***Collaborative post***
Love them or loathe them (admit it, it’s the latter), you can’t get away from your energy bills. Oh sure, you could barricade your mailbox to deter the mailman from gaining access, but your energy bill companies would still find a way to reach you.
If your energy bills aren’t too high, you probably aren’t that worried about them. But if they seem to be escalating, there has to be a reason why.
So, consider the following. Are these the reasons why your energy bills are so high?
You haven’t shopped around
When it comes to all of your expenses, you should make an effort to find the best deals. This way, you won’t pay more money than you should and you will have more to put in your savings.
Unfortunately, at the time of writing, it has been announced that many energy companies are hiking up their prices. You can still pay less by comparing deals online, however, and switching if you find a better deal than you are on at the moment. You might still have to pay more than normal because of the price hikes but you should be more better off than you otherwise might have been.
Your home isn’t well-insulated
If you regularly turn up the heating because your home is overly chilly, it might be because your home isn’t well-insulated. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to benefit from that extra heat, as it will escape through your walls, roof, and windows.
So, rather than turn your thermostat up another extra notch, now might be the time to insulate your home. You can do this in a number of ways, such as paying for loft insulation or by replacing old windows with energy-efficient uPVC windows. Sure, there will be an expense, but as your home will stay warm, you will have lower energy bills as you won’t have to keep cranking up the thermostat.
There have been changes in your energy use
Are you using more energy than you used to be? If you have recently bought any appliances that aren’t energy-efficient, this could be one reason why you are facing bigger expenses.
It might be that people in your home have stopped using energy-saving habits too. If they are leaving their devices plugged in when they aren’t using them, and if they are leaving your home lit up like a Christmas tree as they move around the house, then you will see a hike in your energy bills.
You can monitor the energy usage in your home with a smart meter, so if you haven’t already, contact your energy company and get one fitted.
Finally
These are just some of the reasons why your energy bills could be higher than expected. However, we haven’t covered everything here. Your gas and electricity meters could be faulty, so the fault might not be yours. Contact your utility company if you suspect this could be the case. And it might also be that you are using certain appliances more often than is normal. This was certainly the case for many of us during the pandemic. So, consider where the problem might lie and then take any steps necessary to reduce your bills.
