Energy saving tips

Our tips and support provide practical steps you can take to help save energy and reduce your energy bills and ways you can access available financial support.

For more advice, we recommend visiting the National Energy Action website where you’ll find helpful information leaflets.

Visit National Energy Action

How to save energy in your Lampton home

Contact your energy supplier
If you haven’t already, contact your energy supplier to check that you are on the cheapest tariff available or discuss your options if you have fallen into debt on your energy bills.

If you are struggling with energy debt, your energy supplier is required to work with you to set up an affordable repayment plan. The sooner you contact them to let them know you’re struggling, the quicker you can access support.
You may also be able to access hardship funds to help with repaying your debt, so talk to your local advice agency or contact Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline

Call: 0808 223 1133.

Textphone users call: 18001 0808 223 1133 (call charges may apply)

Or visit your local Citizens Advice.

Visit Citizens Advice

Take regular meter readings

Taking regular meter readings and submitting them to your energy supplier helps you to keep your bills accurate.

If you receive a bill and it has an ‘E’ marked against the meter reading, then this means it is estimated by your supplier and you may not be paying the right amount for your energy. Estimated readings can lead to large, unexpected bills so make sure you regularly submit your accurate readings.

Install a smart meter

You can also ask your supplier if they can install a smart meter. Many energy suppliers are installing smart meters as part of the government-led upgrade to the UK’s energy infrastructure.

Smart meters allow your supplier to take automatic readings, which means the energy bill they provide will be more accurate.

Improve your energy efficiency

It’s important that you use the energy you need to keep warm, safe and healthy at home. Making small changes to the way you think and use your energy can often have a big impact on bills.

Making your home as energy efficient as possible is the best way to reduce your costs and keep your home feeling warmer. There are some low-cost actions you can take yourself, such as:

• Draught-proofing can be a cheap way of making your home warmer, products are available at your local DIY store.
• Radiator reflectors behind your radiators can help keep more of the heat coming into the room.
• Use thermal underlay beneath carpets and close curtains at dusk to keep more heat in.
• Taking showers over having a bath uses significantly less hot water
• Boiling only the required amount of water in the kettle

You may be eligible for free or discounted insulation or heating measures – contact your energy supplier and see if you qualify for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) or your local council and ask about any schemes operating in your area.

For more information on what grants might be available visit:
www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk/grants

For more information or help with making your Lampton Home more energy efficient, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team.

Access financial support

Make sure you are maximising your income by claiming all the benefits you are entitled to. It is a common misconception that you must be out of work to be eligible for financial support, but there are lots of in- work benefits too.

We recommend doing a check online – it only takes around 10 minutes to complete.

Check benefits calculator

If you are already on what is known as a ‘legacy benefit’ then you should always get independent benefit advice to check whether you are better off on Universal Credit before making a new claim. Once you make a claim, you will not be able to go back to your legacy benefit, so it is important to check before making the switch to Universal Credit won’t leave you worse off. All claimants will be moved off legacy benefits by the end of 2024 and migrated onto Universal Credit.

Legacy benefits are:

• Housing Benefit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Child Tax Credits (CTC)
• Working Tax Credits (WTC)
• Income Support

Energy discounts or payments

Warm Home Discount Scheme
The Warm Home Discount rebate is a payment of £150 off your electricity bill paid automatically to eligible customers. The 2022/23 scheme is different to previous years as you will no longer need to apply but will receive an automatic payment if you meet the required criteria under one of the core groups:

• Core Group 1: Individuals of pensionable age and in receipt of pension credit
• Core Group 2: Individuals dependent on means-tested benefits and with high energy costs.

Eligible benefits are:

• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income Support Housing Benefit
• Universal Credit Child Tax Credits
• Working Tax Credits Pension Credit Savings Credit (PSCS)

Winter Fuel Payment
If you were born on or before a specific date (this date changes each year and is currently 26 September 1955 and can be found on the Gov.uk website) you could get between £100 and £300 to help you pay your heating bills. This is known as a Winter Fuel Payment. It is paid automatically between November and December if you have claimed before or are in receipt of some other benefits. Others will need to apply for it.

Call the Winter Fuel Payment Centre on 0800 7310160.

Cold Weather Payment
Some households could be eligible for a Cold Weather Payment of £25 per qualifying week. This is paid automatically to those on certain benefits when the average temperature in their area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below for seven consecutive days. You’ll get £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March.

What to do if your energy supplier goes out of business

If your energy supplier goes out of business, the regulator Ofgem will automatically move you to a new supplier within a few weeks. Don’t try to make any changes to your energy supply until your account is moved to a new supplier. You might find it harder to get any money you’re owed if you switch before this happens. Wait for your new supplier to contact you and in the meantime:

• Take regular meter readings and a photo of them if you can
• Keep any old bills you have – these can help prove your payment history, credit balance or debt
• Download any bills from your app if you have an online-only account
• Make a note of your account balance – you’ll find this on your most recent statement Your new supplier will write to tell you when your new account has been set up.

You should contact your new supplier if you don’t hear from them within two weeks. Your new supplier will also put you on a new tariff so speak to them to make sure it’s their cheapest deal. You can switch without paying an exit fee if you’re not happy with your new supplier or tariff.