For the next 6 months, the government will provide assistance with household energy bills. All households will receive the support no matter what their level of income. The support will, however, be paid in different ways.
The basics of the energy grant
All households will receive a total of £400 non-repayable support to help pay for energy bills. The first two instalments will be in October and November. These will be £66 each. From December to March, they will be £67.
People who have regular metres will receive a credit on their bills. People on prepayment metres will receive vouchers sent to their registered contact details. It is therefore important that customers make sure their suppliers have the correct details.
People who have electricity included as part of their rent will receive the discount via their landlords. Landlords may choose to reduce their rent for the month or credit the tenant in cash.
Landlords crediting tenants will be the only people who may need to ask for the tenant’s bank details to process the credit. No other provider will do so. If anybody else does claim to need your bank details to give you the energy rebate, then it is a scam.
How to keep your energy bills as low as possible
Even with the rebate (and the price cap), many households are likely to find this a challenging winter. Finding ways to conserve energy without compromising on essentials is likely to be a high priority for every home. Here are some tips to help.
Make sure you max out your insulation
It’s one of the oldest tips in the book but it’s also one of the best. There is never any point in paying for heating that literally goes straight out of your home. If there was ever one year to address this, it’s this one.
Use targeted heating as much as you can
Only heat the space you need to heat. If you’re the only person working from home, leave the central heating off. Use a portable heater to heat your space if you must. At night, use an electric blanket rather than central heating.
If you do use central heating, make sure that you use it effectively. In other words, make sure that there’s plenty of clear space for the heat to circulate. Also, try putting reflective foil behind your radiators. Proper radiator foil is ideal but any metallic foil will do (e.g. cooking foil).
Figure out your high-energy appliances
Gas is mainly used for heating and cooking so it’s fairly easy to keep track of how much of it you use. Electricity can be more of a challenge. You can get lists online of high-energy appliances but these can be misleading. For example, high-energy appliances can sometimes be more economical to run than low-energy ones because they do their job more quickly.
If you have a smart metre then it may give you statistics on your electricity usage. These may allow you to figure out which appliances cost the most and least to run. Alternatively, you can work it out using the following formula.
((Wattage (kWh) x time in use) x cost of electricity) = Running cost
Once you’ve identified your most power-hungry appliances, you can figure out the best way to manage them. For example, this could mean reading the instruction manuals to use them as economically as possible. Alternatively, it could mean accepting that it is better to buy a newer, more energy-efficient option. Alternatively, it could just mean putting them away for now.
Turn appliances off at the wall
You might be taken aback to discover just how much electricity some appliances use when left on standby. Turn them off at the wall. If you can afford smart plugs, you will make your life easier. If you can’t, you can still turn off appliances the old-fashioned way.
Refresh your cooking skills
Try to use microwaves, air fryers, pressure cookers and slow cookers instead of regular hobs and ovens. If you do use a hob or an oven, try to get as much value as you can out of your energy. For example, cook one-pot meals and/or fill the oven full.
