In October 2024, energy costs were about 50% higher than at the beginning of 2021. This, in addition to the withdrawing of the Winter Fuel Payment for most pensioners, has left many people struggling to pay their energy bills.
There are several things you can do to try to meet the cost:
- Consider changing your energy supplier or your tariff. If your current supplier offers a tariff that is cheaper than the one you’re on, this information will be on your energy statement (which most people call their ‘bill’). If you want to check whether you could get a cheaper tariff with a different supplier, these websites can be trusted:
If you would like help to explore changing your tariff, the volunteers at our Energy Helpdesk (see Events) can do this, or use our Contact form to arrange to speak to someone.
- If there is an ‘E’ next to any of the readings on your energy statement this means these readings were estimated and therefore may not be an accurate reflection of how much energy you have actually used. You should contact your supplier and arrange to have a proper meter reading. If they ask you to send them a reading and you’re not sure how to do this, use our Contact form to tell us, and one of our volunteers will get in touch.
- If you have a smart meter your supplier can read your meter without you having to send a reading. A smart meter can also help you to see how much electricity you are using and there are some tariffs that are only available if you have a smart meter. If you don’t have a smart meter, contact your supplier to ask whether it’s possible to have one.
- Paying for your fuel by Direct Debit is usually the cheapest option. If you pay by Pre-Payment card, which suits some people, be aware that this may be more expensive and remember that you must keep topping up during the summer to ensure that you don’t run up debt due to the monthly standing payments.
- If the worst happens and you end up owing money to your energy supplier, the supplier has to try to find a way to help you to pay. You should contact them before the debt gets too big so that you can agree an amount that you can afford to pay. If you are in this situation and would like to speak to someone about debt, the following are trustworthy organisations that will help you to sort things out:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/local/bradford-airedale Helpline 0808 278 7828
The expensive heat that you’re paying for can very easily escape through poorly-insulated lofts, walls and floors, single-glazed windows and draughty doors. We can help you to find where heat is escaping (see Thermal Imaging Camera) and to apply for grants to improve your home’s energy efficiency.
