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How Tech Can Cut Your Household Bills

These Tech Products That Will Save You Hassle - And Cash
Jennifer Barton
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Lets face it - we'd all like to save a little on our outgoings, with household bills topping the list of annoying monthly expenses we'd rather do without. While it would be great to banish bills altogether, trimming them down is a much more realistic proposition, and technology is key to helping you save and control household bills.

If you do your food shop online, for example, it could not only be more efficient time-wise, but you can also save on fuel costs by avoiding the car journey to the supermarket, spot better deals and discounts and plan your weekly meals ahead of time to ensure you’re not overbuying in the spur of the moment.

From the app that lets you control your energy use to the plug extension that turns off connected devices to save you power, here's how tech can cut your household bills each month.

How Tech Can Cut Your Household Bills
Invest In A 'Smart' Thermostat(01 of04)
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A smart thermostat is a must to make sure you're not wasting energy when you're out of the house, as well as helping you use heating more efficiently in the home. Smart thermostats could potentially save you up to 30% on energy costs*. It gets better: systems like E.ON Touch can be used remotely, so your heating and hot water can be ready for you when you get home. The new system available to E.ON customers (£199.99 including installation) and free app lets you control your heating and hot water from anywhere with a few swipes on your smartphone and makes it easy to tailor your heating schedule for when you go on holiday. Personalised tips and reports will also help you manage your energy use more efficiently for longer-term savings.*Source (credit:E.ON)
Get An Energy Saving Strip For Your Plugs(02 of04)
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While it's common knowledge that you shouldn't leave your computer and TV on when you're not using them, turned off appliances still use energy if they're plugged into their sockets. It's precisely this reason that flat screens, video game consoles, tablets and kitchen items like coffee makers have earned the name "vampire appliances." Leaving appliances plugged in can be costing you up to £70 a year* when they're not being used. An energy-saving plug extension, like Belkin's Smart AV Energy Saving Power Strip, senses when a device is off and helps you eliminate standby power so you can reduce energy consumption and save money.*source (credit:Stephen Smith via Getty Images)
Switch To Streaming Products(03 of04)
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Instead of subscribing to expensive pay TV products, you can pay for an internet connection and subscribe to a TV streaming service. This saves you paying for the whole package with extras you won’t use. (credit:Kevin Schafer via Getty Images)
Smart Pay As You Go(04 of04)
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With this app and a free smart meter from E.ON, Smart Pay As You Go (which rolls out in early 2016), you can control your energy use wherever and whenever*, so there are no more unpleasant surprises or bills arriving through your letterbox. You can find a better deal for your energy using E.ON’s online tool and you could save up to £70 – you’ll get £35 off your gas standing charge and £35 off your electricity standing charge, every year**.*During periods of regular planned maintenance our online services won’t be available** No additional saving if paying by Direct Debit (credit:E.ON)

SEE ALSO:

How to "Green" Your Life

Five Tech Priorities for the New UK Government

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