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As the nights draw in, the thoughts soon head towards the inevitable question – ‘when to switch the heating on?’ With rocketing energy prices over the last couple of years, that suddenly becomes a more expensive question to answer, so we’ve highlighted a few areas where choice investment in your home may help you save money in the long run, and could even make it more attractive to buyers when you come to sell it on.

Times are hard right now, and if you’re struggling to balance your income against the outgoings, then one action that you can see if you can save money by checking to see if you’re paying too much for utilities each month.

Council Tax - You might be able to get money off your council tax - either Council Tax Reduction or a discount. If you’re on a low income or claim benefits, you might be able to get Council Tax Reduction. Each local council runs its own scheme, so what you can get depends on where you live.¹

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently made an announcement¹ on a number of policies that affect the UK’s path to ‘Net Zero’² by 2050. Whilst the headline news was primarily the pushback of the ban on the sale of new pure-petrol & diesel cars to 2035, there were some additional announcements that can affect our homes too.

This weekend, millions of households across the United Kingdom are set to enjoy a welcome drop in energy costs as the Ofgem price cap falls to £1,923 per year for the average home, a decrease of £151.¹ However, to ensure accurate billing, it is crucial to provide your energy provider with meter readings before the price cap adjustment takes effect on October 1st.

As students navigate the steep costs of living and studying in the UK, they can often find themselves in need of expensive essentials like laptops, smartphones, and textbooks. The loss or theft of these items can be financially devastating for students. Fortunately, there's a way for parents to provide an added layer of protection for their children's possessions while they pursue higher education, potentially saving them money on additional insurance policies.

If your house is in the countryside you could see your heating bills increase by more than two thirds if you decide to install a heat pump, according to figures from industry trade body Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA).¹

They calculated that the cost of running a heat pump for rural homes is more than 70 per cent higher per year than a conventional oil boiler. The Government wants to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028 and ban all new oil boilers by 2026, as well as put eight million electric vehicles (EVs) on UK roads by 2030 as part of the push to meet ‘net zero’ targets.² 

As you know, recent times have been filled with headlines about rising mortgage rates, making it challenging for many to balance their monthly mortgage repayments against the rising cost of living or moving home to fit their current life circumstances, for example.

However, there are further glimpses of positive news as in recent weeks, a number of major UK lenders have started to reduce their rates, representing a refreshing change to the gloomier news seen earlier this year.¹

One knock-on effect of the rise in mortgage rates has been a noticeable increase in the amount of buy-to-let properties being sold, as landlords find their mortgages more expensive to afford and representing a less-worthwhile return on investment. Latest available data for April & May this year shows that as many as 25,000 rental properties were sold, compared to 22,000 for the months preceding.¹

With the news this month that average mortgage rates have now reached their highest level in 15 years – 6.66%¹, and that over a million people are facing a hike of £500 a month in their mortgage repayments by 2026², it highlights the importance of seeking professional mortgage & protection advice in such a volatile market.

Times are hard right now, and with costs going up across the board, we’ve compiled a few money-saving tips that motorists can try to extract the maximum economy from your car and save a few pounds along the way.

Maintenance – It stands to reason that to get the most fuel economy out of your vehicle you need to ensure that the engine and running gear are running at maximum efficiency. Missing regular car servicing may well cost you more money over time, as cheaper, minor maintenance jobs are likely to develop into more major issues if left unchecked for a long period of time.

If you are thinking of selling your home, we’ve put together a list of some of the top features that buyers are likely to be looking for in an ideal world:

We take great care to insure valuable items around us – whether it’s cars, pets or mobile phones, but if something were to happen to you or your partner – for how long could you continue to pay the bills?

A report from Legal and General¹ has shown that the amount of time we think we can survive and maintain our lifestyles may be a lot less than we think, and the amount of savings held by the average UK household is significantly less than what may be needed if the main source if income was lost.