Winter's expensive, and unfortunately, the cold doesn’t care about your budget.
The heating goes on. Christmas needs paying for. The boiler starts making a noise you’re choosing to ignore. The food shop somehow costs more than you remember it costing. And, conveniently, the rent or mortgage continues to exist.
So if you’re looking at your energy bill and wondering where you can actually make a difference, there are a few things worth checking.
We’ve pulled together five top tips for keeping winter energy costs under control. Some take a few minutes, others are changes you can make once and leave to get on with it, and one is simply about knowing when to stop trying to cut back and ask for help.
The energy price cap went up by 4% on 1 October, taking the typical annual figure for a Direct Debit household from £1,663 to £1,723.
Before anyone panics, that doesn’t mean you’ll get a bill for £1,723. The cap limits the rates suppliers can charge on default tariffs, and what you actually pay depends on how much energy you use. (Ofgem)
So, before you spend the winter obsessing over the thermostat, check your tariff.
If you’re on your supplier’s default tariff, see what else is available. A fixed tariff can give you certainty for a set period, but fixed doesn’t automatically mean cheapest. And the cheapest-looking deal isn’t necessarily the right one for your household.
Look at the things that actually affect what you’ll pay:
~ your gas and electricity unit rates
~ standing charges
~ any exit fees
~ how long the deal lasts
~ how much energy you’re likely to use
And don’t get too hung up on the annual cost you see advertised. It’s based on assumed usage, so it won’t necessarily be what you actually spend. The useful question is: Is what I’m paying now better than the alternatives available to me?
If you can’t remember the last time you checked, that’s probably your cue.
If you’re sitting on the sofa watching TV, do you really need the whole house heated to the same temperature?
It's the thinking behind the heat the human, not the home approach. If you’re cold, try warming yourself before warming every room around you.
A jumper, blanket, hot water bottle, heated throw or electric blanket can all help you stay warm without turning the heating up for the entire room.
The same goes for keeping the heat where you actually need it. Close internal doors so the heat stays where you’re using it. Close your curtains when it gets dark. Deal with obvious draughts around doors and windows.
And if you’ve got the heating on while you’re sitting under a blanket, it might be worth asking yourself which one is actually doing the work.
You don’t need to spend winter shivering in a dressing gown, but the point is to use the warmth you need, where you need it.
Your radiator has one job: heat the room.
Unfortunately, if it’s sitting against an external wall, some of that heat can make a bid for freedom through the wall instead.
Reflective radiator panels are designed to bounce some of that heat back into the room. They’re relatively cheap and easy to fit, particularly if you have radiators on external walls.
You’ll also come across the classic tin-foil-behind-the-radiator trick. It can work as a quick DIY option, although proper radiator reflector panels are designed for the job and are generally easier to fit without making your wall look like you’re preparing it for a roast dinner.
This isn’t going to turn a huge energy bill into a tiny one. But if a few pounds and ten minutes can help you get a little more from the heat you’re already paying for, it’s not a bad little job to tick off.
There’s another small change that could be worth looking at if you have a combi boiler.
Your boiler’s flow temperature is the temperature of the water it sends around your radiators, and many boilers are set higher than they need to be.
Energy Saving Trust says reducing the flow temperature to around 60°C can improve boiler efficiency by nearly 4%, based on research from Nesta.
That doesn’t mean your gas bill will automatically fall by 4%. What you save will depend on your boiler, your home and how you use your heating.
It’s also not something to blindly change on every type of heating system. If you have a hot water cylinder, check how your system works before changing the setting.
But if you have a combi boiler, it’s worth checking what your flow temperature is currently set to.
It’s a small adjustment, but unlike remembering to turn the heating down every evening, you only have to make it once.
You shouldn’t have to spend all winter walking over to the thermostat every time you feel a bit chilly.
If you have thermostatic radiator valves (or TRVs for those who like an acronym), use them to control the temperature in individual rooms. There’s little point heating an empty spare bedroom to the same temperature as the room you’re actually sitting in.
A smart thermostat can also help you set a schedule, so the heating comes on when you need it rather than simply staying on because nobody remembered to turn it off.
And have a look around your radiators while you’re at it. If one’s tucked behind a sofa or covered by a curtain, the heat has a harder time getting into the room.
You don’t need to turn your house into a science project. Just spend five minutes checking that your heating is set up for how you actually use your home.
Which rooms do you use most? Are you heating empty ones? Are the radiators clear? Is the heating coming on when you need it, or just because that’s the schedule you set eight years ago and forgot about?
Your thermostat has no idea what year it is. It’s probably time you checked.
There’s only so much you can save by turning the heating down.
If there isn’t enough money coming in to cover your essential bills, another article telling you to put on a jumper isn’t going to fix the problem.
If you’re struggling to pay your energy bill, speak to your supplier as early as you can. They may be able to offer a payment arrangement, hardship support or other help depending on your circumstances.
You don’t have to wait until you’re already seriously behind. The earlier you speak to them, the more options you may have.
Citizens Advice can also help you understand your options and check whether there’s financial support you could be entitled to.
And if you’re looking for government support, check the current information on GOV.UK. Energy support schemes and eligibility can change, so be careful with advice you find online that was written a couple of winters ago. Last winter’s Facebook post is not necessarily this winter’s financial advice.
Most importantly, needing help with a bill doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong. Sometimes the numbers simply don’t work, and that’s exactly what support is there for.
Winter is going to be winter. The heating will go on, the nights will get longer and the boiler will probably make at least one noise you don’t like.
But you can make sure you’re not paying more than you need to, wasting heat where you don’t need it, or struggling alone when the numbers don’t add up.
Sort what you can, ask for help when you need it, and save your energy for something more enjoyable than staring at the thermostat.
Now, where did we put that hot water bottle?