Online Energy Plans For Heating And Hot Water Cost Less

With energy prices rising, consumers looking to save money need to consider online energy plans, as they cost households less for heating and hot water than standard energy tariffs.

According to new figures from uSwitch.com, households who are on online energy plans are paying £140 a year less on average for heating and hot water than those on standard tariffs.

December was the coldest in 100 years according to the Met office and each cold snap is estimated to add £7 a week on to fuel bills.

British households are facing a double whammy as they deal with higher energy prices and the higher costs for the harsh winter weather.

However, whilst the typical household now faces an annual energy bill of £1,239 a year, up 3.8% from £1,194 in September, those who have an online energy plan face an annual bill of £1,010 – that’s £229 a year less.

Despite this, according to the latest tariff information available from Ofgem in its Sustainability Report, only 13% of households are on online energy plans. (MoneyHighStreet.com comment – seems a real opportunity to save money that many are missing, particularly pertinent when large cuts are planned by many this year in their entertainment, travel, bill and food budgets.

While some households may be excluded because they do not have access to the internet, Ofcom stats suggest that 71% of adults in the UK have broadband while 16.8 million households have a broadband connection, which means that many more could be taking advantage of the lower cost of online energy plans.

Tom Lyon, energy expert at uSwitch.com, says: “Online energy plans are consistently the most competitive in the market. The difference between the cheapest energy plan in the market and the most expensive standard plan is £402 – this is a substantial saving and could make a real difference for those who are worried or struggling with bills. But even if you can’t go online, or don’t want to, there are other options available that are cheaper than standard plans so it’s still worth looking into.”

MoneyHighStreet.com comment: As many try to make cuts to save money, getting the cheapest gas and electricity by switching energy supplier or swapping plans is well worth considering. Comparing energy prices and plans using comparison sites such as uSwitch.com or Confused.com is very easy.

Not only can they help you get the cheapest energy, if you do decide to switch supplier they can assist you with the process, making it easy and hassle free.