How to keep your water – heating bills down this winter

Winter days and nights are all about keeping snug, warm and toasty inside; albeit at a cost.  For many British households keeping the bills down over the winter are a headache that most of us face.  With many suppliers raising their prices, gas and electricity aren’t getting any cheaper, just adding to the stress.  On a brighter note, we can all take matters into our own hands and be proactive about keeping costs down with a few simple pain-free measures.  Here are a few guidelines:

• Switch Provider

Switching tariff has never been easier with websites like which.co.uk, yet for some reason not enough of us do it.  Savings of £200 per year on average are to be made just by making this one change.   You have the right to reject any price raise and switch providers, as long as you are not in arrears and you give them sufficient notice to do so.

• Insulation

We lose on average approximately a quarter of the heat from our home, through lack of insulation.  Insulating our home need not be expensive and can be very cost-effective in the long term.  For example, loft insulation costs in the region of £50-£350 and has a life span of around 40 years but will pay for itself in just a couple of years.  If your home was built after 1920, you can also opt for cavity wall insulation which costs around £100-£350, saving you approximately £140 per year, saving you a lot of £££££ in the long term!

• Double Glazing

Double glazing not only keeps draughts out, it has the added benefit of keeping noise out as well.  A little on the pricier side at around £3,000, but it’ll save you a lot of money over the long term and potentially add value to your home.

• Replace your boiler

Although upgrading to a high-efficiency boiler can be expensive, the savings you can make with this make it well worthwhile.  You can also reduce your gas and electric bills by investing approximately £20 on a cylinder jacket for your hot water tank.  A poorly insulated hot water tank accounts for as much as 70% in heat loss. Give Plumber North London a call and we will be happy to organise a replacement for you.

• The little things..

Last but not least, sometimes it’s the small changes we make that can make all the difference and prevent you from needing emergency heating repair. Little things like turning down the heating a notch or two and wearing warmer clothing in the house. Taking shorter showers and using draught excluder strips and expanding foam fillers to fill gaps around doors and window frames to prevent heat loss and draughts. Finally, your choice of light bulb can save you some of that hard earned cash.  Energy-saving light bulbs such as halogen, compact fluorescent and LED as opposed to incandescent bulbs can save as much as 90% off your energy bill.