The winter fuel payment for anyone over 60 is normally paid automatically but there are some who may need to make a claim.
If you are over 60 but not in receipt of state benefits or pension and have not previously applied you may need to make an application and you can find out if you qualify for the winter fuel allowance here <click here>.
The price of energy has been rising steadily for some time now and lots of people are now dreading the electricity bill dropping onto the doormat. One Cambridge woman who was not concerned about a bill arriving because she is on a prepay meter so she was very surprised when she saw an electricity bill from Npower.
When she opened the bill and saw the charges being asked for she must have felt like she had received an electric shock. The bill was asking for £90,454,217.00
You have to wonder how on earth a bill like that could be generated since it is probably enough to run a small town for some considerable time. According to Cambridge-News the lady was speechless when she opened the bill but fortunately she was reassured by the fact that it was such a ridiculous figure that it could not be true and she was able to laugh about it.
What if the bill had ‘only’ been for £900 or £9,000? Companies have a responsibility to their customers to get their bills right. If a company can send out a bill for £90 million then how can we be sure other bills are correct? It is only because this one is so excessive that it stands out as being a complete mistake but how many people suffer stress and health problems because of incorrect bills that the companies pursue and continue to send debt collectors to collect and demand payment.
There is no acceptable excuse for sending incorrect bills. Customers should never have to suffer the shock and stress of incorrect bills and the companies concerned will only stop this when they are punished enough to convince them that it must not happen. Maybe a fine of 1,000 time the mistake would make them think? Now, what is 1,000 multiplied by £90,454,217 ?…..
A simple way of saving money by using less energy that is so simple and will probably even go unnoticed in it’s action is to reduce the temperature setting on your hot water thermostat. Many people have this set so high that the water temperature is uncomfortably hot and there is hardly any reason to do that.
Turn down the temperature a little, just a degree or two at a time. Continue weekly until you find the right temperature for your lifestyle and you probably won’t even notice the difference but it will reduce your energy consumption and save you money.
