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Sarah Willingham

My Piggy Pick
of the week

1-minute guide to Energy switching & saving

You WILL use more energy staying at home with a baby, especially if you have a winter baby and you are up during the night for feeds and cuddles

This is a NO BRAINER! Save an average of £230 by changing your energy supplier – it takes 10 minutes, it’s REALLY easy and you're never without energy

There are also many quick and easy ways to save even more by using less energy without sacrificing warmth and comfort

 
 
30 DAY FREE TRIAL WITH A £15 DOROTHY PERKINS VOUCHER WHEN YOU PAY FOR YOUR FIRST MONTH (NO CONTRACT) check this out
5% CASHBACK AT SANISBURY'S FOR THE FIRST 3 MONTHS. 1% CASHBACK IF YOU SPEND £250 AT SAINSBURY'S AND £250 ELSEWHERE PER MONTH. LOW INTEREST RATE check this out
10 NECTAR POINTS PER £1 SPENT AT SAINSBURY'S FOR FIRST 3 MONTHS, 4 POINTS AFTER. LOW INTEREST RATE check this out
FREE FIBRE OPTIC BROADBAND FOR 3 MONTHS! THEN DOWNGRADE TO STANDARD £5 A MONTH. FOR EXISTING EE, ORANGE AND T-MOBILE CUSTOMERS. LINE RENTAL £14 FROM MONTH 1 check this out
GREAT FOR MUMS! TESCO REWARD CREDIT CARD EARN CLUBCARD POINTS ON ALL SPENDING check this out
FREE 32" INCH TV WITH THE SAMSUNG GALAXY ACE ON VODAFONE, 600 MINS, UNLIMITED TEXTS, 500MB DATA, £21.04 A MONTH WHEN YOU REDEEM £95 CASHBACK check this out

Need to know

  • Changing your energy is quick and simple.  Grab your bill and spend 10 minutes on an energy comparison site. They will find the best deals for you AND sort out the actual switch for you.  We don't know a single person who hasn't saved LOTS of money doing this
  • If you can’t find your bill, phone your current provider and ask how much you currently pay per unit for electricity and gas, and how much you use each year. You will need these to get the best deal for you
  • If you RENT your property you can still SWITCH and SAVE MONEY. Just check with your landlord first
  • Save even more by reducing the amount of energy you use – see below 
  • Don't assume having your gas and electricity with the SAME supplier is cheaper.  It's often cheaper to do it seperately
 
 

Compare gas & electric suppliers

  • To find out if you could save money by switching, type in your post code here and you will be taken straight to the start of the switching process on the Uswitch website. Less than 5 minutes later you'll have your answer. It's worth checking out!

     
Compare
 

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How to get the best deal

UK POWER

Why we like it:

  • very simple switching process
  • easy to compare single switch electricity and gas with a dual fuel switch
  • recommend a friend for £20

Watch out:

  • their call centre closes really early! 9-5.30pm and is only open mon to fri

What happens next

 
check this out

uSwitch

Why we like it:

  • simple to use
  • you can phone them
  • you can send them your bill to find a better deal
  • often offer incentives to switch like free wine or cash back
  • recommend a friend for £20

Watch out:

  • you need exact usage to get most accurate savings

What happens next

check this out

Energy Helpline

Why we like it:

  • offers £15 cash back per switch
  • £30 cashback for separate gas and electricity

Watch out:

  • you need exact usage to get most accurate savings
  • have been slow in the past to make cashback payment

What happens next

 
check this out

Simply Switch

Why we like it:

  • offers £40 cashback if you switch

Watch out:

  • 'latest price updates' on website are very out of date
  • call centre hours are only 9-5.30pm, mon to fri
  • you need exact usage to get most accurate savings

What happens next

 
check this out
 
 

Quick & Easy ways to reduce your energy use

Find out how much energy you are using by getting an energy monitor, like the OWL CM160. This will help you learn which things use the most energy in your home. We were shocked to find a mini fridge was costing us £80 a year to run and we hardly used it!

Simple things can save energy & money

  • Use plug in LED Night lights rather than leaving expensive halogen lights on at night - SAVE £19 a year
  • You will be doing A LOT of washing but try and use the washing machine at 30°C. If you do have heavily soiled items, wash them together at a higher heat
  • Dry clothes on a line outside if you can rather than a tumble dryer - SAVE £15 over the summer
  • Use room and radiator thermostats and turn them down by one degree - SAVE £60 per year
  • Leaving TVs on standby is a HUGE waste of money.  Try and remember to switch everything off at night - SAVE up to £80 a year
  • A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and enough water to fill 2 children's baths!
 
 

The inside track

  • There are free solar panel schemes that will fit panels to your roof and you use the electricity for free. This can help if you are at home more using electricity during the day.  SAVE up to £176 a year
  • Insulating your home (Loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, and draught proofing) costs very little but will help keep your house warmer AND cut energy bills. SAVE up to £310 a year
  • Being energy efficient doesn’t just save money, it’s better for the environment too and therefore the world your kids will grow up in