Blog Archive
Below is an archive featuring all our blogs in descending order of release. To see our most recent blogs and blog categories, please use our main Blog page.
Baking A Difference: Wear It Pink For Breast Cancer Now 2025
October at Reduce My Costs is always special. Each year, our team proudly takes part in Wear It Pink to raise awareness and vital funds for Breast Cancer Now. This year was no exception — and what a day it turned out to be! Why Breast Cancer Awareness Matters Breast
Tomato Energy Has Gone Into Administration — Here’s What You Need to Know
Tomato Energy has gone into administration. The company can’t continue trading as normal, and its future as a licensed energy supplier is effectively over. For residential and commercial customers, that means change is coming. The good news is that Ofgem has systems in place to make sure no one loses
Autumn Budget: What SMEs Should Be Thinking About
The Autumn Budget is just around the corner, and while no one knows exactly what the Chancellor has up their sleeve, it’s a good time for small and medium-sized businesses to take stock. Budgets can bring changes to taxes, employment rules, or even energy costs – and being prepared now
Net Zero By 2050: Can The UK Reach 100% Clean Energy?
The UK has long set its sights on leading the world in clean energy. With a legally binding commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the transition away from fossil fuels has become a cornerstone of policy, investment, and public support. But with growing energy demands and rising
Why Your Energy Bills Are Going Up: The Network Charge Explained
Thought energy prices were finally starting to settle? Many UK businesses breathed a sigh of relief when Ofgem announced the energy price cap would fall this summer. But there’s more to your bill than just the wholesale cost of electricity or gas. From 2026, the network charges (the fees for
Guiding a Customer Through a Supplier Billing Dispute
A valued customer of ours got in touch to inform us of a billing issue dispute with their previous supplier. See how we helped them…
Helping a Customer Get Their New Energy Contract on Track
When a customer reached out to us about their new energy contract, it had just gone live – but things weren’t going as smoothly as they’d hoped…
There’s No Energy Price Cap for Businesses – But There Is a Solution
Understanding the Energy Price Cap While households across the UK benefit from the protection of an energy price cap, businesses are left to navigate a very different landscape. Without a price cap to safeguard them, businesses are exposed to market fluctuations and the risk of inflated energy bills. At Reduce
50% Funding Available for North East Businesses
If you run a small or medium-sized business in Newcastle, Northumberland, or North Tyneside, there’s a fantastic opportunity available right now – and it’s designed with you in mind. Eligible SMEs in the region can claim 50% match-funding to help upgrade their digital capabilities. Whether you’re looking to refresh your website,
How Do I Know If I Need An Additional Bin?
Overflowing waste? Overweight charges? Here’s how to tell when it’s time for an additional bin — and why it could save you money, time, and stress. Inadequate bin capacity doesn’t just cause inconvenience — it leads to compliance risks, extra costs, reputational damage, and missed sustainability goals.Frequent overweight fees can
How Often Should Your Business Waste Be Collected?
Business waste collection is one of those things that most businesses don’t think about until it becomes a problem. Overflowing bins, unpleasant smells, or surprise charges for extra collections can quickly turn into a headache. The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to how often your business should have waste
Energy Solutions for the Motor Sector
In a busy motor garage, energy powers everything – from vehicle lifts and diagnostics to lighting, compressors, and even EV chargers. With rising costs and greater pressure on businesses to reduce their carbon footprint, managing your energy effectively is no longer optional, it’s essential. Whether you operate a single-site workshop
Smart Metering Changes: What Businesses Need To Know
From 23 February 2026, new Guaranteed Standards of Performance (GSOP) for smart meters are kicking in — and they could bring automatic compensation if your energy supplier doesn’t deliver the service you expect. These changes are aimed at tackling issues with appointment delays, failed installs and slow responses to problems,
Is the PAX A920 Card Machine a Good Choice for SMEs?
For small and medium-sized businesses, a card machine should make life easier, not harder. It needs to be reliable, simple to use, flexible enough for different trading styles, and affordable on a day-to-day basis. The PAX A920 has become a popular choice among SMEs because it delivers on all of
Ofgem’s January 2026 Price Cap: What It Means for Your Bills
If you’re on a standard variable tariff (SVT), you’ll want to know that Ofgem has confirmed the new energy price cap for 1 January to 31 March 2026 — and it’s £1,758 a year for a typical dual-fuel household paying by Direct Debit. That’s a small increase of around 0.2%
When’s the Best Time to Submit Your Meter Readings? (And Why It Matters!)
Submitting your meter readings might not be the most exciting job on your to-do list, but it plays a big role in keeping your energy bills accurate. Getting your readings in at the right time helps you avoid estimated charges, stay in control of your usage, and make sure you’re
Resolving Incorrect Energy Billing for a Customer
One of our customers got in touch with our customer care team after spotting something that didn’t look quite right on their energy bills…
10 Smart Waste Management Tips to Help Your Business Save Money
Effective waste management isn’t just about reducing what you throw away — it’s about organising, monitoring, and disposing of waste responsibly. Poor waste handling can lead to unnecessary costs, overweight bin charges, and even compliance fines.Whether you’re a small business or a large organisation, taking a smarter approach can make
British Gas Has Taken Over Tomato Energy Customers: What You Need to Know
Tomato Energy Has Stopped Trading Tomato Energy has officially ceased trading, and all customers have now been transferred to British Gas through Ofgem’s Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) process. This ensures that households and businesses remain protected when an energy supplier collapses, with no interruption to their gas or electricity
How to Prepare Your POS for Christmas
The festive season can be make-or-break for many small businesses. Shops, cafés, salons, pubs – they all get busier, and customers expect quick, reliable service. That means your point-of-sale (POS) system, whether that be a card machine or an EPOS system, needs to be ready for the rush. A little
