How are my energy bills calculated?
Your energy bills include a charge for your usage during the billing period plus the standing charge, any discounts you have from your supplier and tax.
How to read your energy bill
Energy bills can be confusing but thanks to regulations from Ofgem they all follow a similar format, no matter which supplier you use. All energy bills state, among other things, how much energy you’ve used since your last bill and how much you’ll pay for it. A few directions will help you locate these key figures.
Here are the numbers to look out for on your energy bill:
What affects the price of energy?
If you have a fixed-rate energy tariff, the per-unit price you pay remains constant until the tariff ends. With variable-rate tariffs, that figure fluctuates and with it your energy bills. So what impacts the price we all pay for energy? Myriad factors: economic, geopolitical, regulatory, meteorological… Even Brexit has a role to play.
How to get cheaper energy
We’d all like to pay less for our energy. The best way to reduce your energy bills is to switch to a new supplier, particularly if you haven’t switched lately. Millions of us are overpaying by remaining loyal to the same energy company, which has likely rolled us over to an expensive standard variable tariff. A fixed tariff from a new supplier can be hundreds of pounds cheaper a year.
To see if you can find a better rate, plug your postcode into ourenergy comparison engine and we’ll return a personalised list of energy tariffs available to you.