If You Need Money Now and are Worried about Finances, take a Look at How Much You’re Paying for Your Utilities

We’re currently sitting at the most expensive point for most of us in the calendar year. The festive season is fast approaching, November is drawing to an end, and the Christmas expenses we have to make seem more expensive than ever.

So many people worry about their finances, not only in this season, but all year long. We live in strange political and economic times, where a lot of society are constantly unsure about where they stand financially. However, have you taken a look at how much you’re paying for utilities recently? You’d be surprised at how many people are actually overpaying for their monthly bills, so it never hurts to see how much better off you could be on a regular basis just by making some changes. Here are some of our top tips on how you can save on utility bills.

Switch Your Supplier

If you need money now, then we’ve got some good news for you. You can change your energy supplier in the blink of an eye. No, really, it’s an instant change.

If you haven’t changed your energy supplier in a year or two because they had the best deal on back then, then we’ve got news for you. They won’t anymore.

The reason for this, is because the prices of energy suppliers are fluid. What was the best deal, even six months ago, may not be the best deal now. So how can you check who the cheapest supplier actually is?

Well, luckily for us, price comparison websites exist. The great thing about these, is that they’re completely free to use, easy to access, and will immediately be able to tell you the cheapest deal for you.

Some of these sites enable you to put in your postcode and general usage, and see who the cheapest supplier would be for you dependant on your location and your personal usage. If you haven’t looked at this in a while, you could be surprised at how much you could save. It’s even been proven that simply by swapping to a cheaper energy supplier, you could save yourself hundreds of pounds every single year. Who doesn’t need an extra couple of hundred pounds every year?

Update Your Heating System

If you haven’t done so in a long time, look at updating your heating system.

We know, it’s more money, but think of it as an investment that could save you hundreds of pounds in the long term.

If you haven’t already got one, having a smart meter installed into your home could be your saving grace.

You know those cold Winter days, where you leave the heating on low while you’re at work, just so you don’t come back to a freezing house? With a smart meter, they could actually be a thing of the past.

Smart meters can be programmed so that they come on at assigned times – so instead of leaving it on all day, you could set it to come on an hour or so before you come home from work.

Likewise, there are even smart heating systems nowadays that actually work with sensors – so when people are in the vicinity, the room heats, cools or lights up accordingly. This sort of system, although it costs to install it, are a lot more cost effective on a monthly and yearly basis. Think of it as one investment now, that could save you money for years to come, and then it becomes worth it.

Check Your Direct Debits

As well as your heating and electricity bills, you should also be taking a look at what direct debits you currently have in place. So much of the time, people will put direct loans on for all sorts – such as streaming services, gym memberships, and other types of contracts that seem a good idea at the time. But when was the last time you actually checked what it is that you’re paying for?

Finally, if you haven’t done so recently, take some time out of your day to double check what you’re paying for on a monthly basis. You could be surprised at the payments you’ve long forgotten about that are costing you money on a regular basis. Twenty pounds per month may not seem like a lot, but over the course of a year it adds up.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes.