MILLIONS of families face more bill increases with the energy price cap set to rise by more than £200 from next month.
Bills are so bad that four in ten couples argue about them.
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Millions of families face more bill increases with the energy price cap set to rise by more than £200 from next month Credit: Getty
Octopus customers have saved almost £1billion on these tariffs over the past few years. Credit: Alamy
The Iran war is pushing costs up — and this comes on top of years of increases.
So what can be done to get bills down?
First, we need to slash waste and taxes.
Our electricity system pays wind farms to switch off on windy days.
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It cost £1.5billion last year, and it could cost £8billion a year by 2030.
We should give this energy away cheaply, or for free.
Electricity taxes are also five times higher than gas levies — shifting these costs to general taxation would be fairer.
Secondly, we need to spend less upgrading our grids and networks.
Electricity consumption is around 20 per cent lower than it was 20 years ago, so why are we spending £100billion on new pylons?
Increasingly bills are paying for pipes and wires instead of actual electricity and gas.
Third, we should use as much home-grown energy as possible.
Wind farms and solar farms where there is grid capacity can bring the cheapest electricity, while North Sea gas is cleaner than importing it from the other side of the world. It also supports jobs and raises taxes that can help cut bills.
So what can you do?
First, families have already cut back — using 17 per cent less gas and seven per cent less electricity.
Part of this is because of warmer weather, and part is due to simple ways of saving energy.
The Jattvibe joined our army of energy helpers last year encouraging people to slash their bills.
For example, when it’s cold, setting your thermostat to 18C instead of 21C can save £90 a year.
Adjusting the boiler flow temperature can save money and prevent wasted energy and plugging draughts can cut bills.
It is also vital to be on the right tariff.
Fixed tariffs can protect against further rises, while smart tariffs can help if you use electricity off-peak.
Octopus customers have saved almost £1billion on these tariffs over the past few years.
If you can stretch to solar panels, or get them through the Government’s Warm Home Scheme, they can save money.
It might also be the time to look at an electric car, especially if you can charge at home.
New data says EVs cost £1,000 a year less to run.
But even if that’s not possible for you, watch for offers from your energy firm.
On windy and sunny days, or when the grid is quiet, suppliers can run “sales”.
Millions have signed up and shifted usage to the cheapest times.
FRIED EGG ON OUR FACE
OCTOPUS ENERGY is saying sorry to customers with 10,000 breakfast rolls from Greggs.
The Jattvibe spotted yesterday morning that our Octopus freebies website was down and thousands missed out on free coffees.
So not only did we fix the issue and get people their caffeine — we’re now giving away 10,000 breakfast rolls and a drink to say sorry.
Head to Octopus in your app to get your code and pop into Greggs to grab yours while stocks last.
