Five ways to slash your energy bills!

Spend a few minutes getting organised now, and you could save yourself a fortune this winter.

Although many of us have just enjoyed a beautiful late August weekend, September is now upon us. And soon it will start getting colder. So what should we be thinking about in order to avoid the usual expensive winter call-outs and astronomical bills?

Be prepared

First up (if you've got gas central heating) while the gas men are enjoying a quiet summer, crank up your boiler and make sure your heating still works. If there are any problems, it's far better to find out now, when you can arrange for an engineer at your leisure, than pay shocking call-out fees or risk shivering.

Get insulated

The more insulated your home, the less energy it will take to keep it warm.

Loft insulation

Check your loft - the recommended depth for mineral wool insulation is 270mm. The Energy Saving Trust reckons fitting insulation to this level could save you up to £150 a year, depending on the level already present.

Cavity wall insulation

Additionally, as around a third of wasted heat in an un-insulated house is lost through its walls, fitting cavity wall insulation can reduce those energy bills even more. If you're not sure whether your walls have been done, a good way to find out is to call a local installer who will check by drilling a small hole. Note: most houses built after 1983 will already be insulated.

It may be free!

And the best bit is there are grants available to help with the cost. Over 70s can have their houses insulated free of charge, as can many over 60s or those on benefits.

But nearly everyone is entitled to some form of grant, meaning lofts and cavity walls can be insulated for around £199 apiece. Call 0800 512 012 to find out what's available in your area, and get insulated now.

I've just had my loft and cavity walls insulated and can thoroughly recommend it - the house is cooler now in the summer and should be warmer in the winter.

Switch energy supplier and cut those bills

If you've not switched supplier before you could be in for a treat - on average our readers saved an average of £206 each when switching tariffs last year!

The easiest way to see how much you could save is to use the lovemoney.com gas and electricity comparison tool. Make sure you have a gas and electricity bill to hand so you can plug in your current tariff and usage (your bill also states your meter numbers which you'll also need) and see what it comes back with.

Remember that in most cases you'll save by choosing dual fuel (ie both gas and electricity through the same supplier), and by paying by direct debit.

When you've decided which deal to go for switching should take around 6-8 weeks, and you really don't have to do much as your new supplier will arrange most of it for you.

And don't be afraid that your supply will stop during the switchover - there should be no interruption to your service. Find out more in A step by step guide to switching energy.

Once the switch is complete, you'll receive notification so remember to cancel the old direct debits once the first payment by your new supplier has been taken.

Consider heating care

Depending on the age of your boiler and heating system you may wish to consider taking out heating cover.

By paying a fixed sum each month you'll be able to call out an engineer should anything go wrong and have any issues fixed - whether or not you will be charged anything will depend on the level of care you have chosen. (You can find a comparison of the different companies offering this service here).

This can be convenient and usually includes an annual boiler check, but can prove very expensive if you rarely need a call out.

If your boiler is newer, a good alternative can be to self-insure. This means setting aside a similar sum each month but into a savings account. All being well, should anything happen in the future you'll have a tidy sum ready to pay for a call out.

But whatever you decide to do, it is recommended for safety reasons that boilers should be serviced once a year.

Easy ways to save energy

Finally, there are loads of really easy ways we can all save energy around the home. If you like your gadgets you could invest in one of these devices, but there are easy and free alternatives.

• Turn your thermostat down by one degree - it could save £30/year
• Turn your hot water tank to 60 degrees - not only will it mean your water is no longer scalding hot, it could save you another tenner.
• Turn off appliances rather than leave them on standby - you could save up to £37/year.
• Wash at 30 degrees - you'll use around 40% less energy.
• Always unplug chargers when not in use as many continue to draw electricity.
• Use energy saving light bulbs - each one can save you £9/year and they last 12 times longer too. And turn off lights in rooms you're not using.
• Only boil as much water as you need - or fill up a flask in the morning to make your cups of tea all day.
• Thick curtains are great for insulating windows and doors.
• Turn off the TV when not in use - especially if you've got an LCD/plasma screen as they use 4 times as much power when in use, and twice as much when on standby as traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) sets.
• Finally, the most obvious - if you're feeling cold, rather than cranking up the heating why not put on an extra jumper?

So there you have it, five tips to help you slash those energy bills this winter.

Happy saving!

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