How to cut your utility bills

You should be able to save a significant amount on your utility bills by shopping around and switching tariff and/or supplier.

Thankfully utility comparison websites now make it really easy to find a better deal on your gas and electricity. Providing you have key information to hand you can use them to quickly compare all of the tariffs on the market place to find a 'best fit' for your current consumption.

Here's a list of the information you need to hand before you start your search to get the best result:

• Your postcode
• The name of your current gas and electricity supplier(s)
• Whether your gas is supplied via gas mains or by an IGT
• The name of the price plan or tariff you're on
• The end date of the plan if you're on a fixed tariff
• The penalty you'd pay if you switched tariff before the end date
• How you're paying
• Your average monthly usage
• How much you pay now per kilowatt/hour
• How much you pay, on average, a month
• How often you pay - are your bills monthly, quarterly or annual?
• Whether you are on a dual fuel tariff, or have your gas and electricity with different suppliers
• Whether you are on an Economy 7 tariff

Most utility comparison websites use a calculator set up and although the exact information you'll need to enter will vary the process is generally as follows:

To begin your search you'll need to:

• Type in your address and/or postcode
• Enter information about your current supplier/suppliers
• Enter information about your current usage
• State whether you have a preference of dual fuel or single supplier tariffs
• Which payment method would you like to use.
• How often do you want to pay
• State any other service preferences, including paper-free online billing, green tariffs, loyalty points from retailers, or if you want a fixed or capped rate tariff.

It makes sense to complete quotes with several different utility comparison websites as they may not all compare all the companies and deals available. Similarly, it makes sense to also get cost illustrations direct from gas and electricity suppliers themselves to make sure that the price you think you'll be paying will actually be what you get.

Remember, that because each website is slightly different, you will need to search two or three websites to get the cheapest quote.