How to reduce electricity bills with the correct tariff

Here are easy ways to help you lower your average monthly electricity bill no matter where you live in the UK.

Utility bills always seem to increase, even with regulated industries. As the cost of electricity and gas increases, here are ways to pay less and reduce electricity bills without having to actually switch anything off.

1) Switch your current supplier

Most people in the UK do not actually shop around for better rates and are stuck on expensive, standard tariffs. These variable-rate supplies will reduce when the energy companies decrease their kWh charges, but they are usually the highest-priced option compared with other fixed-priced alternatives.

It’s very easy to either go to a price comparison site to see who offers the best deals in your area or simply go straight to British Gas or the other big 6 websites to get an instant online quote from them.

2) Grab an online deal

The best deals are always found online directly via the energy companies’ websites. This is especially true if you opt for a tariff where you also manage your account online and provide your own meter readings. There is intense competition now, more than ever, and even British Gas are grabbing the headlines with some of the cheapest electric and gas tariffs on the market. This is a recent decision by this company, so it’s always best to check them out first.

3) Pay by monthly direct debit

It may seem obvious, but all utility companies offer reasonable discounts when you pay by direct debit. Even if you pay quarterly, you will still receive a reduction, but the best deals are always where you pay a fixed amount each month. And if you have opted to provide your own meter readings on, for example, the British Gas Energy Smart, then you’ll know that your bills are 100% accurate as well. Putting a little effort into the management of your account reaps the rewards.

4) Investigate dual fuel tariffs

Most times taking gas and electricity from the same supplier not only makes it easy to manage all your energy supplies from one company and one invoice but you may also get cheaper rates. Many also offer you additional discounts by taking both gas and electric on top of the discounts mentioned above. Not all dual fuel tariffs are the best so check the pricing for each deal.

5) Be energy efficient

Some of the best energy saving tips are the ones that won’t cost you so much to implement but can save you a fortune in your actual consumption and therefore your bill as well. The ones everyone knows about are replacing traditional light bulbs with energy efficient ones. The days have gone where the bulbs are bulky and ugly and they are much, much cheaper. Many energy companies have offers on these bulbs and some provide them for free as a customer gift for their customer.

Other ways to reduce consumption easily are to just turn down the thermostat by a few degrees, change the timing so the heating only comes on when you really need it especially for hot water if you have an old tank and boiler system.

More expensive options include replacing your old boiler with a new A-grade energy-efficient one. The payback is generally a few years, but new boilers last for a very long time these days. So you can cut your consumption and reduce electricity bills with just a few minutes of your time.