Reducing Bills & Energy Efficient Products

Reducing Bills & Energy Efficient Products

Tips, Advice and Guidance on Reducing Bills & Energy Efficient Products

Reducing Bills & Energy Efficient Products discussed by Polar Bear Windows & Doors of Bristol and Bath

Everyone wants to save money on their monthly outgoings and there are some really easy ways to do it, some of which you won’t have thought of. Our simple guide to Reducing Bills & Energy Efficient Products will tell you how you can reduce your monthly outgoings.

We discuss how you can save money on your monthly household bills, your personal spending, your insurance products and how you can make your home more energy-efficient to reduce your energy bills. All of this, will make life more comfortable and enable you to keep on top of your spending and even enable you to save some of your earnings every month.

How can you Reduce your Household Bills?

Gas & Electricity Bills

Some people think they are tied into their Gas and Electric supplier forever, however, this isn’t true. It is the same in every market but new customers normally always get a better deal compared to existing customers so you should shop around. You may think it’s too much hassle to change supplier but it really isn’t, when you find the supplier you want to go with they will take care of everything and change you over to them quickly and efficiently. All we would advise you to do is to take a final meter reading for your gas and electric on the day you are changing over to your new supplier and ensure you provide the readings to your old supplier to ensure your final bills are accurate.

Pipes and cables don’t need to be changed when you are changing supplier so there is no mess involved, the only change will be your reduced bills and who supplies your energy.

Shop around and use comparison sites to find the best deal for you. Some gas and electric suppliers will offer you cashback if you change over to them so always take this into consideration and calculate it against your monthly and annual spend. Comparison sites state they can save you up to £200 plus by switching supplier and it only takes 5 minutes to put in your postcode and to answer a few questions about your household. The comparison site then does all the hard work and searches the best option and deal for you. They will tell you how much you could save by switching with minimal hassle and time for you.

When you change energy supplier ask them to fit you a smart meter and this will really help you understand your gas and electric usage and the small things you can do to reduce them. Smart meters come with an in-home display screen that shows you exactly how much energy you are using in monetary values, in real-time and will bring an end to estimated bills that are often incorrect. They show a digital meter reading which is automatically sent to your energy supplier at least once a month, resulting in accurate bills, ending estimated bills which are quite often wrong especially as the seasons change.

Examples of changes you can make to reduce your energy consumption are; only boil the water you need there and then in your kettle, put lids on your saucepans so they boil more quickly, don’t leave things on when you aren’t using them, irons, straighteners etc., don’t heat your oven before you need it and think about your meals so you don’t ever put the oven on for just one item.

Some energy suppliers will also offer to come and change all of the lightbulbs to energy-efficient lightbulbs in your home for no cost which they then guarantee and when a lightbulb needs changing you contact them and they will replace it.

Council Tax Bills

Council tax bills are not always calculated correctly and a lot of people are on the wrong council tax band without knowing it. All homes are given a council tax valuation band by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). The band is based on the value of your home as of 1st April 1991. A home on a council tax band A will pay more than a home that is on a band C. Every local authority has a list of all of the domestic property’s in its area, together with its valuation band so you can contact them and query your council tax band which is really quick and easy to do.

Television Provider Bills

It’s amazing how much we spend on watching television in the UK and on average it is thought to now be £100 a month. We change over to cable and satellite suppliers due to the deals that they offer you and the channels available to watch. Our satellite and cable bills then creep up and up and quite often you never watch the channels you are paying for. There are now so many ways to watch television without the standard monthly charges and an example of this is Freeview. You can also reduce your monthly spend dramatically by enrolling with Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and Now TV as examples, where you will pay a monthly subscription but it will be a lot less than cable or satellite TV.

Home Phone & Broadband

Our advice again is to shop around to find the best deal for you, your family, your home and your usage. Use comparison sites and consider how much you use your home phone, how often you all use broadband and they will search for the package that is right for you. There is no need to pay more than £20 per month for your home phone line and broadband combined for an average household.

Food Bills

Quite often we get into the rut of buying convenience food and by doing this our weekly food bills increase. A great way to reduce the money you spend on food every month is by doing a weekly food planner that you then shop for and this helps to reduce any waste at the end of each week. Cook your food yourself using fresh ingredients and cook one main meal for the whole family rather than cooking different meals for everyone. Buy what you need to make packed lunches each day and this will save you a huge amount on the money you spend on lunches. Take cereal or an alternative to work for your breakfast as again buying every day soon mounts up. Calculate how much you spend on breakfasts and lunches every day, as well as teas and coffee and you will be surprised or even shocked what it totals in a month and how much you could save.

Also, consider where you are shopping every week, Aldi, Lidl and Iceland have all proven that a large proportion of the items they stock are cheaper than other supermarkets and brand items.

Mortgages

Again, a lot of people think it will be too much hassle to change their mortgage provider but it really isn’t and you can save a lot of money every month when you are no longer tied into your provider, as well as often being able to pay your mortgage off a lot quicker. Again, use comparison sites to help you shop around and see what is on offer.

Home & Contents Insurance Policies

When your renewal for your home insurance arrives, enter your details into a comparison website and see what savings you can make. When you have made your choice call your existing insurer and let them know why you want to cancel and often they offer to match the price of another insurer to keep your business.

Car Insurance Policies

As with home insurance shop around each year as it’s easy to get caught in the trap of ‘its easier to stay with who I’m already with’. Changing your car insurer each year is easy and you just use a comparison site to find the best insurance policy for you, which gives you the best cover and the best price. If there are two or more cars in your household then look for multi-car insurance policies as these are often cheaper.

Breakdown Cover

Breakdown cover is optional and you should think if you actually need it by asking yourself, what you would do if you broke down? Unlike car and home insurance, you don’t have to have breakdown cover so it really is a convenience product. Many people who have broken down will often never go without breakdown cover again but if you have a local garage that will come out to you if you need it and you only drive locally then think if it is essential. Most breakdown companies offer the same services, whether it is with a patrol who works directly for the company or by using local garages. The larger breakdown companies are not always the best and you can get similar cover, with the full breakdown service and just as quick call-out times for a quarter of the cost with smaller companies.

Existing Credit Cards

Work on paying off your debt as quickly as you can. If you are paying the minimal amount back every month then you won’t be making a dent in your debt and will just be paying off the interest. Shop around using comparison websites and find 0% balance transfer credit cards that you can switch to and when the 0% balance expires, switch again. If you make monthly savings on your bills and can afford to then really work hard to pay as much off your credit card as you can every month and then when it is down to a reasonable amount just use the card for emergencies, rather than everyday living.

By paying off your credit cards as quickly as possible you will free up wasted money in your budget making it possible for you to do more things with your money every month.

Cashback Credit Cards

A lot of people aren’t aware of cashback credit or debit cards where you get paid to spend. Every time you spend on the card you will receive cashback from the provider and this amount can vary by who you spend with. Most of these cards will be credit cards that need to be completely paid off at the end of each month or top-up debit cards. You will be surprised how much you are paying in interest every month if you are carrying a balance on your credit card so take your time to look at your bills each month and plan how you will pay it off completely and in what timescale and then take out a cashback card to increase your earnings.

Other things you might want to look at are; your monthly car finance payments and could you reduce this by selling your car and buying a cheaper alternative. Is your rent or mortgage too much to pay just for yourself and do you have the space to rent out a room as extra income for you, or can you find somewhere cheaper to live?

Switch to Cash for Your Daily Expenses

Give yourself a weekly budget that you use for going out, petrol and buying food and leave your credit and debit cards at home. It’s amazing that by using credit and debit cards we really don’t have any idea how much we are spending. By having a weekly budget you will ask yourself if you need the things you are going to buy and it will make you much more aware when you are out food shopping if you just have a certain amount of cash for the week.

It isn’t practical to pay your rent, mortgage or utility bills in cash, however, switching to cash for going out, petrol and buying food will help you cut back on your spending.

Personal Spending

Other things to consider when you are looking at your personal spending are; gym membership, do you need it and are you using it? If the answer is yes then, is there a cheaper alternative? If you have made a meal planner and brought your weekly food then do you need that take away or meal out?

Do you need the latest mobile phone and is there a way to reduce your monthly spend with your provider?

Spend time reviewing your monthly direct debits and cancel the ones that are no longer applicable or not needed. There are so many people paying for things that they no longer need or even realise that they have, so this is a good thing to do regularly.

Making your Home Energy Efficient

There are lots of different ways to make your home more energy-efficient and by doing this you will reduce your gas and electric bills.

You will be really surprised how much heat you can lose from windows doors, walls and roofs.

Replacing your Windows with Double Glazed Windows

On average 18% of heat is lost through single glazed or poor quality windows and research shows that it can reduce heat loss by up to 50% after having double glazed windows fitted throughout your home. This means by having ‘A-Rated’ Double Glazed Windows fitted you will see a reduction in your energy bills if the rest of your house is well insulated and thermally efficient.

Double glazing will make a huge difference in your home, reducing draughts coming in through your windows, reducing your heating bills, keeping your home cooler in the summer, as well as improving the appearance of your home inside and out.

The savings you will see from double glazing will vary by home depending on its size and the number of windows and doors you have as well as how well insulated the rest of your home is e.g. cavity walls insulation and roof insulation.

On a standard-sized house, you can see up to £200 savings on your energy bills a year with new double glazed windows.

There are several signs that your windows need replacing and these mean you will be paying more on your gas and electric bills than you need to. The signs can include:

•    Water leaking through the frames
•    Condensation between the panes
•    Cracks or chips in the glass
•    Draughts through the window frames
•    The frames are damaged or warped
•    The locks and or handles are broken
•    Your energy bills are increasing
•    Your windows are looking tired and old and you want to transform the look of your home inside and out

Good quality double glazing will add security to your home as well as making it more energy-efficient. You should always look for windows which have:

•    Multi-point locking system
•    locks that lock into the keeps in the frames casing (front edge 8 point locking
•     Sash jammers to prevent sash being pulled or jammed off
•     Locking hinges

This type of locking system and the strength of the frame and casing make it very difficult to break into and if anyone does attempt it there would be a huge amount of noise made by them breaking in.

What are the Benefits of Replacing your Double Glazed Windows?

•    Better insulation keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer
•    Decreased energy use
•    Reduced gas and electric bills
•    Increased security
•    Noise reduction
•    Increased property value
•    Improved outside and inside appearance
•    Reduced condensation

Although replacing your windows with new double glazed windows is an expense, you can save anything from £200 a year on your gas and electric bills as well as lots of other benefits. Good quality double glazing will last 20 years plus and you will reap the rewards. Good Window and Door Companies will offer flexible payment options and a 0% finance option with a small deposit required and this makes replacing your windows an affordable option.

Window Energy Ratings are an overall value of the energy efficiency of a complete window and the window is tested to provide an energy efficiency rating. The better the grade of the window the less energy you will use, therefore an ‘A-Rated’ window will mean it doesn’t let out heat and you won’t need as much energy to heat your home.

There are several things you should consider and look for when you are installing double glazing and these include:

•    A+ Energy Efficiency Rating
•    10 Year product and Installation Guarantee
•    10-Year Security Pledge
•    A minimum of a 9-multi-point locking system for maximum security and peace of mind
•    2 Rollers for smooth operation
•    Deadbolts and locks for added security
•    Weather-resistant seals to keep out draughts
•    Multi-chamber profiles without steel reinforcements to improve insulation
•    Exceeds PAS24 security tests and all other British quality standards
•    Safety friction hinges
•    Child safe hinges
•    Fire escape hinges
•    Easy clean hinges.
•    Endurance tested handles for security and long last efficiency

The cost of replacing windows in your home will be less if you install more, regardless of the window type as you will often get discounted offers from specialist window companies. Always shop around and don’t just accept the first quote that you get. If your budget won’t stretch to replacing all of your windows in one go then always replace any old and inefficient windows as soon as you can as it will help to reduce the amount of heat that is lost and reduce your energy bills.

Double glazed windows last anything from 20 years plus and sometimes 35 years based on the quality of the double glazed windows installed and the quality of the installation.

Replacing your Patio and Bi-Folding Doors

The same applies to Patio and Bi-Fold Doors and by replacing older and single glazed doors you will see a reduction in your energy bills and fewer draughts, making it a comfortable living space and an outstanding look inside and out.

Replacing your External Doors

Much like old, and single glazed windows, you will be losing a huge amount of heat through old external doors, including front and back doors or doors that lead from inside to an outside garage or lean-to.

Composite front doors are the new door innovation that will give you improved energy efficiency, reducing your gas and electric bills, noise reduction and increased safety for your home at affordable prices, lasting 20 years plus.

What are the Benefits of Replacing your External Doors?
•    A+ Energy Efficiency
•    10-year Product Guarantee and Installation
•    10-year security Pledge
•    Industry Leading Ultion 3 Star Cylinders Secure by Design
•    Multi-Point Locking System
•    Internally Glazed for Security and Energy Efficiency
•    Sound Reduction & Heat Reduction
•    Anti Corrosion Hardware
•    High-Performance Weather Seal
•    Steel Reinforced Frame
•    High-Performance Door Hinges
•    Huge Range of Styles, Colours and Designs
•    17% More Thermally Efficient Compared to a Solid Timber Core Composite Door
•    Improved outside and inside appearance
•    Reduced condensation

Professional and reputable Window and Door Companies will offer flexible payment options and 0% finance options on certain installations and this makes replacing your doors an affordable and sensible option.

Replacing your Conservatory Roof

If you have an old-style glass or polycarbonate conservatory then you are probably one of the millions in the UK that don’t use the extra room in your home as it is too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. An old-style conservatory roof will be losing so much heat through its roof, increasing your energy bills and you will be paying for your warm air to escape into the atmosphere and a room that you rarely use. You can keep your existing conservatory structure but replace its roof with a Guardian, thermally efficient, solid, tiled roof conservatory roof that will ensure you can use the space all year round. It will reduce your energy bills and give you a transformed, modern look inside and out.

What are the Benefits of a Guardian Warm Roof?
•    Outstanding energy-efficiency with a U-value of 1.0 W/m2K
•    A+ Energy Efficiency
•    Designed and manufactured to your conservatory or extension measurements
•    Pre-assembled, factory-engineered roofs of a superior quality
•    Thermally efficient keeping you warm in the winter and cool in the summer
•    Manufactured to your design and specification, and delivered pre-assembled which offers a quick and hassle-free roof replacement
•    Wide range of roof styles available
•    Wide range of roof tile styles and colours available
•    Designed to your own specification and can be matched to your existing home or property style
•    Planned, designed, manufactured and installed by your Guardian supplier
•    Full 10-year guarantee
•    10-year Security Pledge
•    Cost-effective solution compared to replacing your existing conservatory
•    Minimal mess is created when your roof is being installed due to it being manufactured to your specification and delivered pre-fabricated to site
•    Airtight
•    Soundproof
•    Increases the value of your property
•    Velux roof window options
•    Spotlight options
•    Internal plastered finish
•    0% Finance options available

Good Guardian Roof Companies, like Polar Bear Windows and Doors, will offer flexible payment options and 0% finance options with a small deposit required. This makes replacing your conservatory roof an affordable option which you will see the benefits of; the usable space in your home, the look and feel of it as well as a reduction in your energy bills.

Checking your Roof and Cavity Wall Insulation

Checking or getting a reputable company to come out and check your roof and cavity wall insulation and the amount of heat you are losing is a sensible thing to do. Roof and cavity wall insulation reduces the exchange of heat through a surface such as a wall, attic, duct or roof. Less warm air escapes from a well-insulated home during the winter, and less cool air escapes during the summer, reducing the amount of energy you need for heating and cooling, making it more comfortable all year round.

Most homes built before 1980 weren’t well insulated and from 2000 onwards people and builders became much more aware of energy consumption and the amount of heat lost through roofs, cavity walls, windows and doors. Improving your roof and cavity wall insulation will bring it up to current standards, making your home more comfortable all year round and can reduce your energy bills anything from 10% to 50%.

Some research has stated that you can lose up to a third of the heat in your home through cavity walls that aren’t insulated!

Grants are now available to help you improve the insulation in your home and can include roof, cavity wall and external wall insulation. You should contact your energy supplier who will be able to give you more information on what is available to decrease the energy costs of your home.

Curtains, Blinds, Shutters, Carpet and Rugs

Window, door and floor coverings will all help to reduce the heat that is lost through your windows, doors and flooring and will help towards reducing your energy bills.

About Polar Bear Windows and Doors

Polar Bear Windows and Doors are experts in Double Glazed Windows, Doors and Conservatory Roof Replacements which all help to considerably reduce your energy bills.

We have 30-years industry experience in the Window, Door and Conservatory industry and we are rated the best in Bristol, Bath and the South West for customer satisfaction.

We offer a free and no-obligation design and quote service and we will beat any “like for like” quote to ensure you get the highest quality products at the best prices. We offer 0% finance options making it easier and more affordable to reduce your energy bills and improve your home.

Contact us today on 0117 327 0127 and one of our experts will be able to answer any questions you may have or they can book your free, no-obligation design and quotation service.

Voted the best in Bristol
for customer satisfaction

We achieved this by providing an award-winning service, quality assured products and money saving deals to all our customers. Ratings below are correct on 15th November 2021.

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