ENERGY bills will rise by hundreds of pounds a year for millions of households – here’s everything you need to know before the hikes.
Costs will jump from £1,971 to £2,500 a year for the typical household from October 1 under the government’s energy price guarantee.
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The guarantee means bills will be frozen for two years, and the government claims it will save the average household £1,000.
It will help ease the squeeze for millions, as energy costs were set to rocket to £3,549 this winter before the cap was put in place.
Here’s everything you need to know before the bill hikes.
How to calculate your actual bill this winter
Experts have warned that some bill payers remain confused over the energy price guarantee – and it could mean they’re slapped with a bill sting this winter.
Some customers think that £2,500 is the absolute maximum that you can be charged on your bill.
But that’s not the case – the cap is placed on what firms can charge customers for the unit price and standing charge per unit of energy.
If you use more, you’ll pay more, and if you use less, you’ll pay less.
There are ways to calculate exactly how much you’ll pay under the guarantee, based on your actual usage.
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You can use MoneySavingExpert’s new calculator to do this – you’ll need your annual energy usage in kWh (you can find this on your bill usually) or enter your monthly spend.
Entering your annual energy usage will show the most accurate results and you’ll need to select your region too.
Take a meter reading
Around 24million people are being urged to take an energy meter reading before bills rise tomorrow.
This applies to customers on traditional meters – you don’t need to one if you’re on a smart or pre-payment meter.
Customers are being urged to take a meter reading so they don’t get overcharged for their energy usage.
If you don’t submit readings to your supplier, they’ll estimate your usage – which can usually be higher than what you actually use.
You could end up being charged more as a result, so by taking a meter readings, this will ensure you are billed correctly for your usage up until now ahead of the price rise.
Taking a picture of your meter reading and send it to your supplier as evidence.
Read our handy explainer on how to check your meter.
Apply for grants
Your energy firm might run a hardship fund to help you cope with the impact of price rises.
For example, British Gas has a scheme offering customers up to £750 to put towards energy debts.
Octopus Energy gives out grants of up to £500 to struggling customers.
Ask your supplier what’s on offer and how to apply, or check here:
You could also get in touch with your local council to see if they are still running the Household Support Fund, although many of those schemes have closed.
Charities and other organisations often offer grants and you might be able to spend that money on energy costs.
You can search for these kind of grants on the Turn2Us website.
Turn off energy guzzling appliances
Households might not know that some appliances cost a small fortune to run.
Computers, games consoles and security lights are known as “vampire appliances”, because they use so much energy, even on standby.
Leaving these appliances on could be costing you more than £500 a year.
- Fridge freezers: adding £150 a year to bills
- Game consoles: adding £40 a year to bills
- Washing machine: adding £40 a year to bills
The best thing to do is turn these appliances off properly by switching them off at the plug when you’re not using them.
You should also use the energy saver mode settings – this will help lower your bills.
