Energy prices remain desperately high, with typical standard energy bills capped at £2,074 a year, leaving many people struggling.
While no amount of tightening our belts will make up for huge rises in the cost of living, there are apps out there that can help you to make some all-important savings on your energy bills.
Here are our top seven.
1. Energy Cost Calculator
Electrical home appliances can be big guzzlers of energy, so if you want to find out how much each one is costing you over time – per day, week, month or year – the Energy Cost Calculator app is for you. It also calculates the carbon emissions emitted by each appliance and how much you could save (for the planet and your pocket) if you used them less. The app is available for iOS or Android.
2. Meter Readings
Meter Readings is a really handy app for Apple users (designed for iPads) that can help you cut costs by showing your electricity, gas and water usage habits. Just enter you meter readings into the app and you’ll see a handy graph showing how much you use over time and how much this is costing you.
Meter Readings also lets you compare your usage and costs with those around you using different energy suppliers. In more normal times, you could use this to decide if you’d be better switching provider but it still acts as a useful comparison tool. There is even a torch feature to help you read your meter in the dark.
3. Bill Assistant
It can be tricky keeping track of all the money going in and out of your bank account. If you forget to pay a bill or there isn’t enough money in your account to cover a monthly direct debit, you can be hit with charges for late and returned payments.
If you want some help with organising your bills, Bill Assistant will tell you which bills are due soon, keep a record of payments, and remind you when payments are due. It will save you both time and money on unnecessary late fees. Bill Assistant is only available on iOS. For Android users, Google Assistant has a similar function.
4. Splitwise
If you live in a shared household, it can be stressful trying to keep track of who needs to pay what. Splitwise can help you avoid arguments and tension by keeping track of how much each person owes on the bills. The app is available on iOS or Android.
If you’re a student and want to lump all your bills in together to make splitting them easier, Split The Bills will do the job.
5. Joulebug
JouleBug is a great way of making saving energy more fun for office workers. It helps you to make your everyday habits more sustainable by rewarding you for making greener choices. You earn badges and can share your achievements and offer inspiration on social media or within the Joulebug online community. You can get the app on iOS or Android.
6. Petrol Prices
With gas prices still high, the cost of filling up your car can be hard to stomach. Petrol Prices, for iOS or Android, allows you to check how much petrol stations near you are charging per litre before you leave the house. Not only does this app help you get the best rates on unleaded, diesel and LPG on a handy map showing your local area, it also saves you from doing multiple journeys to find the best rate.
7. Eco charger
Charging your phone for too long is something many of us are guilty of, but it wastes electricity (and money) and lowers the life of your phone battery. Eco charger, for Android users, helps keep your charging to a minimum by alerting you with an alarm when your battery is fully charged.
