energy at comparethemarket.comm said: “Many are understandably worried about how they will manage this increased cost, particularly if they are a high energy consumption household.”
Around a third of households said that they were turning down their central heating during the day, and over a quarter were limiting how much lighting they use.
So how can you cut your energy costs?
Switch energy supplier
The biggest money saver is to make sure you are on the best energy deal.
You can use comparison websites such as MoneySupermarket, My Utility Genius or Uswitch to check what deals are out there.
All you will need is your postcode, the name of your current supplier and the details of your current tariff.
You can find all this information on your last bill.
Once you’ve decided on your new supplier, you can confirm your payment details and the switch will begin.
The switch-over process can take up to 21 days, but in most cases it’s around 17 days.
If you change your mind, you have 14 days to cancel from the date you agree a contract.
The Money Advice Service says the average amount of money saved by switching suppliers is £300 a year.
Change your bulbs
Switching all your existing light bulbs to more energy efficient LED bulbs will lower your energy costs.
These bulbs are just as good as their older counterparts in terms of light – but last longer and don’t use as much energy.
If the average household replaced all of their bulbs with LEDs, it would cost about £100 and save about £35 a year on bills.
Get into better habits
Little changes to your routine can save you money in the long run.
The Energy Saving Trust, an independent organisation which aims to help people reduce their energy usage, has a list of quick wins to help you chip away at those bills.
For example, spending one minute less in the shower each day could save you £7 a year.