Citizens Advice Shares Tips for Saving Money on Energy Bills

Published on: 30 Jan, 2023
Updated on: 29 Jan, 2023

As people across Guildford struggle with sky-high energy bills, Citizens Advice Guildford and Ash shares practical advice for bringing down costs.

The charity has teamed up with Energy Saving Trust to provide the following advice for making small savings around the home.*

Turning your appliances off standby could save you £65 a year.

Draught-proofing windows, doors and blocking cracks around your home could save you up to £125 a year.

Turning off lights when you leave a room could save you £25 a year.

Washing your clothes at 30 degrees C and doing one less machine run a week could save you around £34 a year.

Ditching the tumble dryer and drying your clothes on racks in a well-ventilated room or outside in warmer weather could save you £70 a year.

Reducing your shower time to four minutes can save you £95 a year.

Swapping one bath a week for a four-minute shower can save you £20 a year.

Avoiding overfilling the kettle could save you £13 a year.

Running your dishwasher one time less per week could save you £17 a year.

Citizens Advice says: “People must get all the support they are entitled to.”

These lifestyle changes still might not cover the hole in household budgets, so Citizens Advice Guildford and Ash is also urging people to check they are getting all the support they are entitled to. This could include:

Energy Bills Support Scheme, a £400 discount given to every household. People who use prepayment meters are also entitled to this. There is more information here on how this works.

Warm Home Discount, a £150 discount if you get certain benefits.

Fuel vouchers, if you cannot afford to top up your prepayment meter.

Cold weather payments, payments if you get certain benefits and the weather is extremely cold.

Grants from your energy supplier, to help you pay off debts you may owe.

For more information, visit the Citizens Advice website.

If you owe money to your energy supplier, you should speak to them about setting up a payment plan. They’re responsible for helping you find a way to pay your bills.

Becky Jeffrey, chief officer of Citizens Advice Guildford and Ash, said: “We know times are extremely hard and a lot of people are struggling to stay afloat. It’s important to know about any way you can safely save money and what support you’re entitled to.

“We know many people are already doing everything they can and are still stretched beyond their limit. If you need personalised support, don’t hesitate to contact us.”

For information and advice, contact Citizens Advice Guildford and Ash on its National Freephone line: 0800 144 8444, or visit https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

Citizens Advice has lots of tips on ways you can heat your home more efficiently.

For more tips, including tips tailored to your home, visit Energy Saving Trust.

*England, Scotland, and Wales savings are for a typical three-bedroom, gas-heated home in Great Britain, using a gas price of 10.3p/kWh and electricity price of 34.0p/kWh (based on Energy Price Guarantee October 2022). Water savings are based on average occupancy.