Utilities and household bills

Gas and electricity

Switch your supplier

Changing energy supplier is easy and can knock hundreds of pounds off your bills. It doesn’t matter if you rent or own your home, you should be able to switch. Choose a comparison website and make sure you have a recent bill and your bank details to hand. You can find a list of Ofgem-accredited price comparison sites on the Energy Shopping website.

Affordable warmth

Contact the Affordable Warmth Officer at your local council who can offer ways to help save you money on utility bills, including information about local collective switch initiatives for gas and electricity domestic supplies that could offer real savings for your household.

Pay by direct debit

It’s usually cheaper and means you won’t have to worry about missing payments.

Use less

It sounds obvious, but the less energy you use the lower your bills will be. Check out the video below for tips and tricks you can use to cut your consumption.

Fuel Debt Advice Service

Local Solutions offer FREE advice and support on: how to manage your debt; accessing grants to clear arrears; understanding your bill; reducing energy usage; and switching suppliers. Call them for free on 0800 988 2655.

Water

As an OVH customer, you may qualify for United Utilities’ special ‘Back on Track Tariff’, which starts from £117 per year. Or if you’re receiving pension credits, you may qualify for ‘Help to Pay’, a fixed annual tariff of £250 a year. Call United Utilities on 08000 726 765 for more information.

If you’re having trouble paying your water bill, United Utilities can delay your bill payments for up to eight weeks until your first Universal Credit payment arrives. If this applies to you, call them on 0800 072 6765. Find more information on the support United Utilities offers here.

OVH insurance for tenants and leaseholders

As your landlord, OVH offers building insurance which covers damage to the structure of your home by fire, flood or other hazards. It does not, however, take out insurance that covers damage to the contents of your home, such as your furniture, carpets, curtains and other belongings. You are responsible for insuring your own belongings, furniture and decorations against fire, theft vandalism or burst pipes. We strongly recommend that you take out home contents insurance.

There are many insurance companies on the market offering home contents insurance, but to make it easy and affordable for you we have set up a special low cost scheme through Allianz Insurance PLC. Features of the OVH policy include:

  • Weekly payment plans from as little as £1.51 (£1.01 for over 60s)
  • No excess charged in the event of a claim
  • New for old, as standard on all policies with accidental damage

This policy is available to all One Vision Housing tenants as well as leaseholders. Please contact us on 0300 365 1111 or email enquiries@ovh.org.uk for more information.

Claiming Council Tax Reduction/Support

As Council Tax Reduction/Support is not a benefit that is included in Universal Credit, it is your responsibility to ensure you contact your local authority to claim Council Tax Reduction or Support. Make this claim or apply online here.

More help

Saving money on bills – The Money Advice Service

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VybfySeqqbg&index=5&list=PLzJI8W1q5m7qp-YP9OoYAzO5n3mfdiFDF

If you need help with any of the above we are here to help!

Call 0300 365 1111   Email enquiries@ovh.org.uk