HELP WITH ENERGY BILLS
Rising gas and electricity prices have made energy more expensive. Government has announced support measures, and there are also national organisations offering support and some targeted grants.
One thing to note about the support from Government with energy bills. There has been talk of a £2,500 cap. This is for the average – your usage will still affect your final bill, which could exceed £2,500 per year. Martin Lewis explains it best, with more detail on the money saving expert website
“This will be a cap on standing charges and unit rates, so use less, you pay less, use more, pay more. There is no total cap on what you pay, the typical rate is just a figure for illustration.”
Energy Saving Trust partnering with Northern Powergrid is delivering a free service called Powergrid care to South Yorkshire residents struggling with energy costs and looking for advice. Click here for more information and to speak to one of their advisors.
The government will be giving £400 off energy bills for every household in Great Britain from October onwards. The £400 will be paid in six instalments and will be automatically applied to your electricity bill as a discount. You don’t need to apply for this scheme and you won’t ever be asked for bank details.
If you use a prepayment meter for your energy supply, you will be given vouchers that you will need to redeem at a top-up point, for example at a Post Office branch.
Find out more about the Energy Bills Support Scheme on the government website.
There is also a dedicated cost of living website full of information on the package of measures for households in Great Britain.
The Government’s Energy Price Guarantee, will reduce the unit cost of electricity and gas from 1 October 2022 for the next two years. This means a typical household will pay on average around £2,500 a year for their energy bill. However, please note, this is not a price cap on household bills itself, which will still be based on how much energy is being used, therefore there is no maximum energy bill.
The Energy price Guarantee will be applied in addition to the Energy Bills Support Scheme (£400 discount).
Save money by making a small change to your boiler settings
Did you know that turning down the flow temperature on your combi boiler to 60°c or below can knock pounds off your heating bill each year and reduce energy waste from your home? UK Charity Nesta has launched the Money Saving Boiler Challenge to encourage more households to change their boiler settings and save cash. Nearly 40,000 households have already made the change, which is free, easy and can be reversed if it’s not for you.
For more information on what to do, read more here: https://moneysavingboilerchallenge.com/