Local CAB says: "Nairnshire residents could save £££ if they take control of their heating"

Nairnshire households could save £75 a year

· Four fifths of people believe they understand their heating controls

· Yet HALF misuse energy when they turn up their thermostat

· Nearly 40 per cent of people think it’s more efficient to leave the heating on all the time

· And only a quarter of bill payers have changed energy supplier in the last year

· Campaign launches heating myth-buster and urges customers to switch supplier

Big Energy Saving Week – a joint campaign between Citizens Advice, Energy Saving Trust, and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) – reveals 74 per cent of Brits are still worried about their energy bills. The campaign helps householders learn how to take control of their energy bills with free advice available during the week over the phone, online and at events across the UK.

Last week it was revealed that Nairnshire homes could save money by switching appliances off standby, with only half of households who received an unexpectedly high energy bill checking if unused appliances are switched off.

Manager of Nairn CAB, said: “People need help to make sure their energy costs aren’t getting the better of them. In the last four years households have seen their energy costs rise by a third, at seven times the rate of wages. To help people in Nairn who are struggling with these costs we will be on hand at the Big Energy Saving Week Roadshows that will run from 11am to 2pm. The first Roadshow will be at Tesco in Forres on Monday 20th October and the second Sainsburys Nairn on Thursday 23rd, Friday 24th October. 

Gillian Guy, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said: “Day in day out Citizens Advice helps people to get on top of their energy bills. In the last year 80,000 people sought our help with fuel debts. Families are worried that they won’t be able to heat their homes as winter approaches. We are running events around the country to ensure people know all their options for cutting down on their bills.”

Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive of Energy Saving Trust, said: “Rightfully, millions of householders are confused by their heating controls because, let’s be honest, it is a bit of a minefield. There are plenty of myths out there and it’s no wonder people aren’t getting it right. We are urging customers to learn about the myths, check their tariff, switch suppliers and insulate their homes.” 

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said: “The easiest way to cut energy bills fast is to shop around for the cheapest energy deal and switch suppliers. Thanks to government action to reform the energy market the number of independent suppliers has almost trebled since 2010 – encouraging greater competition which helps drive down prices. 

“We’re also making it easier and quicker for people to switch, and the major energy suppliers have confirmed that switching times will halve by the end of this year to just two and a half weeks.”

The findings from an Ipsos MORI survey of over 2,000 UK respondents show that almost four fifths of people (78 per cent) claim to understand how to use their heating controls. However, many of these respondents turn out to be using their heating controls incorrectly. Of those who thought they understood how to operate their heating controls:

· MYTH 1: Turn the heating up when it’s cold outside. Half (52 per cent) turn the thermostat up when it’s cold outside. A home shouldn’t need this as the thermostat is there to maintain the home temperature whatever the weather.

· MYTH 2: Turn up the thermostat to heat the room quicker. Over a third (35 per cent) turn their room thermostat up when they want the room to heat up quicker. This does not help a room become warmer any quicker and only heats the home to a warmer temperature.

· MYTH 3: Leave the heating on low constantly. Thirty-eight per cent think it is more energy efficient to leave the heating turned on at a low temperature constantly, rather than turn it on and off. This means these homes are heated when no-one is there to benefit and then the home is too cold when people are in the home.

· MYTH 4: Hot water runs out if you stop feeding the tank. Nearly a third (31 per cent) leave their water heating on all the time to make sure they never run out, which could be costing far more on their energy bills than necessary.

· MYTH 5: Keep electric storage heaters on all the time. Our research also found that few people with electric storage heaters fully understand how they work (only 38%). This means that households with electric heating could be paying through the nose by not taking advantage of cheaper night rate electricity.

SWITCHING ENERGY SUPPLIERS:

· EST’s research also found many households are still not regularly switching energy supplier. Only a quarter of bill payers claimed to have changed energy supplier in the last year, yet we found switching is easier than people think.

· Over two thirds (67%) of those who had switched energy suppliers in the last year agreed that it could save a lot of money, but only 31 per cent of those who’d not considered switching thought it could benefit them.

· Older people are less likely to consider changing their energy supplier; 60% of those over 55 claim they are unlikely to consider switching in the next year, compared to 42% of those under 35.

Big Energy Saving Week (20-24 October) is funded by DECC in collaboration with Energy Saving Trust and Citizens Advice Bureau. Other partners supporting the campaign include Global Action Plan, Age UK and ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England). The week will help householders to take practical steps to cut to their bills by checking they are on the best deal, switching tariff or supplier and taking up energy saving actions such as using their heating controls in the correct way. 

Big Energy Saving Week is part of a wider DECC initiative known as the Big Energy Saving Network – a £1 million programme to support eligible third sector organisations and community groups and deliver help and advice to vulnerable consumers.

In order to reach as many households as possible, during the course of the week there will be local events across the UK which will be run by a network of Citizens Advice Bureau and community volunteers.

· For further advice about saving energy in the home visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

· For information about Big Energy saving Week visit: www.bigenergysavingweek.org.uk