Rising fuel bills are a concern for all of us, and keeping them under control is a topic that is constantly raised with our relationship team when they are contacted by worried householders – so we developed a simple acronym to help us, and our customers, remember the key ways to both reduce energy consumption and costs. Follow our S.L.I.M. plan and you could find yourself making a significant difference to your bank balance – and to the environment as well!
S – Survey
Carry out an energy survey on your home – you can do it yourself using tools on the energysavingtrust website. They are a impartial organisation whose role it is to encourage lower energy use – and their survey looks at everything from low energy bulbs to cavity wall and loft insulation – and they then go on to help you find grants which will help you pay for improvements.
L – Lower
Lower your usage – if you have a smart meter or energymonitor (it looks like an oversized iphone and tells you what you are using at that moment in time) – put on the tumble dryer and see the difference it makes!. Then learn how to use the machines that consume most as much. Get a standby switch – which can turn of all your tv's, and other gadgets off in one switch.
I – Investigate
Investigate your Gas and Electricity tariff – make sure you are on the best deal – never rely on what you are told by your power company, a salesman in a supermarket or a person knocking at your door – do your own research. Use a ConsumerFocus approved comparison tool which covers every company and every tariff and wherever possible use your own kilowatt kWh usage rather than the ‘average consumption' figures as this can make a big difference to the right company for you.
Visit the MoneyMaxim comparison service to find our recommended comparison service..
M – Monitor
Once you are on the best tariff carry on monitoring it to make sure it remains the best for you – put a note in your diary or on the calendar to review it three or four times a year.