The cost of living is something that is in the minds of many people; wages have generally plateaued for years while the cost of food, petrol, property and pretty much everything else has continued to rise and rise.

With budgets becoming tighter and tighter for people, people are thinking more and more about their energy bills. In times gone by, people would stay with the same provider year on year, paying their bills without thinking about how to reduce their tariffs or lower their spending. Attitudes have changed though, with people looking more and more into how they can shed some money off their energy bills.

With that in mind, here are five things you may or may not know about energy bills.

1 — Energy prices are on a long-term rise

In 2018, the average electricity bill rose by £53 to £672 compared to 2017. The average 2018 gas bill rose by £16 compared to the year before. Those increases have carried on this year too; the average price paid for gas by domestic users rose by 4.2% and electricity prices rose by 11% in real terms from April to June 2019 compared to the same period in 2018.  It’s the same sad sight for water bills too, with the watchdog the Consumer Council for Water claiming that one in eight households say their water bills are unaffordable.

2 — Nearly 11% of British households live in fuel poverty

This shocking statistic shows how many British households struggle to stay warm; 10.9% of households are thought to be unable to afford to keep adequately warm at a reasonable cost, given their income. That equates to around 2 and a half million homes. Low income, high fuel prices and poor energy efficiency of a home are the three factors converging to make staying warm such a burden.

3 — Fuel debt also on the rise

Before the start of winter, households in Britain owed energy suppliers a total of £267 MILLION. On average, families owe providers £115 each, and the report by uSwitch showed that energy companies could do more to help customers in the red, as more than half of people polled said their supplier had not contacted them about their debt, nor offered advice about saving money or repaying their outstanding amount.

4 — Switching supplier effective way to save money

The same report by uSwitch says that switching supplier is an effective way to bring those bills down, with some people saving themselves hundreds of pounds a year by making the change. For those in fuel debt, it’s not so straightforward though, with credit meter customers having to clear any debt before changing, while prepayment customers who are less than £500 in debt can switch, but only if they organise a manageable repayment plan first.

5 — Having a CombiSave fitted could help reduce your bills

Our award-winning CombiSave device is proven to reduce both water and gas bills, making a profound difference to energy bills while also reducing carbon emissions. Installed on to your existing pipework close to the combi-boiler in just minutes, it restricts the flow of water until it has reached the required heat, potentially saving 28,000 litres of water each year and plenty of gas — some people have saved as much as £250 per year with it!

The CombiSave can be installed within 30 minutes by your plumber, so why not ask them about it today and start saving tomorrow? To find out more about the CombiSave, visit https://teddingtonheating.com/combisave