This energy tariff will save you £££

This winter has been particularly bitter, and if you're anything like me, you'll have spent most evenings sitting shivering away at home, worrying about how much your heating bill is going to cost.

In fact, according to research from Which, more than a third of people surveyed said they were worried about paying their energy bill this month - with some people admitting they'd dipped into their own, and their children's, savings accounts to help pay the bills.

But if you are worried about how much you're forking out for your energy bills, there is one thing you can do about it - get switching. And in fact, almost a third of you have recently either switched energy provider or called to check you're on the cheapest tariff.

Remember, switching to a different energy tariff doesn't have to be difficult - a very easy way to check whether there's a cheaper deal out there for you is to use the lovemoney.com energy comparison tool. You might be surprised at how much you can save.

The history of energy

Taking the time to compare energy tariffs is really important if you want to ensure you're getting the best deal for you because unfortunately, there's no 'one size fits all' rule.

That's partly due to the fact that historically, there are regional differences in prices, as well as the fact that distribution costs will vary. If, for example, you live in a less populated area, you're likely to have to pay more for the cost of your energy service than if you live in a more populated area.

So this means that in order to ensure you're getting the cheapest tariff for you, you need to shop around. Our energy comparison tool offers 16,000 tariff variations at any one time - so there really is plenty to choose from.

That said, some energy providers do tend to cater for certain customers' needs more than others - Scottish Power tends to have tariffs for lower users, while e-on tends to be for higher users. However, this is just a rule of thumb - and it won't always be the case for you personally.

So let's take a look at what the best dual-fuel tariffs might be for a low user, medium user, and a high user - all of whom live in London and are switching from the British Gas standard tariff. All data is taken from our gas and electricity comparison tool.

Low-energy user

Here are the top three cheapest tariffs for a low-energy user (based on a usage of 1,500 kWh electricity/10,000 kWh gas).

The cheapest tariff in this instance is from npower, with its Sign Online v17 tariff. By simply switching to this tariff, a low-energy user could save a pretty impressive £181.69!

The second cheapest tariff is Go Fix, also from npower - no doubt helped by the fact that you can earn up to a £100 discount for paying by monthly direct debit and managing your account online with npower. Bear in mind that the Go Fix tariff is fixed until 31 December this year - so if you'd prefer to have some reassurance that the price of your gas and electricity won't rise until then, you might prefer to lock into this option.

And in third place is Scottish Hydro, Southern Electric, Swalec. Its Go Direct tariff could save you just over £140.

Medium-energy user

So if you can save almost £200 as a low-energy user, how much could you save as a medium-energy user?

The chart below shows the three cheapest tariffs for a medium-energy user (based on a usage of 4,000 kWh electricity/24,000 kWh gas).

Interestingly, npower's Sign Online v17 tariff works out to be the cheapest again for medium users - but this time the savings are even greater - at more than £300. First Utility's iSave Dual Fuel v2 tariff takes second place, with a saving of £290. And you can also earn a £20 annual credit if you email your meter readings every three months.

High-energy user

Here are the three cheapest tariffs for a high-energy user (based on a usage of 8,000 kWh electricity/50,000 kWh gas).

Again, there are some familiar names here. npower's Sign Online v17 tariff still works out to be one of the cheapest tariffs, although this time it's in second place.

But it's the amount you can save that really stands out. By switching to the First Utility iSave Dual Fuel v2 tariff, you could save more than £700! Imagine what you could do with that spare cash!

Location location location

Earlier I mentioned that there was no 'one size fits all' when it comes to energy tariffs. However, you could argue that given the npower Sign Online v17 tariff has appeared in all three examples, it must be a good all-rounder - whether you're a high, medium, or low-energy user. And if you're a medium or high-energy user, First Utility's iSave Dual Fuel v2 tariff also seems to be a good one to choose.

However, don't forget that regional price differences haven't been taken into account here - all of these tariffs are for London-dwellers. So this means that if you live outside London, you may find these tariffs are not the cheapest for you.

To give you an example, let's take a look at a low, medium, and high user living in Merseyside.

Low-energy user

This time it's Scottish Power that offers the cheapest tariff, with its Online Energy Saver 8 tariff - offering a saving of £155.98. However, once again, despite the difference in location, the nPower Sign Online v17 tariff scores pretty highly - saving you slightly less at £152.52.

Medium-energy user

In the case of a medium user, the Scottish Power Online Energy Saver 8 tariff takes the top spot once again, with a potential saving of more than £250.

But for the first time, there's no sign of npower in the top three - however, First Utility's iSave Dual Fuel v2 tariff does make an appearance, saving you £250.98.

High-energy user

If you're a high-energy user in Merseyside, it's the First Utility iSave Dual Fuel v2 tariff that comes up trumps once again - with an impressive saving of more than £650. And once again, there's no sign of npower.

Shopping around

Having looked at these results, you could of course make some assumptions. After all, both the npower Sign Online v17 tariff and the First Utility iSave Dual Fuel v2 tariff make regular appearances, despite differences in location.

So perhaps it's fair to say that if you're a low user, the npower Sign Online v17 tariff would be a safe bet. And if you're a medium to high user, First Utility's iSave Dual Fuel v2 tariff could be the one to choose.

However, if you do choose to go by these assumptions, this won't necessarily mean you're definitely getting the very best deal. Just because these two tariffs have worked out to be the cheapest in many of the examples shown above, I can't guarantee they will be the cheapest for you. What's more, how much you ultimately save will also depend on which tariff you're switching from.

So as with all financial products, make sure you shop around and compare a range of tariffs with the lovemoney.com energy comparison tool before deciding which one to go for. That way, you'll know for sure you're getting the very best deal.

And don't forget that if you need further help reducing your energy bills, lovemoney.com can help. First, adopt this goal: Lower your household bills. Next, watch this video on energy tariffs. And finally, why not have a wander over to Q&A and ask other lovemoney.com members for hints and tips about what worked best for them?