With utility bills going up exponentially and wages being pretty stagnant, if not falling in real terms, getting to grips with your utility bills is essential.
| There are lots of ways you can reduce your energy bills. One of the most effective ways is insulating your loft. I was amazed when I did mine, it cost around £80 for a four bed house thanks to government subsidies. What I didn’t realise was insulating the loft helps keep your property warm in winter, but also cool in the summer (when we have one!) so it’s well worth the investment. | XXX |  |
Another way of keeping the cost of heating down is to insulate the walls. Unfortunately I can’t do this as my walls are stone, solid and two foot thick! However, what I could have done and wished I had is to insulate the bathrooms on the inside before tiling as both have two outside walls. This would have made both of them much warmer – so worth considering before you tile.
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The Government’s Green Deal Scheme has been launched to help with any improvements like insulation and gives options to fit more energy efficient equipment such as boilers into your home at no upfront cost. British Gas offer this scheme to their customers and you can find out more by reading about their version of the |
Bear in mind if you fit one of the new condensing boilers, they have an outside pipe which is liable to freeze and has caused problems in the colder winters. So check this will be fitted properly prior to ordering one.
In addition, many companies offer deals which allow you to fix the cost of your utility bills. These may or may not be a good idea depending on whether you fix them when they are high or at a low rate. Make sure if rates go down, fixed rates allow you to take advantage of lower rates.
| Finally you can consider things like smart meters. These are particularly good if you have a family who consumer lots of energy around the home on a daily basis. It allows them to see what uses the most energy and whether things like switching off the telly can save you £££s during the year. Visit British Gas to find out more about smart meters. | XXX |  |
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XXX | How ever you decide to save money on your utility bills, start doing it now. It can save you literally hundreds of pounds a year and thousands of pounds over a few years. That’s a holiday, extra money towards a deposit for a property of your own, a new car. It’s worth doing, so do what you can now and keep more money in your back pocket rather than handing it over to the energy companies! |
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