Title: Turning Up The Heat – Without It Costing You A Penny More Word Count: 748 Summary: Fancy Cheaper Utility Bills this winter? Switching gas and electricity providers can be a great way of achieving cheaper utility bills this winter. Typically if you never moved gas and electricity providers you could save about £100 a year, according to watchdog OFGEM. But how do you do it and who are the best providers? How do I find a cheaper provider and how much could I save? We have extensively researched the whole gas and electricity market to help you find who... Keywords: Article Body: Fancy Cheaper Utility Bills this winter? Switching gas and electricity providers can be a great way of achieving cheaper utility bills this winter. Typically if you never moved gas and electricity providers you could save about £100 a year, according to watchdog OFGEM. But how do you do it and who are the best providers? How do I find a cheaper provider and how much could I save? We have extensively researched the whole gas and electricity market to help you find who provides the best rates for you. It compares all tariffs from all gas and electricity suppliers. Take the 5 minute challenge and get cheaper utility bills at http://turkiyespot.com/energy.moneyexpert.com/ Once you find the best supplier for your needs you can usually apply online. It then usually takes about four weeks for the new supplier to arrange the transfer of services on your behalf. In theory you can change suppliers as much as you like as long as you bear in mind the time it takes and that some discounts may only occur when you have been with a supplier for a specified period of time. What tariff options are available? Energy and gas providers offer a number of ways to pay. Dual Fuel - If you still use separate suppliers for your gas and electricty you may be missing out on some substantial savings. By choosing one supplier for both your gas and electricity you can benefit from having just one bill and a bigger discount by choosing one supplier to provide both your gas and your electricty. Capped Tariffs - These guarantee the amount you will pay for your gas and/or electricity, until a specified date. These are perfect for you if you want to protect yourself from price rises. Online Sign-up - Some energy providers offer cheaper tariffs for online customers as the suppliers pass on some of the savings they make from the reduced administration fees. Online Billing - Much as with the above if the supplier saves money from not having to produce and post out a bill the tariff is usually cheaper. Direct Debit - Although direct debits can sometimes be tricky to set up they can save you money in the long run as most energy suppliers offer you a discount if you select this payment method. Cash/Cheque - This is often the most expensive way of paying for your gas and electricity due to the administration involved in sending you out the bill and processing your payment. Economy 7 - With this tariff a meter is used to split your electricity usage into day and night with different tariffs for each. Prepayment Meters - This is where your electricity and gas usage is paid for by putting money onto a meter first. Green Energy - Even though the energy you receive is the same, the company that provides is will generate the equivalent used through renewable means. Making your home more energy efficient Another way of gaining cheaper utility bills is to make your home more energy-efficient. Below are some top tips to help you do this: * - Shower instead of taking a bath as this can use up to a third less energy * - Use heat-generating appliances such as washers, dryers or ovens during the cooler hours of the morning or evening as it can help to heat the house. * - Wash only full loads of clothes when possible * - Start using energy-saving settings on refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and tumble dryers. * - Turning your thermostat down by 1ºC could cut your heating bills by up to 10 per cent and save you around £40 per year. * - Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat shouldn't need to be set higher than 60ºC/140ºF. * - Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows. * - Always turn off the lights when you leave a room. * - Don't leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave appliances on charge unnecessarily. * - Replace your light bulbs with energy saving recommended ones: just one can reduce your lighting costs by up to £100 over the lifetime of the bulb - and they last up to 12 times longer than ordinary light bulbs. What Next? We have extensively researched the whole gas and electricity market to help you find who provides the best rates for you. We compare ALL tariffs from ALL gas and electricity suppliers. This means in less than 5 minutes we can help you find the best supplier for your energy needs. Take the 5 minute challenge and see how much you can save: http://turkiyespot.com/energy.moneyexpert.com/