{"id":2285,"date":"2018-11-06T14:12:03","date_gmt":"2018-11-06T14:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.helloacasa.com\/acasa-blog\/?p=2285"},"modified":"2019-07-06T19:27:04","modified_gmt":"2019-07-06T19:27:04","slug":"low-cost-utilities-for-house-sharing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.helloacasa.com\/acasa-blog\/2018\/11\/06\/low-cost-utilities-for-house-sharing\/","title":{"rendered":"Low-Cost Utilities for House Sharing"},"content":{"rendered":"

House-sharing can be a bit of a shock to the system when you first start. Not only do you have to adjust to the social aspects of your new living environment, but you have to make pretty substantial financial decisions as a group. As well as differing personalities, you must get used to everyone having different financial circumstances.<\/p>\n

This is particularly true of students, who receive varying levels of financial support from the Student Loans Company depending on their parents income, and of those living in large cities where house sharing is the only affordable option for most people. In some areas, you might have a person sharing with someone making half their yearly salary.<\/p>\n

When it comes to choosing your gas and electricity provider, you have a few options available to you. You could opt for one of the Big Six and pay their famously high tariffs, with each person paying a higher or lower percentage based on their income, or you could select your provider to suit the budget of the most cash-strapped housemate.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve got a gifted mathematician and negotiator under your roof, by all means opt for the first choice, but the latter option is undeniably the simplest and will lead to fewer arguments. Taking everyone\u2019s budget into consideration is important not just for fairness\u2019 sake, but in making sure that the household bills are paid in full and on time.<\/p>\n

How to find low-cost utilities for house sharing<\/h2>\n

As many a price comparison advert on telly will tell you, it\u2019s important to shop around to find the best deal. According to Ofgem, the government energy regulator, approximately 54% are a substantially higher price\u2014sometimes by hundreds of pounds\u2014-for the same gas and electricity than a competing provider would charge.<\/p>\n

This year alone, the \u201cBig Six\u201d providers have continually hiked prices for their customers:<\/p>\n