Energy Prices
New Gas and Electricity price rises announced
Scottish Power announces gas prices to rise by 19% and electricity prices to rise by 10%
Industry experts warnings of significant energy price rises have been proved correct as Scottish Power became the first energy provider to announce increased gas and electricity prices from August 1st. Scottish Power customers will see the price of gas rise by 19% and electricity by 10% . Experts at moneysupermarket.com predict that this price rise will effect 2.4 million households nationally this will mean an extra £420 million will be added to Scottish Powers' customers bills. For a typical dual fuel customer this represents an increase in energy bills of £175 a year.
This announcement comes just days after Energy Watchdog Ofgem revealled that almost one million electricity customers and 700,000 gas customers owed money to energy companies at the end of 2010. Last year the average amount owed to electricity companies rose from £280 to £316 and gas debts increased from £288 to £310. The energy price rises that are expected to follow Scottish Powers announcement will put increased pressure on households stuggling with fual poverty. A recent survey by moneysupermarket.com showed that 19% of people felt that the rising cost of utility bills was causing the biggest strain on their finances.
H & R SERVICES offer the following simple advice for saving money on your energy bills: Firstly, compare energy tariffs available and find an energy deal that is right for you visit uSwitch or moneysupermarketto compare the best energy prices online. Next take simple steps to increase your homes Energy Efficiency such as insulating your loft or installing cavity wall insulation. There are schemes available to help toward the cost of insualting your home and according to the Energy Saving Trust could save you £145 a year click here to find an installer in your area. Install a timer so you are only using heating and hot water when required and add TRV's to radiators so that you can control the amount of heat in different parts of the home. Also, energy can be wasted by overheating domestic hot water: Ofgem recommend that you set your cylinder thermostat to 60 degrees centigrade. Reduce electricity consumption by turning appliances off after use and not leaving them on standby and install energy saving lightbulbs. They can last ten times longer than ordinary bulbs and can save £45 over their lifetime.
For more long term savings why not consider replacing your boiler with an energy efficient model. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that installing a modern boiler and a full set of controls could save £225 a year. If you would like more information on about any of theses energy saving measures contact us today.
Submitted by The Office on Wednesday 22nd June 2011
