As the dark nights and cold temperatures start to creep in, many people are starting to worry about their bills tallying up.
We all love a cosy night in now and then, but staying in costs a lot of money during the winter, and bills still remain quite high. Money is on a lot of people's minds as we move into the winter months, but Martin Lewis has told people not to worry too much.
In his latest Money Saving Expert bulletin, he's told people there are simple ways to keep the costs low. You haven't got to shiver in the cold to save money.
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Martin said now is the time to prep ready for the colder months, and make sure you have your house in order. He said costs are likely to be higher when it comes to energy bills this year, so there are checks you need to make.
In the latest Money Saving Expert email, the consumer expert said: "While the cost of energy will be on average 23% less than this time last year, the state isn't giving homes the £400 subsidy it did last winter.
"The loss of those six £66/£67 monthly reductions means, in total, a household with typical use will still pay more this winter than last over that period. After a year of heavy inflation, that will be hard for many."
For this reason he said there are five crucial checks people need to carry out, but they only apply to England, Scotland and Wales. To begin, he said people should do a two-minute Direct Debit (DD) check-up to ensure it's not too high.
Energy rates dropped on October 1, yet some Direct Debits have continued to rise. It's important to check to see if you may be over-paying.
Martin added: "Are you owed £100s or £1,000s of credit? If you pay by monthly DD, at this time of year it's appropriate to have a couple of months' worth built up as credit, so check how much you've got.
"If it's a lot more, then as long as your DDs are right, see how to get your energy credit back. If you're in debt at this point of the year, your DD probably needs to be higher or you'll build up the debt."
He also said it's worth looking into whether it's worth switching your energy deal, as some are still possible. According to the expert, the best deals at the moment are for E.on and Octopus existing customers, but everyone should check their accounts.
It's worth working out whether its best for you to stick, switch or fix.
"Standing charges are up, though one provider's cheaper," continued Martin. "I can hear millions of gnashing teeth as you read this.
"While overall prices dropped in October, the daily standing charge paid even if you use nowt rose to over £300 a year. This energy poll tax is the regulator's (wrong) choice."
He also noted it's important to check if you're due a support payment. Back in June, £150 was issued to people with disabilities, but more funding is due to be handed out.
According to Martin, this includes:
- Benefits £900 (second payment due soon). Those on qualifying benefits, including Pension Credit, between August 18 and September 17 should be paid £300 from the end of the month.
- Pensioners should receive up to £600 in a boosted winter fuel payment. State pensioners usually get £100 to £300 winter fuel payment, but an additional one-off £300 has been added again this year.
- Those who are on some benefits and Pension Credit could also be entitled to cash. Residents in "inefficient homes" could be entitled to a £150 warm homes discount. As well as this, there's the cold weather payment (Eng, Wales, NI) and the flat £55 winter heating payment from Feb (Scot).
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