With December it’s not just the cold that comes, but also the pressure to come up with your very own ever growing list of New Year’s resolutions: ditch the biscuits, sign up to the gym, learn to speak Chinese, read more Pulitzer-winning authors, work on that long-awaited pay raise and spend less on clothes.
With prices on the rise and current earnings being stretched to the limit, this is also the time to get creative. But you don’t need to be a finance genius to start saving money on outgoing costs such as your bills.
The Government has launched an ambitious initiative to tackle fuel poverty and expensive energy bills: the Green Deal. This scheme allows most house owners to pay for energy saving improvements through instalments on their electricity bills.
How does the Green Deal work?
To join, you just need to register with the scheme so your energy provider will send you an accredited Green Deal assessor to take a look at your house and evaluate how energy efficient your property is.
In some cases, the assessment will be free and will give you a very valuable weapon to negotiate your energy bills, as it comes with full information on the current and potential energy efficiency rating and environmental impact of your property. You will also learn how energy is used within your home and will get a series of handy tips to save energy and eventually reduce your gas and electricity bills.
Assess your property’s energy efficiency before looking for buyers
Furthermore, if you are on the lookout for a new home, you will be in a better position to add value to your property by highlighting the potential benefits that buying an energy efficient house might bring to the new owner.
If you move house and will no longer benefit from the improvements that you have had installed, you won’t have to continue paying for them under the Green Deal. As the finance is linked to your property it will pass onto the new occupants when you move.
Get more from your supplier
There are some other perks you can get from your gas and electricity provider to keep bills down according to npower. For example, they might install an “A-rated” boiler for free, or provide free insulation. Their ‘Warm Response Service’ caters for those who require special attention and priority care, for those who suffer from poor health, are elderly or have a disability.
