Our Energy advisers have put the following information which could help you save money.
Practical Energy Savings – Save £200+ easily with our ‘5 Stay Warmer Tips’
1. Turn down your thermostat by 1°C and save around £105 a year on energy bills.
But to keep comfortable and stay safe we recommend staying above 18°C.
2. Switch your heating off when leaving the house for a few hours.
It’s cheaper to reheat your home than keep your heating on low when you’re out, unless you own a heat pump.
3. Fit draught-proofing strips to your windows and doors and save around £45 a year.
This can be a quick DIY job. Keeping extra heat in your home will leave you feeling warmer and more comfortable.
4. Get a hot water cylinder jacket and save roughly £50 a year on energy bills.
Jackets are easy to fit, typically cost under £30, and you’ll also spend less on a hot shower or bath in the future.
5. Keep furniture away from radiators and heaters to feel warmer at home.
Don’t overwork your system by blocking your source of heat and remember to remove radiator covers to get more value for money.
Save more money on Energy costs with information from Citizens Advice:
- Make your home more energy efficient
- Save money heating your home
- Compare how much electrical appliances cost to use
- Save money using your electrical appliances
- Buying a more energy efficient appliance
You might be able to get help with the cost of making your home more energy efficient:
Find out more here: Get help paying for energy efficiency home improvements – Citizens Advice
Useful Energy saving links from other services:
- Quick tips to save energy at home – Energy Saving Trust
- Actions for saving energy | Ofgem
- My home – Centre for Sustainable Energy
- How to save energy and lower your bills – Help for Households
Understand you Smart Meter In-home Display to save energy and money
About the In Home Display (IHD) – Smart Energy GB
Useful Links:
Fire safety warning: The fire service recommends doing a gas-safety check of your boiler or heating system each year. See the Gas Safe Register for more info.
Gas Emergencies | Northern Gas Networks
Power cuts | Northern Powergrid
Priority Services Membership
Priority Services Membership is a free UK wide service which provides extra advice and support, including when there’s an interruption to your electricity, gas or water supply.
Priority Services Membership– Northern Powergrid
Yorkshire Water Social Tariff – Water Support
Yorkshire Water have several schemes to help if you are struggling with paying your water bill. This includes ‘Water Support’ – a capped bill scheme for customers who have a low household income and their annual water bill is more than £364.
Social Broadband Tariffs
Social tariffs are cheaper broadband and phone packages for people claiming Universal Credit, Pension Credit and some other benefits. Some providers call them ‘essential’ or ‘basic’ broadband.
Social tariffs: Cheaper broadband and phone packages – Ofcom
Help with NHS costs (including Free Dental treatment, Prescriptions, Eye tests & Glasses):
Depending on your circumstances, you may be eligible for help with costs on the NHS. To make sure that you’re not missing out, you can check your eligibility online in about 3 minutes.
Check what help you could get to pay for NHS costs – NHSBSA
Free School Meals
You may be able to get free school meals for your children if you claim certain benefits, or have a low income:
Apply for free school meals – GOV.UK
If your child is eligible for free school meals, they’ll also qualify for the Holiday Activity and Food Programme
Grants
The link below is for the website Turn2us. They offer a grants search where you may be able to see if you or your family are entitled to any support from other charities.
• Turn2us Grants Search
Warm Homes Discount (WHD)
The WHD provides an annual rebate of £150 in the winter to electricity bills for certain households. Your supplier must be part of the WHD scheme. If yours or your partner’s name is on the supply bill from your energy provider there are two ways that you may be eligible for the WHD, you can read more about the schemes here:
- Warm Home Discount Scheme: Overview – GOV.UK
- Check if you’re eligible for the Warm Home Discount – GOV.UK
- Warm Home Discount Scheme: If you did not get your discount for winter 2023 to 2024 – GOV.UK
Benefits check
You can check if you are entitled to any further support using an online benefits calculators, here are links to a couple of examples:
• https://www.entitledto.co.uk/
• Turn2us Benefits Calculator
Citizens Advice can also assist you with benefits enquiries.
Debt support
Contact us – Citizens Advice
• Citizens advice debt helpline – 0800 2404420
If you have any further Energy advice needs or questions, please call our Freephone Adviceline on 0800 448 0721
For any other advice issues please contact us on 0808 278 78 78
Please would you take a few minutes to complete our feedback form . The responses you give are anonymous, unless you choose to provide your contact details. We will use your responses to improve our services and ensure we are providing the right level of support to help you stay warm, well and safe over winter.
