Over the past few years, the price of electricity and gas has increased significantly year on year, whilst wages have stayed largely the same for many people.
The issue has come to be one of the key debates of the parties in Westminster, but as with any serious change in a democracy, the time lag between a subject coming to the fore in parliament and action "on the ground" is significant.
Even if the government does reform elements of the system, it is hard to escape the suspicion that it will not resolve the problem. The only solution therefore, is to take action for yourself.
Take Control
The simplest way to find the best energy deal is to use an online price comparison website, for which you've probably seen no end of adverts on the TV.
These include, in no particular order, confused.com, comparethemarket.com, gocompare.com, moneysupermarket.com and, no doubt, a host of others.
You'll need to put in a few pieces of information, such as your postcode, which energy source(s) you want to compare and your estimated usage per year.
Your location is important because supply costs vary from area to area. Moving both energy sources to one supplier will often be rewarded with a discount.
Tariff Types
There are typically two kinds of tariff, variable and fixed. The government has legislated to ensure that customers will be put onto the cheapest kind of tariff by default, but you still have a choice as to whether you want to hedge against future price rises, or stay on the variable rate.
For example, it's possible to choose a tariff that will not rise until 2017. Given recent increases, this might sound like a good deal. But it also means that you will pay higher costs than you would otherwise have done now, and if (rather unlikely) the energy price falls, you will not see the benefit.
It is possible to leave fixed tariffs, but watch out for punitive exit fees that some companies levy if you quit the plan before its full term is complete.
Pay Attention To The Details
Quite often customers will see financial benefits if they choose to pay by a fixed direct debit each month, and if they submit their own meter readings online.
The only risk of this approach is that you can end up over or underpaying over the course of year, so you need to stay on top of your energy usage to avoid nasty shocks.
It's always worthwhile talking to your current supplier before you switch, as they may be able to offer you incentives to keep your business with them.
Similarly, make sure you find out the customer service reputation of the new supplier before changing . Just as you would read reviews of a stairlift or a car model ahead of purchase, you need to know that any problems you have will be efficiently and courteously resolved.
The simple answer, then, is that you simply need to spend some time researching the options for yourself and deciding how much effort you wish to put into monitoring the costs.
A Richardson is a full time carer who writes regulary about saving money around the home.
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