Household Bills
Soap star, saver star... Who pays less in the battle of the soaps
They are often criticised for painting a sensational and depressing picture of British life. But the trials and tribulations, that draw millions of viewers to the likes of Eastenders and Coronation Street, provide an interesting reflection of how ‘family matters' can affect the pockets of households across the UK.
moneysupermarket.com: Smart Meters
Commenting on the introduction of smart meters in every UK household by 2020, Scott Byrom, utilities manager at price comparison site, moneysupermarket.com, said: "Smart meters will put an end to estimated bills and meter readings.
uSwitch.com: Smart Meters
Tom Lyon, energy expert at uSwitch.com comments on today's announcement on smart meters: "Today's announcement from the government to equip every home in the UK with a smart meter by 2020 marks a great news day for all energy users.
UK Smart Meter roll out moves forward
All homes in Britain will have smart meters installed by 2020 under plans published today. Great Britain will be the first country in the world to have an overhaul of this size for both electricity and gas meters.
TalkTalk's acquisition of Tiscali's UK operations
Michael Phillips, product director of BroadbandChoices.co.uk comments: "In our two most recent Customer Satisfaction Surveys, TalkTalk has repeatedly scored higher than Tiscali so this should bode well for Tiscali customers who will now be part of the same group."
Tiscali becomes part of TalkTalk
TalkTalk is buying Tiscali UK in a £236 million cash deal which will create Britain’s largest consumer broadband provider with over 4.25m customers covering over 25% of all UK households.
British Gas consolidates its position at the top of best buy tables
Gareth Kloet, head of utilities at Confused.com, comments on British Gas's decision to ease the financial burden for 4.5million customers, by reducing its standard electricity prices by 10%: "British Gas's latest announcement reaffirms its position as the cheapest electricity supplier in Britain, with rates of up to £111 less than those provided by some local suppliers.
British Gas cuts electricity prices: will others follow?
Is this the sign of things to come? British Gas' announcement that it is cutting electricity prices by 10% will be a boost to customers struggling to pay their bills in the current climate.
moneysupermarket.com: British Gas cuts electricity prices
Commenting on British Gas cutting electricity prices by 10 per cent and the launch of WebSaver 3, Scott Byrom, utilities manager at moneysupermarket.com said:
British Gas cuts electricity prices by 10%
British Gas, the biggest supplier of electricity to homes in Britain, which serves around one in every four homes, has today cut an average 10 per cent off its standard electricity prices.
Consumers’ financial wellbeing shows glimmer of hope
Alliance Trust's ongoing study of consumers' financial wellbeing showed a slight up-tick in the first quarter of the year as household budgets improved. Overall, however, consumers remain under pressure and are likely to continue to rein in spending in line with the weak state of their finances.
Consumer confidence rises eight points in April
The Nationwide Consumer Confidence Index rose by eight points to 50 in April, the largest single monthly rise for nearly two years.
Cost of household energy pushing consumers to go green
Over three quarters of households (78%) have become more energy efficient in the past 12 months and over a third of these (36%) have done so because of the rising cost of gas and electricity, according to new research from uSwitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service.
Internet generation lacking knowledge of rights
Internet-savvy 16 to 24 years olds used to hunting for bargains on-line lack understanding of their consumer rights if something goes wrong.
TalkTalk to offer free local calls anytime
Michael Phillips, product director at HomePhoneChoices.co.uk said: "TalkTalk's latest deal is a great offer and should provide a meaningful cost reduction for customers, however we hope this is a long term change in policy rather than just a short term marketing ploy.