Over the winter I read everything going on ways to reduce bills centring mostly around gas consumption.
I invested in an electric blanket last year long before the first of the price hikes as I knew what was coming and since then have taken various steps to reduce my bill.
Last year I switched energy providers and this had an instant positive outcome. If you’re in the market to switch providers, you can use my link and we both get £50 credit on our energy account:
Some of the things I‘ve being doing (not an exhaustive list and still learning new ways to reduce energy consumption)
- I started with reducing the temperature on my combi boiler from 60°C down to 50°C
- I reduced the temperature on individual rad stats based on the frequency I use that room. This has mean’t me spending more time in one room over and above the others.
- I keep digital thermostats in each room so I monitor temperature and ensure it doesn’t go below 15°C (I don’t want to get hypothermia).
- I’ve reduced my wash loads to once a week instead of twice a week and wash bedding once a month instead of fortnightly.
- I invested in an airfryer (pay in 5 on Amazon) and I haven’t used my oven since August 2022 as a result.
- I close all curtains/blinds at sunset and during the coldest day time don’t open blinds at all for example the window in the living room (the biggest of all the windows) and in other rooms only open part way. This balances out keeping warm whilst ensuring ventilation. In any room where you don’t open blinds ensure you still leave a gap both for ventilation and to prevent condensation build up
- I do not use my room stat for turning heating on or off since this uses up more gas. Instead when I last had an engineer out he turned off the constant setting and instead set up a time for me (on at 6am off at 10:30pm). I now leave the heating on 18°C on the room stat all day and have halved my gas bill as a result.
- I make full use of my electric blanket every day after sunset.
- I have a throw on my me when seated
- I make a thermos of hot beverage in the morning which reduces my kettle usage throughout the day
- I invested in an electric cushion which is a pain management aid and means I am no longer repeatedly boiling the kettle for hot water bottles.
- I am engaging in the no spend year to ease up finances and better scrutinise my outgoings (I’m also using that to pay off any outstanding debts so I can further free up funds long term).
- I am paying the same amount on my energy over summer as in winter to build up a winter buffer.
This list keeps growing but you get the general idea.
All the various steps I have taken and all the reading & learning how everything works has halved my bill but I feel I am still paying a heavy price.
As soon as I leave the room I spend most time in where the rad stat is set to 6 I feel like I’ve walked into a fridge. Despite the room stat being set to 18°C the rest of my home never gets above 17°C and once the sun goes down it’s largely averaging 16°C.
This would feel cold to the average person but add on top the fact I am disabled and my mobility is materially impacted.
My pain levels have increased too, my mobility has decreased alongside this. Being able to make use of and enjoy my home is now at zero as I live in one room aside from getting meals (which I pay someone to help prep for me).
My quality of life has been materially impacted and yet what I pay for energy is still double on what I was paying 2021 and before.
My sleep is also impacted as I am regularly being woken up in pain as I am getting too cold in the night. I then put the electric blanket back on (it has an auto shut off timer for safety) and eventually I get back to sleep as the heat does its magic on my joints.
Whilst I am paying my energy bills each month, I am not in energy debt, I am living in fuel poverty and my mobility & quality of life have paid the price whilst simultaneously very rich people announce record profits at my personal expense and others in this position.
I can’t afford to keep my entire home warm and winter has been life in one room with a chronic condition.
The cost of greed crisis has been a heavy price for those with the very least and this was the winter the government chose to remove the warm home discount from the disabled who use more energy out of medical necessity.
It’s been a cruel, cruel winter so those with excess profits can have more profits.
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Extra: if you are on a pre-pay meter and don’t want to be then requesting a smart meter is an option as they, as far as I know, don’t work with pre-pay (smart meters are part of a government drive right now - use it). I’m not a fan of them as they come with their own misgivings imo not least of which is they circumvent a warrant, but if it gets you off of the exploitation of expensive pre-pay meter it might be the only way.
If you have young kids this puts you in the vulnerable household category. They are notallowed to force a pre-pay meter on you. This is also true if you are sick or disabled.
When you can refuse to be moved to prepayment:
Your supplier can’t make you move to prepayment if it wouldn’t be safe or practical.
This means you can refuse to move to prepayment if:
- you have an illness or disability which makes it difficult for you to top it up
- you have an illness or disability which would be made worse if you lose power
- you can’t afford to top it up
- you are pregnant or have children under 5
- you can’t get to your meter
- you can’t get to a shop to buy credit
