Welcome to our monthly update on the latest grants, support and tips to make homes healthier and lower energy bills where possible.

Struggling with your bills, or need support?

Details of our free, expert, independent, one-to-one energy advice service for residents of South East London can be found here.

Quick Tips on Managing the Running Cost of Appliances in the Home

💡 Always look at the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of an appliance. The EPC effectively gives a rating of an appliance from A (the most efficient) to G (the least efficient). The higher the rating, up to A – the best – the cheaper it is to run.

💡 Overall, appliances that heat or cool water or air (such as washer dryers or cookers) tend to be more expensive to run.

💡 For example, if you have an electric shower, shortening the time you spend using it a little is a great way to reduce energy consumption, as it has a high wattage or power rating.

💡 Additionally, there is less need to worry about how long a microwave or toaster is being used for, as these appliances have a lower power rating and generally, they’re not over long periods of time.

💡 Always use the eco function on appliances like washing machines if you can. While their cycle may be longer, they overall still use less energy and are cheaper to run.

💡 Washing clothes at 30 degrees also uses less energy, saving around £27 a year on average.

💡 As always, if you’re based in SE London and struggling with your bills, need free advice or support – you can find all the ways you can get in touch with our Energy Advice team here.

💡 Please find more links to other relevant guides - as well as an explanation of how to calculate exactly how much each appliance in the home is costing - on the Selce site.

Other Updates and Energy News

Energy bills to drop by 7% in April

• The energy regulator Ofgem has announced that typical household energy bills will fall by 7% from April, following a shakeup of charges by the government.

• Nearly everyone in the UK will benefit from the cut, irrespective of what tariff you are on, as the fixed tariff is also benefitting from this reduction

• For people on a standard variable tariff, the drop is to be £10 a month from April on average for a typical household that uses electricity and gas

• The energy price cap is a measure set by Ofgem that limits the amount energy suppliers can charge their customers for each unit of gas and electricity - find out more via Ofgem.

• You can compare deals to switch and save money through the Cheap Energy Club on Money Saving Expert.

Ofgem to support customers with new smart meter rules to come into effect this month

Ofgem has announced stronger compensation for customers facing issues with their smart meter - effective immediately, customers will automatically receive a £40 payment if any of the following happen:

• A customer must wait more than 6 weeks for a smart meter installation appointment.

• A smart meter installation appointment fails due to a fault within the supplier’s control.

• A customer reports a problem with their smart meter, but the supplier does not provide a resolution plan within five working days of the report. Read more about the changes here.

Warm Homes Discount extended for families

Millions of families will now receive the £150 Warm Homes Discount every Winter until 2030/31.

The government will also retain the eligibility criteria from this winter (2025/26), which grew to include a greater number of households versus 2024/25.

There will also be a merging of the current core group 1 and core group eligibility criteria into a single core group eligibility - details on the UK Government website.