Energy, water, broadband and council tax, and how to cut what you pay.
Energy bills are often based on guesswork rather than what you actually used, so here is how to spot an inflated bill and get it corrected.
A line-by-line guide to what is actually on your gas and electricity bill, and how to spot the errors that cost households money.
You cannot switch water supplier, but you may be able to cut the bill through a meter, a social tariff or the WaterSure cap if you qualify.
The standing charge is the fixed daily fee you pay before you have used a single unit of energy. It is small in isolation but it stacks up, and you cannot switch it off.
The Warm Home Discount is a one-off £150 taken off your electricity bill, not paid to you in cash, and for most people it now arrives automatically.
Providers can raise prices partway through a deal, but new Ofcom rules mean any increase must now be spelled out in pounds and pence before you sign.
The cap limits what you pay per unit of gas and electricity, not your total bill, and Ofgem resets it every three months to track wholesale costs.
