Save On Energy Bills This Winter

It's that time of the year again, the weather is getting colder and nights are getting darker, and Christmas is just around the corner. Many households will be putting their heating on, and those on a low income will be worrying about the heating costs.


Image courtesy of AlexMaster Shutterstock 

In 2013 Saga reported that energy bills for older people have more than doubled in the last eight years. The average annual spend on gas and electricity for the over-65s soared to *£1,355.90 in the year previous and this will no doubt will be bigger this Winter.

Did you know that next weekend is the "Great British Switch", this is a campaign where comparethemarket.com is encouraging the UK population to see how much money they could save on their energy bills this Winter by switching to a new supplier? They say that recent research has shown that 95% of over 65's have never tried to switch energy supplier despite the fact that, savings of up to £350 a year can be made. * in a Daily Mirror Survey

With the #GreatBritishSwitch campaign from 14th – 16th November for every switch made comparethemarket.com will donate £5 to Friends of the Elderly. This is a worthy charity dedicated to supporting older people.

So this had me thinking. My father-in-law Keith has recently retired, being self employed for the last forty years, running a local shop. Both him and my mother-in-law Anne are now on a limited income. He doesn't use technology at all but Anne does. I wondered if they had stayed with the same suppliers for their energy needs over the last few years or had ever changed, so I decided to pop in and have a chat with them, showing them the comparethemarket.com website.


Comparethemarket.com is a comparison website that helps you compare companies at a click of a button. It's not just energy companies either, as you can find the best deals for car, home and life insurance, travel insurance, credit cards and energy. On discussion with them they hadn't changed energy suppliers for a long time so I decided to take Anne through the Compare the Market website to see if they could save on their utility bills.

Once you click on energy it takes you to this page below.


As you can see you also get a free Safari Oleg toy whilst stocks last if you switch energy suppliers. 

If you don't have your bill this is the next screen below (in two parts)





After putting in your details the next page asks for your email address.


Then you see the comparison companies and the prices and details. It really is that simple.



As you can see there are a range of savings to be made and you do need to read the terms and conditions of each offer, but it is worth doing this, as within less than 5 minutes you can save a fortune. 

It was easy to show Anne how to use the site, the process is, in the words of a meerkat 'Simples", and as you can see from the information above my mother and father-in-law could save £243 on their energy bills.




There is also an app available called Snapt, which allows the user to photograph their bills and send the information to Compare The Market by phone. At the moment this is available on the Iphone, but I guess it won't be long until it is brought out on Android.

So if you can think of anyone that would benefit from a saving on their utility bills this Winter, especially the elderly, why don't you pop in for a chat and show them what to do. Don't forget with the #GreatBritishSwitch campaign from 14th – 16th November for every switch made Compare the Market will donate £5 to Friends of the Elderly. So they save and the charity gains. Simples!

* As a thanks for taking part in the campaign, comparethemarket.com will donate £50 on my behalf to Friends of the Elderly. This is a sponsored post in conjunction with CTM and Tots100

14 comments

  1. I've just changed my tariff again and the new bill came today and it's lower. Always worth seeing if you can save some money.

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    1. I think it is as well, especially when it takes a matter of minutes.

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  2. So important to keep on top of all this, can make a big difference in a cold winter

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  3. I am all for saving on household bills when I can. I try to make what money I have go further

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    1. I think we all do in this day and age, but it's easy just to go along and renew automatically every year. However something as simple as using a comparison website can take minutes to do and save a fortune.

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  4. I'm happy I don't need to worry about all this again this year...our bills at uni were ridiculous! So I'm thankful my parents are footing the bill this time ;) #sneaky

    Sara | This Girl Loves

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    1. Ha ha Sara! Something to consider when you move out though.

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  5. I used this and save £200 pounds , which will do nicely for Christmas

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  6. I wish there will be similar things in Romania, my parents are both retired and dad suffering for a debilitating illness now, they could do with websites and help like this!xx

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  7. It's so important to be on top of this, being complacent can definitely cost. Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Yes I think it can, especially as energy tariffs seem to change almost every year.

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