Top utilities tips

Switch your energy supplier. By using a website such as uswitch.com you can find the best deal for your home based on how much you spend etc.   Paying your bill by direct debit can often reduce your bill too. In many cases you can save as much as £150.00 per year on your household heating bill Even if you are on prepay you have the option to switch supplier.       Cut down the cost of you mobile phone. Think before you make that call, many land lines now offer free evening and weekend calls, if you have an allowance on you mobile for free minutes or texts use them, but try not to go over them.   You may think texting is a cheaper way of talking but it’s not, quite often a quick call will work out much cheaper than exchanging ten texts to say something that would take less that 2 minutes, and remember it much nicer to talk than text.

Conserve the Use of electricity & gas around your home

Take things of standby at night, up to ten percent of energy cost come from appliances being left on standby, turning your heating down by just one degree can save you another ten percent. Only fill the kettle with the amount of water you need to use, when you leave the room turn of the lights. Conserve heat by keeping doors closed and ensure you have adequate insulation. One you get into the habit you will be surprised at just how much you can save.

Consider installing a water meter

We take our tap water for granted. And why not? The companies behind the supply exist to make a profit, we pay them to supply water and have every right to expect it to flow from our taps. But if it doesn't rain, supply runs dry and the price goes up. So you may want to consider the possibility of installing a meter. If you have a big home with few occupants you may be surprised to learn you could halve your annual bill.
Saving: £100s

Link: water calculator

Cut your home phone bills

BT may seem to behave like a monopoly but it most definitely is not one. If you must use your phone there are scores of cheaper alternatives from cable companies that package your telephone, television and even broadband internet access to low-cost dial-up services that give you access to cheaper calls using your existing BT line.

Saving: £100

Link: Cut your phone bills with This is Money

Consider a pay-as-you go mobile

Ask yourself this: is your mobile phone absolutely necessary? If the answer is yes, then ask yourself whether you really need all those minutes and texts that come as part of your package. If you hand over £50 a month to your mobile phone company, that's £600 a year – or around £1,000 of your gross salary. But you can buy a pay-as-you-go phone for as little as £30 and only pay for the odd call as and when you need to.

Saving: £100s

Links: mobile phone deal finder

Do you need all those TV channels?

Britain is switching to digital-only television and time is running out for you to choose your new digital TV provider. The choice is already bewildering and with telephone-based services now being launched it's going to get more complicated. Packages range from full the monty, including every sports and movie channel costing around £50 a month, down to Freeview, which is free. Choose wisely.

Saving: £100+