With the economy in such turmoil over the past few months, energy companies have been doing their best to attract customers with a raft of cuts in energy prices across the board. This May, British Gas announced they were going to provide cheaper electricity by cutting prices 10%. Whether that's a decent cut or not is for you the consumer to decide - some would recommend you don't switch until there's another round of cuts. Others would say you're better off making what savings you can as soon as you can. However, whether you switch supplier or not there are still some alternative ways to save money on your electricity costs.
Change your tariff. Ever heard of an Economy 7 tariff? It's a deal which means you pay less for using gas during the night, for 7 hours (ie off-peak hours) so you can save money by only using energy during the night. Depending on the kind of house you live in, you may need some rewiring work done, and new meters installed so that the system can work properly. If you're in a newer house, it's more likely that the wiring and meters in place will be suitable. So, running all those electrical appliances - dishwasher, washing machine, TV etc - becomes cheaper at night-time.
Conserve energy. It sounds simple, but it's easily overlooked - it can start with little things such as turning off lights when one leaves the room, or not leaving the computer on standby and shutting it down properly instead, to more drastic measures such as getting your house insulated so that there's less need for central heating in winter or air conditioning in summer. Even simply turning the thermostat down can make a huge difference.
Check out dual fuel options. Although it's not always the case, sometimes getting your gas and electricity from the same supplier can make financial sense.
Pay your bills by direct debit. Companies love it when you sign up for direct debit because it means guaranteed income for them. It's a hassle-free secure way of saving those crucial extra pennies!
