Household Bills
£877,000: the cost of meeting ‘life goals’ for the average UK couple
The average UK couple spend close to a million pounds (£877,000) on key lifetime events such as buying a house, getting married, having children and enjoying a comfortable retirement, according to a report from Lloyds Bank.
Christmas is coming - make every penny count!
Christmas is a special time of the year to spend with friends and family, but research from the Money Advice Service in 2013 showed that a third (34%) knew they would start the New Year in debt.
The return of rationing: 87% of Brits will be rationing energy this winter
Millions of UK householders are shivering at the thought of how high this winter’s fuel bills could be – with 9 out of 10 saying they will be rationing energy use in some way in an attempt to keep bills down.
An additional £100 million for household energy efficiency
More people will be able to enjoy warmer homes and more control of their energy bills as a result of an additional £100 million announced today for household energy efficiency.
Britain’s secret heaters revealed
Households across Britain are erupting in arguments over the heating, research by MoneySuperMarket has found, with a third of Brits (29 per cent) admitting to arguing with, or being irritated by the people they live with over the thermostat.
Switch your energy tariff now to feel the benefits in chilly November
It’s been a warm summer and a mild September but single digit temperatures are just weeks away. November traditionally sees thermometers dropping below 10 degrees across the UK and even the hardiest of households will be turning their heating up and at the same time wondering how to keep their energy bills down.
Government doubles number of pensioners receiving energy bill discount
An extra 200,000 pensioners will get money off their energy bills this winter, as the Warm Home Discount scheme expands for the fourth year.
M&S Energy bill payers face price hike unless they switch
Commenting on the M&S Fix & Save September 2014 tariff expiring tomorrow, Stephen Murray, energy expert at MoneySuperMarket said: “In August last year one of the cheapest tariffs available was M&S Energy Fix & Save September 2014.
Unreliable broadband is costing small firms
More than half of small businesses who use internet would lose money, business or not be able to trade at all if they did not have a reliable internet connection, finds Citizens Advice.
UK broadband speeds plummet at 9pm as surfing Brits strain services
Red-eye surfers enjoy considerably faster broadband speeds than those who follow the crowd and use the internet at peak times, according to new broadband speed test data from uSwitch.com.
Brits could cut bills by a quarter by switching for the first time
Switching for the first time could save UK bill payers £323 or 25 per cent on average, based on data from MoneySuperMarket.
Consumer confidence hits new high
The Lloyds Bank Spending Power Report for August finds that consumer confidence has continued to rise, with the index reaching 152 points, the highest ever seen in the survey.
Households face price hike of up to £193 as energy plans end next week
Consumers on 16 popular fixed energy deals could see bills rise by up to £193 a year unless they take action to switch tariffs, uSwitch.com has warned.
EE refreshes SIM Only 4G plans
EE, UK digital communications company, has launched a refreshed range of 4G SIM Only plans, designed to simplify the variety of options to best suit customers’ needs.
Households need to find an extra £381 a year each to maintain standard of living
The latest data shows UK inflation (CPI) grew by 1.5% in August 2014, down from 1.6% in July.