Energy Help & Advice

Our Money Matters Team is here to support our customers to become financially independent, financially resilient and overcome fuel poverty by supporting them to address their energy bills and tariffs and provide advice for energy saving around the home. Our new Energy Advisors are here to help you. 

Due to the ongoing energy crisis we are unable to recommend switching suppliers so our energy advice work is focussing on making sure customers are on the best tariff for their circumstances, supporting with utility debt, advocating on their behalf with the utility companies and basic benefit queries.

Contact us today on 0300 303 9848 Option 1

Quick tips to save Energy and Money

We’re all responsible for the energy we use in our homes. Take a look at our quick tips and see if you’re saving as much energy as you could be.

Understand your energy bill

Understanding your energy bill can be confusing! If you’re struggling with yours, speak to a member of our Energy Advice Team for more information and support. We can support you to know if things are accurate, the bill is correct and you are not paying too much or too little.

Switch off standby

You can save around £35 a year just turning your appliances off standby.

Almost all electrical appliances can be turned off at the plug without upsetting their programming. You could also get a standby saver which allows you to turn all your appliances off standby in one go.

Check the instructions for any appliances you aren’t sure about. Some satellite and digital TV recorders may need to be left plugged in so they can continue to record any programmes you have already set reminders for.

Careful in your kitchen

You can save around £22 a year from your energy bill just by using your kitchen appliances more carefully:

• Cut back your dishwasher use by just one cycle per week and save £8 a year on energy.
• Cut back your washing machine use by just one cycle per week and save £8 a year on energy.
• Only fill the kettle with the amount of water that you need and save around £6 a year.

Get a head

If you’ve got a shower that takes hot water straight from your boiler or hot water tank (rather than an electric shower), you can fit a water efficient shower head. This reduces your hot water usage while retaining the feeling of a powerful shower.

A water efficient shower head could save a four-person household as much as £30 a year on gas for water heating, as well as a further £45 a year on water bills if you have a water meter. In addition, spending one minute less in the shower each day will save up to £4 a year off your energy bills, per person. With a water meter this could save a further £7 off your annual water bill per person.

Draught-proofing

Unless your home is very new, you will lose some heat through draughts around doors and windows, gaps around the floor, or through the chimney.

DIY draught proofing can be low-cost and save you money on your fuel bills.

Door draught excluders or thicker curtains on draughty windows can make a huge difference on heat escaping, and save around £25 per year on energy bills

Take control of your heating

More than half the money spent on fuel bills goes towards providing heating and hot water.

Understanding how to work your heating settings properly and turning down your room thermostat by just one degree can save around £55 a year and reduce your carbon footprint by 300kg.

No matter the age of your boiler, the right controls will allow you to:

• Set your heating and hot water to come on and off when you need them.
• Heat only the areas of your home that need heating.
• Set the temperature for each area of your home.

Get savvy with smart meters

A smart meter with in-home display or energy monitor can help householders save energy by increasing awareness of energy use and helping to cut waste. The Government estimates that a display or monitor could typically help reduce a household’s electricity use by 3% and gas use by 2%.

Switch to LEDs

You can now get LED spotlights that are bright enough to replace halogen bulbs, as well as regular energy saving bulbs. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and fittings.

If the average household replaced all of their bulbs with LEDs, it would cost about £145 and save about £30 a year on bills.

Turn off lights

Turn your lights off when you’re not using them. If you switch a light off for just a few seconds, you will save more energy than it takes for the light to start up again, regardless of the type of light.

This will save you around £11 a year on your annual energy bills.

For more top tips visit The Energy Savings Trust here