It is often said the only two things certain in life are death and taxes, but for the last few years it has felt like inflation-busting fuel-bill rises should be added to that list.
In 2012, the average household in the United Kingdom forked out roughly £1200 on gas and electricity charges, and recent reports suggest we can expect further price hikes of up to 50% with utility bills in excess of £2000 set to become the norm.
At a time when many workers are experiencing a serious squeeze on their real wages, the news that homes across the country can expect to receive soaring fuel bills until 2030 couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Fortunately, help is at hand. Anyone wondering how to reduce their energy consumption and cut their fuel bills can easily find a number of excellent resources online, including Blind Supermarket’s informative interactive guide.
The Energy-saving Home
Blind Supermarket has a strong cost-cutting ethos, so it’s no surprise to find its team has developed a handy tool to help people see where energy is being lost in the home – and how to stop it being wasted.
Starting by positioning our cursor over the roof icon of the Energy-saving Home, we learn that effective loft insulation can cut heat loss through the top of the house by up to 94% and can save around £170 a year, while solar panels can generate £645 annually or three-quarters of a home’s electricity usage.
Then, as we move from room to room, we learn all manner of interesting facts about what comprises our fuel bills.
For example, were you aware that heating water and keeping warm accounts for 82% of a home’s utilities expenditure? Or that simply lowering the temperature on your thermostat by 1°C can knock £65 off your yearly costs?
There is much, much more to learn about your gas and electricity usage by exploring the information on the webpage, but I’ll leave that for you to find out – along with a number of handy money-saving ideas.
But where do I start to save money?
If you’re wondering where to begin your energy and money-saving journey, then the best place is by applying to your own house the tips featured on the Energy-Saving Home.
For me, you should start with the easiest ideas to implement: look out for the ones that cost nothing to do, like turning off the lights and shutting the door when you leave a room, or closing the curtains and blinds at dusk to help insulate your windows.
Next, I’d recommend doing a full ‘energy-saving audit’ of your home. Have a look at what you are already doing to prevent heat loss, and then weigh up what you can do that will make the biggest gains for you.
See what measures you can afford to take now, make the improvements – and start noticing the boost to your expendable income each month!
How much can I save?
Once you get into a money-saving mind set, you’ll want to keep pushing yourself to shave more and more off your monthly fuel bills.
So only you know how much can be saved. But thanks to helpful guides like Blind Supermarket’s Energy-saving Home and other websites such as the Energy Saving Trust, all the information you’ll need to make valuable savings is easy to access.
Very good points. Having a saving mindset is a must for those who want to successfully manage their finances and gain financial freedom. Also when saving, one should not ignore any options whether it will save him big amount or not because in the end it will all count.